Things to do in London for £5 or less this week.
All week
FESTIVAL OF CULTURE: A free week-long festival celebrating the arts, humanities and social sciences at UCL through guided tours, exhibitions, talks and workshops. Highlights include a night walk through Dickens's London, playing with maths through coding and stepping into the world of comic superheroes and the political landscape. UCL, free, book ahead, 5-10 June
LONDON RIVIERA: Not jetting off somewhere sunny? You'll have to make do with London's own riviera. Pitching up next to City Hall, this summer festival offers free entertainment every night, including film screenings, reggae aerobics, break dancing and live music. Free entry, just turn up, 1 June-31 August
ARCHITECTURE FESTIVAL: London Festival of Architecture runs through this week, and as Europe's biggest annual architecture festival, there are plenty of free and cheap things to see and do with over 450 events spread over the month of June. Various locations and prices, 1-30 June
Monday 5 June
CRAZY GOLF: To say thank you for a great first year, Swingers are offering free crazy golf all day on their two challenging courses. Wash it all down with half price bubbly and discounted street food from favourites such as Pizza Pilgrims. Swingers Crazy Golf Club (City of London), free, just turn up, midday-midnight
DIAGRAMATIC MATHEMATICS: Maths and art lovers alike will love this one. M.C. Escher used seemingly infinite tilings of the plane with interlocking figures in his work, yet this could not be represented within a finite space — this Gresham College lecture shows how mathematics can offer a solution to this conundrum. Museum of London, free, just turn up, 1pm-2pm
VISUAL EXPRESSIONS: This exhibition showcases a bright selection of portraits, landscapes and fruit themes by Russian born contemporary artist Nadezhda "Nadya" Yakustidi. Known for celebrating life through colour, her work is inspired by the warmth and vibrancy of Greece, where she now resides. The London Latvian Centre (Bayswater), free, book ahead, 6pm-10pm
Tuesday 6 June
MOOD SHIFTS: Mary Cappello, in performing multi-modal readings from her latest collection of essays, asks the question of whether we can create a poetics of atmosphere as antidote to post-election and post-Brexit airlessness, moodlessness and disrepair. The Horse Hospital (Bloomsbury), free, book ahead, 6pm-8.30pm
THE FIX: Fans of live music are in for a treat as three new hip and happening bands take centre stage at this evening celebrating new talent. Headlining is Phoenix & The Flower Girl, a fantastic new project that's part left-field hip-hop, part visual art. The Social, free, just turn up, 7pm-late
FREE COMEDY: This award-winning Mediterranean restaurant offers up a comedy night in the style of a panel show, featuring comedians Sonia Aste, Anna Dominey and Trevor Tokabi. Forget the TV panel shows, come to this free version. Grove Bar and Restaurant, Hammersmith, free, book ahead, 7.30pm-9.30pm
Wednesday 7 June
CONSERVATION AREA: This year marks the golden anniversary of the first designated conservation areas. Explore the origins, variety and future challenges for these 10,000 treasured sites in this presentation by Gresham College. Museum of London, free, just turn up, 6pm-7pm
CLAPHAM JUNCTION: Contemporary maps and photographs accompany this talk from railway historian Steven Taylor, detailing the history and constant expansion of Clapham Junction station over the first 50 years of its life. A must for all railway aficionados. Battersea Library, free, just turn up, 6.30pm
CONSCIOUSNESS: Humans are conscious beings — but are there any other conscious animal species? When did this trait first evolve, and what is its function? This panel discussion brings together philosophers and scientists alike to discuss recent developments in neuroscience and shed new light on these puzzling questions. LSE, free, just turn up, 6.30pm-8pm
CRAP FILMS: Crap Film Club puts on another crap classic to get you laughing... most likely at how cringeworthy it is. This time, it's 1980s American slasher film Aerobicide, where the killer dispatches people with a giant safety pin. Weird. The Book Club (Shoreditch), £5/£4, book ahead/just turn up, 7pm
RAVES AND STREET FOOD: Back in the 90s, Dominic Cools-Lartigue and Matt Munday were putting on raves on Portobello Road. Fast forward to 2012, and they were credited with kicking off London's night time street food scene after launching Street Feast. Find out what they have up their sleeves next at this talk. Today Studios (Hackney Downs), £5, book ahead, 7pm-10pm
POLITICAL COMEDY: Are you disillusioned with mainstream politics? Do you wish there was a credible alternative to the establishment? Then look no further, because experimental Brixton comedy night Future Sellouts is here, offering up a selection of fresh, original comedy from award winning acts, comics off the telly and rising stars of the scene. Vive la comedy revolución! Dogstar Brixton, £5, book ahead, 7.30pm-10pm
TWICE AS NICE: Two local resident comedians, Caroline Mabey and Pat Cahill, take the stage in an Edinburgh festival preview, offering a free evening of laughs in exchange for helping test drive their sets. The Duchess Of Cambridge, 320 Goldhawk Road, free, book ahead, 7.30pm-10.30pm
Thursday 8 June
CONCERT LAB: Ditch the rush hour crush and come for an hour of orchestral music instead. In this latest edition, the orchestra will be liberated from their seats and the audience immersed in music as Southbank Sinfonia's young musicians ask the question: why do orchestras sit still? St John's Waterloo, free, just turn up, 6pm-7pm / 8pm-9pm
CROWN AND REBELLION: Renowned medieval historians discuss the most important battle ever fought on English soil — 800 years ago, a royal army defeated a force of French and English baronial troops, ensuring that England would not become a cadet kingdom of France. The National Archives (Kew), free, just turn up, 6pm-8pm
BETWEEN THE LINES: Wandsworth Common is dissected by railway lines, and Battersea's Queenstown Road hosts the intersection of three twisting and turning rail arteries. Explore how the borough was shaped and defined by the railways in this history filled talk. St Mary’s Parish Church, £5 including a glass of wine, just turn up, 7pm
Friday 9 June
GRANITE AS HEIRLOOM: Jordan Stephens of Rizzle Kicks, and Caleb Femi, the Young People's Poet Laureate for London, host their first ever photography exhibition deconstructing the young Black British working-class face. Highlighted is the perception that poorer neighbourhoods of London and their culture are seen to be something sinister. Space Studios (Hackney), free, book ahead, 6pm
SHAKESPEARE RETOLD: Tracey Chevalier reworks the Shakespeare classic Othello into a 1970s playground story, featuring a young black boy as he arrives at an all-white school and finds himself at the centre of a vicious plot of jealousy, betrayal and revenge. Dorfman Theatre, £5/£4, book ahead, 6.30pm-7.30pm
BREAK UP TOUR: Neoliberalism comes under the microscope in this interactive performance, likening it to a band long past its heyday. Having toured the world in triumph for decade to packed houses of adoring fans, the glory days of this economic doctrine are coming to an end. Toynbee Studios (Whitechapel) £5, book ahead, 7.30pm
Saturday 10 June
GUN SALUTE: It's the Duke of Edinburgh's birthday, and as is customary on such occasions, a gun salute by the King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery will be taking place in Green Park. Free, just turn up, midday
ARCHAEOLOGY FESTIVAL: The institute is now in its 80th year, and is hosting an archeology festival featuring tours of its world-renowned collections, object handling sessions and a whole host of archeological-related activities for kids and adults alike. UCL Institute of Archaeology, free, just turn up, midday-5pm
FASHION FEAST: Seven Dials goes traffic-free as over 70 shops, bars and restaurants in the area come together for a day of experimental activities, offers and workshops in this free fashion and food festival. When you're done shopping, soak up the sun on the pop-up lawn around the dial, and kick back with a complimentary cocktail. Seven Dials, free, just turn up/book ahead for freebies, midday-5pm
GOOD VIBES: 15 fresh and exciting street food trucks and stalls feature each week at this exciting food festival that has taken up residency in a Shoreditch car park, serving everything from gourmet street food to flowery cocktails and craft beer. Live music is just the cherry on top of this delicious day out. Euro Car Parks Shoreditch, free, just turn up, midday-midnight
Sunday 11 June
CRAFT FESTIVAL: Over 30 independent traders selling their high quality wares pack in to the beautiful ballroom of Balham Bowls Club for a summer craft market. You'll be spoilt for choice for unique handmade gifts — now you'll have no excuse not to find something in time for Father's Day. A great line-up of live musicians soundtrack the event. Balham Bowls Club, free, just turn up, 12pm-5pm
CLIMATE CHANGE: It affects us all. Taking India as a case in point, researcher Jimmy O'Keefe looks at the links between climate, energy, food and water, and illustrates how small changes in climate can make a big difference to people on the ground. Conway Hall (Holborn), free, book ahead, 1pm-2pm
ART OF COMMUNICATION: There's a lot more to communication than just talking. Why are we so challenged by something we do so much, and something so essential to relationships? Learn the art of communication and develop your interpersonal skills at this workshop. The Neighbourhood Centre, free, just turn up, 4.30pm-6pm
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