Budget-friendly things to do in London this week for £5 or less.
Looking for more free things to do in London? Here are 102 of em! We've also compiled this epic map of free stuff in London, and have a helpful guide to where to see art in London for free, and where you can catch cheap and free comedy.
Admire the work of young South Asian artists
Featuring the work of 26 emerging and established young South Asian artists, (Un)Layering the Future Past of South Asia: Young Artists' Voices features work by Kubra Khademi, a Hazara artist and performer forced to flee Afghanistan after her 2015 performance Armor; Jameel Art Prize winner Ghulam Mohammad; and Ashfika Rahman, winner of the Future Generation Art Prize. Curated by Salima Hashmi, this free show is on at SOAS Gallery in Russell Square. Travel within South Asia is frequently hindered by political tensions so having these artists together in one room sends out a powerful message.
Free, until 21 June.
Celebrate St George's Day in Trafalgar Square
St George's Day falls on Wednesday this week, but the celebrations start on Easter Monday, when the free St George's Day festival takes place in Trafalgar Square. Expect live music, dance and performances celebrating English culture, all overseen by the Pearly Kings and Queens.
Free, 21 April. Find other St George's Day events this week, some of which are also free.
Play ping pong for free on World Ping Pong Day
Wednesday 23 April is World Ping Pong Day, which is being celebrated at Bounce ping pong bars in Battersea, Farringdon and Old Street. Book your 25-minute free slot for two-eight people, and if you're feeling confident, attempt a special trick shot for a chance to win £250.
Free, 23 April.
Visit the Royal College of Nursing's latest exhibition
The UK's nurses play a vital role in prison health care, giving prisoners the same quality of health care as anyone else. Prison Nursing Unlocked: A History of Care and Justice opens at the Royal College of Nursing
Library and Museum, just off Oxford Street, on Thursday. It explores topics including early reformers like Elizabeth Fry, the force-feeding of Suffragettes in Holloway Prison, and how nurses at HM Prison Eastwood Park and HM Prison Warren Hill have worked with prisoners to create art.
Free, 24 April-19 December.
Stay late at the Science Gallery
Science Gallery London (located near London Bridge station, not to be confused with the Science Museum) stays open for a Friday Late, with a theme of 'beautiful futures'.
Explore the current Vital Signs exhibition, looking at the ways people are shaping liveable and hopeful futures despite damage to the natural world. Among the evening's special events and activities, learn how to adapt traditional Chinese recipes to reduce their carbon footprint, experience a tarot card reading, or watch short documentaries on themes of climate and science.
Free, 25 April.
Watch the Tweed Run pass through town
Look out for some of the best-dressed cyclists you've ever seen, as the Tweed Run comes to town on Saturday. Participants follow a set 12-mile route (announced Saturday morning), dressed in their most dapper outfits: think tweed jackets, faux-fur collars, golfing socks, tank tops and straw bonnets. They do put in the effort too, as there are awards for best-dressed individuals, finest moustache and most elegantly adorned bicycle.
Free to watch (though there's a charge to take part), 26 April.
Cheer on runners in the London Marathon
Many roads in central and east London will be closed for the London Marathon on Sunday... but if you can't beat them, join them. Head down to line the route and cheer the hardy runners on. Many will be raising money for good causes, and some will be in seriously impressive costumes. Our guide to the London Marathon 2025 has everything you need to know, including timings, route, and the best places to watch.
Free, 27 April.
Entertain the family at the V&A's Performance Festival
The annual V&A Performance Festival kicks off on Friday, getting you to "escape rationality, embrace fiction and question your perspectives" through several days of events. Most are free, and many are family-friendly, including a Shakespeare-themed trail through the museum, a screening of a new film by BalletBoyz and the Royal Ballet, and a chance to view some of Paul O'Grady's Lily Savage costumes.
Most events free, 25 April-4 May.
Manger un croque monsieur gratuitement
Sacre fromage! Covent Garden Balthazar is dishing out free croque monsieurs to diners this Saturday and Sunday (limited to 50 per day), with the caveat that you must turn up wearing a Breton-style horizontally-striped top. We're assuming any horizontal stripes will do, so you needn't necessarily be in your best Armor-Lux. It's first come, first-served, whether you're a walk-in or have a reservation.
Free, 26 and 27 April (10am-4pm while stocks last).
Catch the final week of these free exhibitions:
All three of the below exhibitions are free, and they all close in the coming days:
- WAR AND THE MIND: The psychological effects of war are explored in free exhibition War and the Mind at the Imperial War Museum. It questions how humans think, feel and act during conflict, from the First World War to the present day. FREE, until 27 April
- SALT COSMOLOGIES: Free exhibition Salt Cosmologies is in the courtyard at Somerset House, taking the form of an 80m-long fabric installation representing the Inland Customs Line, a 2,500 mile-long 'hedge' created by the British to enforce salt taxation during colonial rule in India. The exhibition continues inside the building, focusing on other aspects of Britain’s imperial salt monopoly in India. FREE, until 27 April
- DICK WHITTINGTON: Guildhall Library is the apt location for an exhibition about legendary Mayor of London Dick Whittington, given the Library was founded by money left in his will. Find out how, in the intervening six centuries, his story has changed from one of a politician and philanthropist into a rags-to-riches tale of a penniless orphan. FREE, until 30 April
