Free And Cheap Things To Do This Week In London: 21-27 October 2024

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.

Hunt out monsters in King's Cross

Fancy doing a free interactive Monster Trail with the kids in King's Cross? Head to the Visitor Centre at 11 Stable Street, where you'll be given a map. It's then your job to track down the monsters dotted around the area — with help from resident cat, George.

Free, until 3 November.

Discover the profound legacy of the Race Today journals

Race Today: Black History is British History is the latest exhibition at Brixton's Black Cultural Archives. It takes a look at the legacy of the Race Today publication, which gave a voice to Black communities in turbulent times during the 1970s and 80s, addressing pressing issues including austerity, the housing crisis, police brutality and grassroots activism.

Free, until 2 February.

See what's on the free programme at London Literature Festival

London Literature Festival begins at Southbank Centre, and though there's a charge to attend many events on the programme, there are ways you can get involved for free.

Tune into the live stream of prize-winning novelist, playwright and memoirist Deborah Levy delivering the 2024 New Statesman/Goldsmiths Prize Lecture on Thursday, or take the kids along to a special edition of Rug Rhymes on Friday. Get stuck into Poetry Day events on Saturday, and look ahead to next week's programme too.

Some events free, 23 October-3 November.

Stay late at the Museum of the Home

Hoxton's Museum of the Home stays open late on Thursday night for Housewarming, an evening exploring the themes, interiors and social context of 1950s Britain. Visit the new Rooms Through Time galleries, getting a closer look at the objects, personal stories and histories they contain.

Various events and special activities take place throughout the evening too, including a curator-led tour and an Irish dancing workshop, but be aware there is a charge for some of these events.

Free entry (charge for some activities), 24 October.

Help yourself to free pasta on World Pasta Day

Free pasta? Go on then! Pasta Evangelists are doling out portions at 24 locations across the country, including several in London (Boxpark Shoreditch, Camden, Chiswick, Clapham, Farringdon, Greenwich, Richmond and Wembley). Each location has 200 pasta pots to give away, available to claim between 3pm and 4pm on Friday 25 October. Worth taking a late lunch (or leaving work early?) for.

Free, 25 October.

Go on a pumpkin trail

For one afternoon only, Garrison Square at Chelsea Barracks hosts a free family-friendly pumpkin trail. You don't get to take any home but if you complete the trail, you win a prize. There's also entertainment from Sharky & George, face painting and a spooky floral installation.

Free, 26 October.

Celebrate National Pizza Month with a free slice

Outdoor oven brand Gozney pitches up at Jars Bar in Deptford on Saturday afternoon to give away 100 free slices of pizza, cooked by chef Rene Strgar of Rene's Pizza Place.

To claim your slice, you'll need to be one of the first 100 to arrive from 3pm, and show the team the Gozney National Pizza Month poster on their social page.

Free, 26 October. 

Find free ways to keep the family entertained during October half term

Most schools break up for October half term at the end of the week, which means you'll be needing ways to keep the children entertained. Our guide to October half term events in London has plenty of inspiration, and it even has a section dedicated to free things to do.

Worth a particular mention (depending on the weather...) is our map of playgrounds in central London. We've mapped every playground we know of (and our Little Londonists have tried out a fair few) so you can always find somewhere nearby to let off steam.

Free, from 26 October.

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Get booking for Family Film Week

You'll have to be quick if you want in on Family Film Week at Barbican Cinema — some events are already sold out. It's a whole week (and a bit) of family friendly film screenings at reasonable prices (£2.50 per child/£5 per adult), ideal for half term entertainment if the weather's looking iffy. There are a few well-known films, and even more lesser-known ones, which your family likely won't have seen before. A film quiz and various crafting events are sprinkled through the programme.

£2.50 child/£5 adult, 26 October-3 November.

Celebrate Diwali at a huge free festival

London's going big for Diwali this year, with all manner of special menus and other events to celebrate. They're not all cheap, but everyone's welcome at the free Diwali on the Square celebration in Trafalgar Square, this on Sunday.

Arrive at 1pm for the opening dance performance with 200 participants, followed by a family-friendly afternoon of entertainment including dance workshops, yoga and meditation, comedy from Soho Theatre, and sari and turban tying.

Free, 27 October.

Enjoy a final walk around Frieze Sculpture 2024

Your annual fix of abstract outdoor artworks leaves Regent's Park at the end of this week. This year's Frieze Sculpture features an ersatz Roman mosaic, pillars of pills, and a nightmarishly comical scrotum flower with chicken feet. 

Free, until 27 October.

Check out the budget-friendly options at Bloomsbury Festival

Bloomsbury Festival continues throughout this week, with a packed programme of both paid and free events. Scan through to see what's on the free/cheap end of the scale; Echoes of Care is an audio-visual installation exploring the history of the British care system, and there's a family-friendly Lego building session, among other events.

Some events free, until 27 October.

Learn something new at Gresham College

Consider this your reminder that Gresham College offers a regular programme of free talks and lectures on a whole variety of topics, often given by experts at the absolute top of their field. This week alone, you can gen up on the potential dangers of investing your money, the origins of Britain's housing crisis, and composer Bach’s ingenious trickery.

Take a look at the forthcoming programme: conspiracy theories, black holes, the US constitution and mental health are among the topics in the coming weeks. Lectures can usually be watched either in person (often at Barnard's Inn Hall in Holborn), or online via a livestream.

Free, ongoing.