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.
Stand in the shade of Crystal Palace's new pavilion
With the recent weather as it is, we need all the shade we can get. Currently, in Crystal Palace Park, you can stand beneath Craft Not Carbon, a pavilion designed in collaboration with Anglo-Indian architecture practice Studio Saar, Webb Yates Engineers and timber specialists Xylotek. It's part of this year's London Festival of Architecture, and can be found opposite the Brown and Green Life café until the end of the month.
Free, until 30 June.
Immerse yourself in London history
Free, ongoing. Newsletter sent every Weds.
Peruse an al fresco LGBTQ+ exhibition
50 striking portraits of queer people, captured by emerging LGBTQ+ photographers, are on display on the benches in Granary Square, Pancras Square and Battlebridge Place, for Queer Joy. If you're waiting for a train/mate in the area, this is a great way to pass the time.
Free, until 31 August.
Take the kids on a nature trail
Basket maker and artist Cherry Chung's willow sculptures of animals including a squirrel, hare and badger have been scattered around central London, to create the London Heritage Quarter Nature Trail — and we reckon the kids will love it.
Free, until 23 September.
Hunt out dozens of Morphs
Another sculpture trail! Ahead of the school summer holidays, around 70 sculptures of children's TV character Morph are being installed around London, forming a (step-free) trail that's free to follow. Each Morph has a different design, with artists and local schoolchildren involved in decorating them. The Morphs will later be auctioned off to raise money for children's disability charity Whizz Kidz.
Download a map of the trail before you set off, and look out for events throughout the summer.
Free, 19 June-20 August.
Watch a cult Brazilian film
The Devil Queen is a 1974 film about Diaba, a femme Queen running Rio de Janeiro's criminal underworld — and a crisply-restored version is being screened for free on Wednesday at the Brazilian Embassy on Cockspur Street. You'll still need to book a spot.
Free, 21 June.
Visit the newly reopened National Portrait Gallery
It's a date that London's art lovers have been awaiting for a very long time; the reopening of the National Portrait Gallery after a four-year closure, refurbishment works and a major rehang.
There's a brand new entrance into the gallery, and the East Wing is now reopen to the public, after previously being used as office space. As for that rehang, we don't know exactly what it'll look like yet (and can't wait to see), but don't go in expecting your favourite artworks to be in the same spot.
The National Portrait Gallery remains free to visit (with a charge for some exhibitions), though you need to book a free ticket in advance (especially the first few days, when it'll likely be busy).
Free, from 22 June.
Enjoy Maasai Mara photographs
Wildlife photographer Matthew Williams-Ellis opens a free exhibition of his photos of the wildlife of the Maasai Mara in Kenya. Elephants, lions, cheetah and other species feature, and the exhibition focuses on presenting the animals as individuals, rather than just as one of a number of their species. See it at 19 Kensington Park Road in Notting Hill.
Free, 22 June-2 July.
See what's on at the River Stage
We're now in the third of four weekends of this year's River Stage, a free outdoor performing arts festival by the National Theatre. Shubbak Festival is celebrated this weekend, giving a platform to contemporary Arab culture, with live music, dance, DJs and family workshops taking place for two days on the South Bank.
Free, 23-25 June.
Get a taste of Major League Baseball
Coinciding with the Major League Baseball London Series, a baseball festival takes place in Trafalgar Square, bringing the game to a wider audience.
The free-entry event includes screenings of the London Series games, baseball activities, a chance for fans to show off their pitching and hitting skills, stalls selling 'ballpark food' (think hot dogs, pizzas, burgers) and MLB merchandise shops.
Free, 23-25 June.
Make the most of BST Open House
It's that time of year when Hyde Park is taken over by BST Hyde Park, the huge music festival with headline gigs on several days. But you don't have to splash out on spenny gig tickets to get in.
Open House is a free entry, open-air event at the festival site on days when there are no shows scheduled. Head there for outdoor cinema screenings, music and theatre performances, children's workshops, yoga, pilates and meditation sessions and plenty more. Check the schedule to see what's on each day.
Free entry, selected dates 23 June-5 July.
See portraits of 400 Londoners
Southwark-based artist Rod Kitson opens an exhibition of his work in the Art of Isolation gallery at Surrey Quays Shopping Centre, featuring portraits of 400 individual Londoners.
Where We Are Now is a project he's been working on since 2019, and his 384 oil paintings depict people of all ages and backgrounds. (He'll be doing a few more paintings live at the exhibition to bring the total number up to 400.) Portraits of Londonist's Visual Arts Editor Tabish Khan and Editor Will Noble feature.
Free, 23 June-20 July.
Be the first to visit the new Engineers Gallery
Science Museum unveils its brand new major gallery, Engineers, designed to challenge misconceptions about what engineers do, and offer a new look at the range of topics the role can cover. Stories from more than 60 engineers feature in the gallery, which is split into four sections; Bodies, Lives, Connections and Creating. Objects on display include the first digital camera, and a miniature atomic clock that the entire GPS system depended upon.
Free, from 23 June.
Celebrate Summer in Battersea Park
This is the first of four weekends of free outdoor activities for Summer in Battersea Park. Head to the park's bandstand on Saturday and Sunday this week for free live music performances spanning brass bands, Latin fusion, contemporary jazz, world music vibes, gypsy swing and more. Grab yourself a deckchair and listen to the likes of London City Brass and the Wandsworth Music Academy as the sun (hopefully!) shines.
Free, 24-25 June.
Take in the Earth Photo exhibition
The Royal Geographical Society in Kensington is currently hosting the Earth Photo exhibition, a free display of photos of our planet, depicting its inhabitants, lands, and the impact of climate change.
Free, until 23 August.
