Free things to do in London this week.
See what's free at the London Festival of Architecture
Belonging is the theme of this year's London Festival of Architecture, which begins on Monday and runs all month. Many (though not all) of the events are free. This week, take a free history tour of the Waldorf Hotel, watch a discussion about how art and inclusive public installations contribute to a sense of belonging in London, or tour the only Jacobean church in London, among many other events.
Search the month's programme to find something that takes your fancy.
1-30 June.
Delve into the Whitechapel murders
Author Sarah Bax Horton is at Guildhall Library on Tuesday afternoon to discuss her extensive investigation into the identity of Jack the Ripper and the Thames Torso Killer. Drawing on Metropolitan Police Archives and the legacy of her great-great-grandfather, a police sergeant during the 1888 "Autumn of Terror," Horton explores the evidence that led to her identifying the notorious killers in her books One-Armed Jack and Arm of Eve.
Watch in person at the library, or online.
2 June.
Tour this incredibly beautiful chapel
Former Middlesex surgeon James Thomson leads a guided tour of Grade II* listed architectural gem Fitzrovia Chapel on Wednesday lunchtime. The 45-minute tour explores the history and intricate gold mosaics of the neo-Gothic chapel, which originally served the Middlesex Hospital.
3 June.
Question the City Hall experts
Put your questions to the Deputy Mayors and a panel of City Hall experts at the State of London Debate 2026, on Wednesday evening.
This hybrid event invites Londoners to have their say on critical issues including transport, policing, housing and the environment. You'll need to register by Tuesday to attend in person. Otherwise, join a dedicated online livestream to raise questions via a live chat.
3 June.
Gawp at an aerial piano performance
A live performance on a piano suspended high above the Docklands waterfront is the show-stopping headline act of the Royal Docks Innovation and Enterprise Summer Festival, a one-day family-friendly event courtesy of the University of East London. Expect interactive exhibits, wellbeing activities, workshops and performances from 11am-7pm, plus food and drink stalls. The festival's free, although 'make and take' activities incur a £5 charge. Planning on going? Register your interest.
3 June.
Find out about Pluto's demotion
Professor Chris Lintott visits Conway Hall in Holborn on Wednesday evening to discuss the 2006 decision by the International Astronomical Union to demote Pluto to a dwarf planet. The Gresham College lecture explores the remote Kuiper Belt and questions what it means to name celestial bodies, while explaining why this distant world still warrants our scientific attention.
3 June.
Feed your eyes at this food photography exhibition
Feeling hungry? You will be if you wander through Mall Galleries this week. The free World Food Photography Awards exhibition showcases shortlisted snaps from all over the world, selected by a panel of judges, celebrating the growing, farming, harvesting, cooking and eating of food.
3-7 June.
Get an eyeful of fantastic Japanese photography
On Wednesday, Japan House London opens Kyotographie, a free joint exhibition of work by two exciting Japanese photographers, Kawada Kikuji and Iwane Ai. Works include Kawada's Chizu (The Map), selections from The Last Cosmology, and Iwane's Kipuka and A New River series. The show, organised with Kyotographie International Photography Festival is the gallery's first major photography exhibition.
3 June-18 October.
Celebrate 50 years of skating at Southbank Centre
The futuretense x Skate 50 gig is a free programme of live music and visuals across two stages at Southbank Centre on Thursday, celebrating skate sound and culture. Curated by the SORI Collective, the evening features the hardcore intensity of queercore trio Shooting Daggers and the genre-blurring alt-pop of Tiberius b, accompanied by immersive visuals. The event acts as a "love letter" to the original skate space and runs alongside the current Skate 50 exhibition (suggested donation £8).
4 June.
Stay late at the Science Museum
This month's edition of the regular Science Museum Lates is a collaboration with South Asian creative organisation Serendipity Arts. Visit the museum after its usual opening hours for a free adults-only evening of music, making and ideas inspired by India.
View a display of giant hand-crafted puppets in the Energy Hall, have a go at embroidery or printing, and hear researchers, scientists and makers talking about contemporary and historical innovation from India. The evening is the launch event for the Great Exhibition Road Festival, more on which below.
5 June.
Celebrate World Ocean Day
Head to the National Maritime Museum on Saturday for free World Ocean Day celebrations. Meet ocean experts, enjoy live music and science shows, play games and get stuck into craft activities, with entertainment for all ages. Hear about creatures from sperm whales to mermaids and deep-sea monsters, along with stories from a former fisheries biologist.
6 June.
Get stuck into the Great Exhibition Road Festival
Huge free cultural event the Great Exhibition Road Festival is organised by Imperial College and its South Kensington neighbours, including the Natural History Museum, Science Museum, Royal Parks and the V&A.
Celebrate science and the arts through a weekend of free events and activities, many suitable for children. Mingle with scientists, artists and musicians as you see the latest technology in action, or try a few foods you've never sampled before — all in a street party atmosphere. This edition is a special one, as it marks 175 years since the namesake Great Exhibition of 1851.
6-7 June.
Be among the first to visit this year's Serpentine Pavilion
'a serpentine' (their lower case, not ours) is the apt name and design of this year's free Serpentine Pavilion, erected in the grounds of the Serpentine South gallery, and open to the public from Saturday this week. Mock-ups show the interior will provide an irregular-shaped courtyard with spaces for sitting, and a brise soleil roof propped with thin brick columns. It's free to visit and explore.
6 June-25 October 2026.
Watch a parade in south London
It's free entry at Mitcham Carnival on Sunday where, back again after a successful return in 2025. The mile-long route starts in the town centre and finishes at Three Kings Piece, where you'll find live performances, wrestling demos and funfair rides.
7 June.
