Free things to do in London this week.
Catch the final week of this free photography exhibition
Photofusion in Brixton holds the final week of Bibby Boys, a free exhibition of photos about the asylum seekers housed on the Bibby Stockholm, a barge moored in Portland in Dorset in 2023. While visiting the area, photographers Theo McInnes and Thomas Ralph recorded the relationships that had formed between the men on board, and the locals who created the Portland Global Friendship Group to support them.
Until 4 April.
Fly into Aviationland
Architectural historian Mark Crinson is at the Courtauld Gallery's King's Cross campus on Tuesday night to give a free talk about his forthcoming book, Aviationland. He discusses the history of the land around Heathrow, and how it evolved thanks to agrarian revolution, the nationalisation of land under wartime, and the neo-liberal privatisation of the 1980s.
31 March.
The Courtauld also hosts the free launch event for Black Chronicles, a collection of studio portraits depicting the black presence in Victorian Britain, on Thursday 2 April.
Sow some seeds for spring
On Thursday afternoon, Lambeth's Garden Museum holds a free seed-sowing workshop for beginners. Learn how to sow seeds to add colour to small urban spaces such as balconies, including which containers and compost to use for the best results. Once you've finished, take your planted seeds home with you.
2 April.
Stay late at the Royal College of Physicians
The museum at the Royal College of Physicians stays open late on Thursday night for an evening all about historical medical books. View the current exhibition, A Body Of Knowledge, in a tour led by rare books librarian, Katie Birkwood, and hear about doctors reading in multiple languages, the medical curriculum of the 16th century, revision notes from the 1940s, and the books that everyday people used to look after their own health.
2 April.
Tune into Soho Sounds
Get yourself to foodie hangout Kingly Court from Thursday, to tune into music sessions (acoustic and live DJs), courtesy of Kingly Court Presents: Soho Sounds. You can catch it Thursdays and Fridays (5pm-9pm) and
Saturdays and Sundays (1pm-5pm) throughout April, and it's free to enjoy, though will doubtlessly sound better accompanied by a drink/bite to eat from one of the numerous outlets circling the courtyard.
2-5 April (and every Thursday-Sunday throughout April).
Watch the Easter story unfold in Trafalgar Square
As is tradition, the Easter story is performed in Trafalgar Square for free on Good Friday. The Wintershall Players bring a 100-strong cast — plus real horses, donkeys and doves — to central London, for two retellings of the the arrest, trial and crucifixion of Jesus by the Romans, and his resurrection on Easter Sunday.
Performances take place at 12pm and 3.15pm. They're free, unticketed and very popular (particular if the weather's good) so arrive in plenty of time to get a good spot!
3 April.
Take the family dancing
Southbank Centre hosts two free, family dance sessions over Easter weekend. The Good Friday edition of Simmer Down is a daytime reggae dance session for all ages, accompanied by the Tomorrow's Warriors' house band and vinyl-spinning DJ duo GW Jazz and the Reggae Choir.
Then, on Saturday, Toasty Tots XL is a dance party for all the family, taking place on the Ballroom Boogie dance floor. Free, weatherproof family fun for the bank holiday weekend!
3 and 4 April.
Watch Oxford and Cambridge row, row, row their boats
Easter Saturday is Boat Race day, when rowing teams from Oxford and Cambridge Universities row down the Thames. It's free to watch the action from the banks of the river — find yourself a spot between the start line in Putney and the finish in Mortlake. It'll be very busy, so arrive early. The women's race begins at 2.21pm, followed by the men's at 3.21pm. Each race lasts around 20 minutes.
4 April.
Take part in free Easter activities at Camden Market
Camden Market offers free Easter activities for all the family on Saturday and Sunday. Watch aerial circus acrobatics performances, make your own bunny ears and bonnets, follow an Easter trail around the market, wander around the Easter garden, and plant a spring bulb to take home with you.
4-5 April.
And now for something that only costs a fiver...
The Foundling Museum in Bloomsbury hosts a variety of musical Easter workshops for children aged 5-12 and their parents/guardians. There's Musical Printmaking (31 March), Sound & Song (1 April), Animated Music (2 April) and Musical Mobiles (3 April). Each session costs £5 per child and another £5 per adult, and includes entry to the Foundling Museum. There are two identical workshop sessions during the given day, so choose the time that best suits.
31 March-3 April.
