Free things to do in London this week.
Swoon at the final week of this love-laced exhibition
Last chance to see the National Archives' current Love Letters exhibition. On display at its Kew HQ are letters, poems, drawings — and even wills — telling love stories dating back 500 years. Royalty, politicians, public figures and unknown figures feature, across tales of devotion, longing, sacrifice, heartache and passion.
Until 12 April.
See What Was, What Is, What Could Be
Camberwell Space celebrates seven years of Queer Youth Art Collective (QYAC), the UK's only national LGBTQIA+ youth service dedicated to the arts, with free exhibition, What Was, What Is, What Could Be. Among the retrospective pieces on display are The QYAC Quilt (2023) a collective textile work reflecting on the legacy of the AIDS Quilt; a collaboratively produced Recipe Book (2024); and Deck of Many Things (2025), an oracle deck created by 49 queer artists.
Until 22 April (gallery closed 11 April).
View a new exhibition on life in Tower Hamlets
Artist Olga Regina's solo exhibition Memory of a New City explores the layered identity of Canary Wharf and London’s Docklands, capturing moments where everyday life intersects with something slightly unexpected in London's financial district. View the exhibition at Brady Arts & Community Centre in Whitechapel.
Until 25 April (closed Easter Monday).
Witness the Easter Monday Chair Lifting
If you're in the Greenwich area on Easter Monday, look out for people being paraded through town on a florally-festooned chair, held aloft. The Chair Lifting by the Blackheath Morris Men is one of those quirky annual events which London does so well. Find the Morris Men at landmarks around Greenwich between 12pm and 4pm, where they'll be dancing, interspersed with lifting women (with their permission) onto the special chair, which they then carry on their shoulders.
6 April.
Play some croquet
You needn't be posh (or indeed the Queen of Hearts) in order to play croquet. In fact, if you show up at Enfield Croquet Club this Tuesday or Saturday, you can try out the easygoing activity for free. Perhaps this is the stress-buster of a sport you need in your life this summer...
7 and 11 April.
Check out the free events at Elixir Festival
Dance powerhouse Sadler's Wells launches Elixir Festival this week, a programme of events aiming to reshape perceptions around dancing and age. Though most events are ticketed, there are a few freebies on the programme, including flamenco, ska and rock dance taster classes on Tuesday, an Indian Bollywood dance class on Wednesday, and a chance to hear from choreographer Meryl Tankard and dancers from Kontakthof – Echoes of '78 on Sunday. Head to Sadler's Wells East on Sunday afternoon for a free performance of Pina Bausch's Nelken Line, and see an intergenerational line of dancers following a path from the venue and through the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park before returning to the Sadler's Wells East Dance Floor.
Browse the full programme.
7-27 April.
Get a free Greggs and a cocktail... in a VHS store
A bit to unpack here, but in short, to launch its latest 'trilogy' treat, Greggs is opening a pop-up 90s-style 'video store' on 15 Bateman Street in Soho. For one day only (3.30pm-9pm on 8 April), you're invited to step inside, munch on the new offering, twinned with a cocktail/mocktail. Each experience takes around 20 minutes. As always with these things, best to get there early.
8 April.
Browse the Alternative Book Fair
Panels, talks and an Indie Press Fair are part of The Alternative Book Fair at Islington Central Library, which aims to bring the world of publishing and literature to a wider audience. Browse stalls from independent publishers such as Galley Beggar, Rough Trade and Indie Novella, and hear from authors including the Booker Prize-longlisted Natasha Brown. Everything is free entry.
8-11 April 2026.
Learn about the Science of Surgery
The UCL Hawkes Institute opens Charles Bell House (Fitzrovia) for a public day of demonstrations and lab tours on Friday, aimed at children age five+ and their families. Try tabletop exhibits, see live demonstrations of surgical equipment, control a surgical robot and experience simulated key‑hole surgery, with researchers on hand to explain their work.
10 April.
Get to know the London Guards
Head to the National Army Museum in Chelsea on Saturday for a day celebrating the London Guards — the reserve battalion combining companies from the Grenadier, Coldstream, Scots and Irish Guards — giving visitors a chance to meet serving members. Hear from Lieutenant Colonel Russell Lewis MC, commanding officer of the London Guards, and take part in other special activities.
11 April.
Catch the Brixton Chamber Orchestra on their spring tour
Across two days, the Brixton Chamber Orchestra and special guests give a series of free, live orchestral performances taking place on Southwark estates. Expect a hybrid of pop, classical, jazz, urban and even disco with professional and amateur musicians performing together. See them at Walworth Living Room on the Aylesbury and Kingslake Estates (Saturday, 3pm), Jessie Duffett Hall on the Wyndham & Comber Estate (Saturday, 7pm), or near the Canterbury Arms on the Brandon Estate (Sunday, 3pm).
The Sunday concert is open-air, so will only take place weather permitting.
11-12 April.
View a free exhibition on the London music industry
As part of Roundhouse Three Sixty Festival, which launches this week, the Camden venue opens free exhibition, From Soundboy to Streaming: Collective and Individual Joy, in collaboration with the soon-to-open Museum of Youth Culture.
Photographs, gig posters, videos, tickets and zines submitted by the public are on display, asking whether the London music community has disappeared, or is merely undergoing change.
11-25 April.
Chat about community spaces
The Story Sanctuary in Sanderstead hosts a community table talk on Sunday afternoon, inviting students from the MA Architecture course at Central St Martins, along with mobile workshop, Emmie, The « … », in an easygoing exploration of what community means to us. Expect crafting, refreshments, and plenty of good chat.
12 April.
