Free And Cheap Things To Do This Week In London: 21-27 July 2025
Things to do for a fiver or less.
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, and have a helpful guide to where to see art in London for free, and where you can catch cheap and free comedy.
See a drawing by the King...
This is the final week of The Power of Drawing, a free exhibition marking 25 years of the Royal Drawing School. The Shoreditch institution displays artworks by big names including Tracey Emin, Antony Gormley, Thomas Heatherwick, David Hockney, Quentin Blake, Tim Burton... and the King. As a founding patron of the Royal Drawing School, His Majesty King Charles III has contributed an original drawing, Highgrove from the Thyme Walk, to the exhibition.
Free, until 26 July.
... or check out Women Who Paint Women
Over at New Art Projects near Angel until the middle of next month, Women Who Paint Women explores themes of symbolism, magic, history, the allegorical and the sexy — via a coterie of female artists including Xanthe Burdett, Maureen Dougherty, Julie Goldsmith, Nettle Grellier and Marcelle Hanselaar.
Free, until 16 August.
Take the family to a free juggling show
Throughout the summer holidays, Camden Market is holding weekly free children's events, beginning with a performance of juggling-ballet show You Too Can Tutu at Hawley Wharf on Wednesday. Every session also includes free face painting and Lego workshops.
Also free at Camden Market this week: DJ and radio performer David Rodigan is in Camden Lock Market on Friday evening, and Britain's Got Talent contestants The Big Sing cover well-known songs in choral form on Sunday.
Free, 23 July.
Track the history of the Metropolitan Railway
Catch an illustrated talk about the early history of the Metropolitan Railway — the world's first underground railway — on Thursday. Watch in person at the London Archives in Clerkenwell, or via online livestream.
£5, 24 July.
Club the evening away outside the Southbank Centre
From 6pm-10pm on Thursday, the Riverside Terrace outside the Southbank Centre becomes a makeshift al fresco club courtesy of futuretense: Choose Your Beat, with performances from London-based Greek-Nigerian pop fusion artist Love Itoya; vocal power house REIGNS; and Croydon hip-hop artist Verbz.
Free, 24 July.
See the final Songs on the Steps
For the last time this season, performers from Opera Holland Park offer a free lunchtime show outside the pop-up venue. Everyone's welcome at Songs on the Steps, a 40-minute performance of new and familiar songs and arias — why not take along a chair or blanket and a picnic, and enjoy lunch while you watch?
Free, 25 July.
Dive into London's new, free lido
A free, temporary lido opens at the east end of the Royal Docks on Friday. Summer Splash offers lifeguards, kids' lessons, and floating platforms to pen swimmers in and keep them safe. Just bear in mind that it's unheated!
Free, 25 July-17 August.
Step into a Saxon encampment
Did you know that, before Westminster Abbey, Kingston-Upon-Thames was the location for seven coronations (and it's where the town gets its name)?
This weekend, the 925 coronation of Anglo-Saxon king Athelstan is commemorated. A Saxon camp and reenactment pops up at Canbury Gardens alongside the Thames, recreating the time when Athelstan and his entourage crossed the bridge into Kingston-Upon-Thames for his coronation. Over the weekend, see Saxon-inspired displays, living history, music, performances, talks and storytelling, all free and family-friendly.
Free, 26-27 July.
See free outdoor performances in Docklands
East London arts organisation Certain Blacks curates Ensemble Festival, two days of free outdoor performances in Docklands, this weekend. The programme includes circus-theatre performance HUG which celebrates the simple act of a hug; Hydropunk, an interactive water installation created with and controlled by the public; and suspended trapeze show Waiting Song.
Free, 26-27 July.
Free things to do in London in the summer holidays
Kids off school? Need cheap ways to entertain them over the next six weeks? Our guide to free things to do in London in the summer holidays has all the deets of budget-friendly museums, exhibitions, events, activities and attractions for all ages — from free film screenings to a trail of giant turtle sculptures. Our map of playgrounds in central London might come in handy too.