Free Things to Do in London

This morning, a chap who was new to the country said to me “You must be rich, living here in London”. Obviously we’re all very lucky in the grand scheme of things; I do indeed have a job, a roof over my head and food on my plate. But alas, dear fellow, London makes us quite the opposite of rich! Anyone who resides in this great capital will know that the prices are jacked up for everything: food, drinks, hotels, cinemas, even supermarkets. Thank goodness you can still get a cheap London taxi when you need one...

Anyway, due to the ever critical state of my bank account, I am always on the look out for things to do in London that are free. You’d be amazed at how much goes on here! There’s a bit of something for everyone. Of course, there are plenty of good museums that are open all year round, completely free. Some ask for donations, but it’s up to you how generous you decide to be. In the West End of London you’ll find the Natural History Museum, the Science Museum and the Victoria & Albert. The latter is currently hosting an exhibition called ‘The Stuff of Nightmares’, with freaky twisted fairlytale things like one-eyed dolls and a dark forest. If you like stories and aren’t too much of a scaredy-cat, that would be fun to visit.

There are also several bars in the centre of town that host free comedy and cabaret nights; you could see the next big thing without spending a penny (no pun intended). Take a look on a website like Time Out for listings; that will tell you where to go and when. Whether you’re into stand up comedians, burlesque dancers or drag acts, there’ll be something on that tickles your fancy. The same goes for live music; so many bands play at free venues, trying to break the big time or just doing it for love. It could be in a cosy little pub or at an open air festival; either way, you won’t need to spend your hard-earned cash. Sounds good to me.