Looking for things to do in London that won't cost a pretty penny? We round up the best free attractions the city has to offer, from street theatre and Wimbledon screenings to outdoor art, concerts and yoga. Put away your purse and read on.
Frieze Sculpture returns to the leafy idyll of Regent's park this July, bringing with it the chance to ogle at works by some of the world’s leading sculptors. One for all the family, Frieze Sculpture is an opportunity to enjoy art in a relaxed environment, and this year features the work of Tracey Emin, Robert Indiana and Huma Bhabha along with 20 others. Why not pack a picnic and make a day of it?
Meanwhile, Sculpture in the City returns to the Square Mile for its 9th
edition (June 2019 – June 2020), brightening up that part of London usually associated with
bankers and glass-fronted buildings. This year, 17 artworks by 21
artists from the UK and abroad have been installed among the City's
modern architecture. Check out the map of sculptures on the Sculpture in the City website and spend the day wandering between the impressive installations – all of which are free to see.
Pack a raincoat and slip into a pair of comfy shoes, but leave your purse at home: Greenwich and Docklands International Festival is back (running from 21 June - 6 July), bringing with it two weeks of free outdoor performances, created by artists from all over the world. With over 130 performances and 15 UK premieres, there’s something to thrill everyone.
Meanwhile, on the banks of the Thames, London's National Theatre spills out beyond the Olivier, Lyttleton and Dorfman auditoriums. For five weekends (from 5 July to 4 August), the outdoor River Stage comes to life with an eclectic programme of free live music, guest DJs, dance and performance. It combines the topnotch talent of the standard NT programming with a casual, turn-up-and-find-a-perch or walk-past-and-end-up-losing-a-whole-afternoon kind of vibe. A pop up cocktail bar, retro ice-cream van and wood-fired pizza stall add to the festival atmosphere.
Haven’t managed to bag tickets to watch the tennis from Centre Court this year? We’ve got the next best thing: a round-up of the venues hosting free, outdoor screenings of the all-important matches. From Granary Square at King’s Cross to the Piazza in Wimbledon itself, Merchant Square in Paddington to Skylight at Tobacco Dock, there are plenty of places to pull up a deck chair or hunker down on a grassy pew to enjoy this year’s tournament. Strawberries and cream anyone?
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Hyde Park’s British Summer Time Festival might be better known for its stellar line-up of musical acts, but sandwiched between the two weekends of smash-hit performances is the festival’s Open House: four days of free entertainment, opening up the festival experience to those without a ticket.
There’s something to tempt all tastes: from free yoga and breathwork hosted by lululemon to a live open air sound bath hosted by ethereal rock band Sigur Rós. Get active with circus workshops or enjoy watching the experts somersault through the air from terra firma. Interact with street theatre performers wandering the grounds or settle down in front of the big screen to watch the tennis streamed from Wimbledon, or a feel-good film screening of your choosing: Spice World, Dirty Dancing and Grease! are among those showing.
London's urban beaches make for great days out with the family – buckets, spades, sand and sea (of a kind) without having to get everyone in the car and travel halfway across the country. Many of the city’s urban beaches also make for an ideal evening hangout: with frozen margaritas flowing and palm trees all around, voilà! You’re on holiday. Suss out those that don't charge an entrance fee and your day-long holiday soaking up the sun doesn’t have to cost you anything at all.
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As you may well know, every Sunday, market traders line the street of Bethnal Green's Columbia Road, selling flowers, houseplants, shrubs and more. But you don't have to be looking to buy to enjoy the atmosphere here. The narrow street is awash with colour and the air heavy with fragrance, making a trip worthwhile for browsers, too. Enjoy the buzz as punters and sellers barter over beautiful bouquets, and if you can't resist buying something while you're there, then try going between 2pm-3pm, when traders are looking to shift their leftover stock – it's a great chance to pick up a floral bargain.
Every now and then, it's important to stop, look and take in the city we know and love. This is often best done from a decent viewing point. You could head up to the top floor of the Tate Modern's Blavatnik Building – a dedicated open-air viewing platform, which offers 360 degree views of the London skyline. For a slightly more hair-raising experience, why not book a free ticket to the Sky Garden at 20 Fenchurch Street, colloquially known as the Walkie Talkie. Meanwhile, if you fancy something a little closer to the ground, then Hampstead Heath offers another great viewing point to take in the city from a distance.
At the Serpentine Gallery, Junya Ishigami is the 19th architect selected to design the Serpentine Pavilion, with his structure to be on display from 20 June to 6 October. Ishigami is known for drawing inspiration from natural surroundings and the free-to-wander-around pavilion showcases his aptitude for seamlessly blending man-made design with natural topographies by creating a cave-like refuge which aims to offer a space for contemplation.
Meanwhile, a riot of colour has shaken up the leafy pastures of Dulwich this summer. London-based designer Yinka Ilori has teamed up with Pricegore architects to create the Colour Palace, a 10-metre high cubic structure sporting a polychromatic facade. Raised on four massive red cylinders, visitors to the grounds of Dulwich Picture Gallery can relax under the structure or engage with a number of colour-filled events such as 'Neon Naked' – a fluorescent twist on live model painting.
In a bid to bust stress, In Kingston is offering a summer programme packed with free wellness-orientated activities, taking place throughout the town. From Riverside Pilates Flow to cookery workshops at Chakra, via Sweaty Betty yoga and tea wellness masterclasses, there’s a lot to choose from. Our top tip: check out the varied line-up at John Lewis, which not only offers yoga, meditation and mental health awareness sessions as part of the initiative, but lunchtime rosé tasting sessions, too.
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Visitors to Mayfair’s Grosvenor Square can enjoy the fun of a summer festival for free from 1 – 21 July. Called Summer in the Square, the programme sees the area transformed into a hub of fun and games, with live performances of jazz, contemporary and world music, as well as heaps of family entertainment. Get competitive at the ever-popular Sports Day or immerse yourself in 1920s debauchery with performances by Immersive Gatsby. Then relax and unwind at the Tepee, a haven of calm in central London offering yoga, pilates and more.
In celebration of London's triumphs in architecture, invention and engineering, City of London launches 'Fantastic Feats: the Building of London', a six-month season of events across the capital, which began on 1 May. The events have been inspired by several historical anniversaries being celebrated this year, including the 200th birthdays of Sir Joseph Bazalgette, the inventor of London’s sewer system, and Sir Horace Jones, architect and designer of Tower Bridge – which itself turns 125 this year.
Of the 20 events spread throughout the season, highlights include the Illuminated River (from early July). Designed by American artist Leo Villareal, the light installation is set to span 15 bridges along the Thames, making it the longest public art commission in the world.
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On Thursday 18th July, yogurt brand Onken is inviting Londoners and yogurt fans alike to experience ‘The Haus of Inner Happiness’pop-up in the heart of Soho.
Free and open to all, the experiential pop-up will trigger the senses via a series of bold, colourful and immersive experiences, bringing to life what happiness really means.
Expect to be transported into a room full of inherently joyous experiences, designed to awaken the senses, including the Happy Hues area where everything has been designed with huge splashes of yellow to inject the feeling of happy sunshine. For visitors wanting to unleash their Boomerang-best, guests will be encouraged to climb aboard the Fruity swing-set in the Onken strawberry field to capture the ultimate Insta-worthy moment.
The fun journey throughout the space will culminate at the extraordinary Aroma Station where you will be invited to put your senses to the test. Enjoy!
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The battle between telly-watching children and parents urging them to play outside is as old as time itself (or at least as old as the invention of the TV). For one long weekend in August, however, there’s no need to quarrel over the remote control. Parents and children alike can enjoy the best of both worlds and watch family-friendly films outdoors – and as the event is completely free, there’s no need to splash out on expensive cinema tickets.
With a programme of around 20 different films, Leicester Square Gardens will be screening something for everyone. Families with young children might want to catch Dumbo or Peter Rabbit on Thursday, whilst older crowds can get excited about ‘Retro Day’ on Saturday, when the line-up includes classics such as E. T. and Jurassic Park. The theme for Sunday will be a ‘Singalong Day’, where everyone’s invited to burst into song watching the likes The Greatest Showman and Frozen.
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