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.
Swoon over chic photos of Hollywood Greats
Sean Connery golfing on the Moon. Brigitte Bardot smoking a cigar. Faye Dunaway lounging by the pool with her freshly-won Oscar. Certain public areas of the 45 Park Lane hotel in Mayfair are currently peppered with photos of Hollywood greats looking their chicest — snapped by the ilk of Terry O'Neill and Dafydd Jones. The photos themselves cost thousands to purchase, but you can wander in and enjoy them for nothing.
Free, until 20 April.
Claim your free Ben & Jerry's ice cream
The annual Ben & Jerry's Free Cone Day takes place on Tuesday 8 April, when stores around the world give away free ice cream. Turn up at a participating Scoop Shop (in London, that's at 74 Wardour Street in Soho) to claim a free scoop of flavours such as Cookie Dough, Chocolate Fudge Brownie, Phish Food, or Cherry Garcia. Can't decide? You're encouraged to rejoin the queue as many times as you like to try a different flavour each time.
Free, opening hours 1pm-10pm.
Follow that up with free noodles
Also giving away free food on Tuesday is the new branch of Noodle and Beer, which happens to be just down the road from Ben & Jerry's (above), at 27 Wardour Street.
Between 5pm and 6pm on 8 April, you can claim a free bowl of za-jing mian or su-jiao mian (vegan) spicy noodles. It's available for dine-in only, on a first come, first served basis, for just one hour.
Free, 8 April.
Go wild at Chiswick House and Gardens
Butterfly face painting, a guided woodland walk, gardening sessions and mask making are among the free activities at Chiswick House and Gardens' family-friendly Wild Day. It's the launch event for the venue's Wild Watch scheme, which encourages visitors to log the different birds, butterflies, moths and beetles they spot in the gardens.
All events are free, but you need to book in advance to take part in the woodland volunteer sessions.
Free, 9 April.
Hear the memoirs of a Cockney Sikh
Suresh Singh AKA the Cockney Sikh is at Guildhall Library to discuss his book, A Modest Living: Memoirs of a Cockney Sikh. Singh grew up in Spitalfields in the 1960s-70s, experiencing racist violence and harassment before going on to have careers as a musician and an architect.
His book tells the story of his father Joginder Singh who came to Spitalfields in 1949, and enjoyed living among the mishmash of people who inhabited the streets around Brick Lane.
Free, 10 April.
Visit an exhibition about Bergen-Belsen
Bloomsbury's Wiener Holocaust Library opens its latest exhibition on Thursday; Traces of Belsen marks 80 years since the liberation of the German concentration camp, in which almost half of the 120,000 prisoners perished from starvation, disease or abuse. See photographs of Soviet Prisoners of War posted through the letterbox of a family living close to the camp in 1942, and a diary smuggled into the camp by the daughter of the Wiener Holocaust Library’s founder, Dr Alfred Wiener, revealing the hardships of everyday life for Jewish prisoners.
Free, 10 April-10 July.
Get stuck into the science of surgery
Meet scientists developing cutting edge surgical technology and take part in family-friendly hands-on demonstrations at The Science of Surgery, an annual event at UCL. Meet researchers from the UCL Hawkes Institute and learn about the projects they're working on, as well as watching tabletop demonstrations, taking behind the scenes tours of labs, and having a go at controlling a real surgical robot. It's suitable for everyone age five+.
Free, 11 April.
Take part in a Doodle Day at the Design Museum
Artists Josie Britton and Mark Connolly host an afternoon of family-friendly drawing and doodling activities inspired by the current Tim Burton exhibition at the Design Museum. Learn to draw a self-portrait in the style of Tim Burton, create and play with spooky shadow puppets, craft a storytelling mini-theatre, and more.
£5, 11 April.
Spend your lunchtime at the Royal Opera House
The regular Live at Lunch event takes place at the Royal Opera House, offering a chance to see a show by Royal Ballet and Opera and guest artists for free. You won't know who's performing until you get there. Arrive in plenty of time, as capacity is limited.
Free, 11 April.
Celebrate the first Benjamin Zephaniah Day
Head to Brunel University for the first ever Benjamin Zephaniah Day, a celebration of the late poet and actor, organised by his wife, Qian Zephaniah, and taking place over his birthday weekend.
It takes the form of a family-friendly festival, with food, live music, spoken word and poetry. Dub poet Linton Kwesi Johnson and children’s author and poet Michael Rosen are among the performers.
Free, 12 April.
Watch the Boat Races
Saturday is Boat Race day, when elite rowing teams from Oxford and Cambridge Universities race against each other down the Thames between Putney and Mortlake. Pick a spot most places along the banks of the Thames between Putney Bridge and Chiswick Bridge, and you should be able to watch the action for free: The women's race begins at 1.21pm. The men's follows at 2.21pm.
Free, 13 April
Budget Easter holidays ideas
Need Easter holidays entertainment for kids or teenagers on a budget? We've put together a guide to things to do in London in the Easter holidays, including a section of free things to see and do. If they're brimming with energy, our map of playgrounds in central London is a great place to start.
