The capital’s best free events from Dec 1st-7th
Happy Monday {{ first name | Cheapskater }},
Happy first week of December! Unsurprisingly, there are a fair few festive events in this week’s edition – but for the grinches among us, there’s also plenty of non-Christmas fun, including a FREE rom-com screening tonight and tomorrow.
We also wanted to say a big thank you to everyone who joined the Cheapskate Club last week – we are so grateful for your support! If you’re tempted to sign up, our 50%-off deal is still live, making membership just £2.50 a month or £25 a year. You’ll get automatic entry into all of our competitions as a thank you, plus you’ll know that you’re helping this teeny tiny media company stay afloat 🧡
We hope you enjoy this week’s newsletter,
Kate, Georgia and Clementine x
PS: Congrats to our reader Belinda M, who won a magical winter GoBoat experience sailing around Canary Wharf, as featured in last week’s Cheapskate. Scroll down for TWO exciting competitions (check ‘and for dessert’!) 👀
MONDAY
🎥 For all eternity
Fancy a free cinema trip? Catch new rom-com Eternity, starring Elizabeth Olsen & Callum Turner, at indie cinemas including the Phoenix in East Finchley & Genesis in Whitechapel.
🗓️ Mon 1st & Tues 2nd Dec
📍 City-wide
🤍 World AIDS Day
Honour the lives lost to AIDS-related illnesses at this evening of remembrance at Fitzrovia Chapel, once a place of solace for HIV patients. Booking required.
🗓️ Mon 1st Dec, 6.30-8pm
📍 Goodge Street
TUESDAY
👠 ‘Not Just A Shop’
It’s not just a shop, but a pop-up celebrating the work of students at the London College of Fashion, opening late this Tues & hosting fashion-themed tarot readings (intriguing).
🗓️ Tues 2nd Dec, 6-8pm
📍 Stratford
🏮 Lighting the way
Ahead of the Aldgate in Winter Festival’s lantern parade later this week, head to 77 Whitechapel High Street for a lunchtime lantern-making workshop.
🗓️ Tues 2nd Dec, 12pm & 1pm
📍 Aldgate East
WEDNESDAY
🇯🇵 Crafting the everyday
Explore the “beauty of everyday things” at Japan House’s new exhibit, Hyakko, which celebrates the work of more than 100 artists & craftspeople from across Japan.
🗓️ Weds 3rd Dec-Sun 10th May
📍 High Street Kensington
📚 Late night literature
Every Weds this month, the glorious London Review Bookshop is opening late for after-hours shopping & book browsing. Food & drink will also be available to buy. Book ahead!
🗓️ Weds 3rd Dec, 6-8pm
📍 Holborn
🍱 Competition time!
Want to try great restaurants without blowing the bank? EatClub is an amazing app that gives you up to 50% off food & drink at brilliant London spots like Santa Maria, Kanada-Ya & Farm Girl. It’s totally seamless – just tap-to-pay in the app, with no vouchers and no awkward “is the offer valid?” chats with your waiter.
To celebrate our partnership, we’re giving away a whopping £100 of EatClub credit to one lucky reader, plus two £25 runner-up prizes. With the EatClub discounts on top, that’s basically a couple of free meals!
To enter, simply download EatClub & then fill out this form before 12pm on Thurs (if you’ve already downloaded the app, simply fill out the form). We’ll then pick three names at random. Good luck – & happy eating! 🍽️
(PS: If you don’t win, you can still get £20 off your first EatClub redemption using the code CHEAPSKATE20 – which pretty much gets you a free meal anyway.)
THURSDAY
🏡 ‘Ho Ho Home’
This Thurs, Museum of the Home is hosting an after-hours celebration of its annual Winter Past exhibit, featuring “cheerful crafts, carols & candlelit almshouse tours”.
🗓️ Thurs 4th Dec, 6-9pm
📍 Hoxton
🪩 Party like it’s 1989
Come for the private view of Artist As Sorcerer (a new exhibit at Vout-O-Reenee’s exploring how artists distort & reconstruct reality) & stay for the 80s disco party afterwards…
🗓️ Thurs 4th Dec, from 6pm
📍 Tower Hill
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FRIDAY
🗞️ Fleet Street festivities
The Festive Fleet Street Quarter Makers’ Market kicks off on Fri: New Street Square will be taken over by indie traders selling homeware, clothes, beauty products & more.
🗓️ Fri 5th-Sun 7th Dec, 11.30am-6pm
📍 Chancery Lane
💡 Wake up inspired
Creative Mornings returns to 10 Exchange Square with a Gail’s-sponsored invigorating pre-work talk by a groundbreaking engineer & kids’ clothing entrepreneur.
🗓️ Fri 5th Dec, 8.30-10am
📍 Liverpool Street
SAT - SUN
🎶 ‘Carols by the River’
It’s hard to find a more picturesque spot in London for carols than Gabriel’s Wharf. Head to the South Bank for Carols by the River, where you can enjoy live Christmas hits, as well as a festive craft activity for children & plenty of mulled wine. No tickets needed, just drop in.
🗓️ Sat 6th Dec, 12.30-5.30pm
📍 Waterloo
💫 Walk under the lights
Regent Street will be fully pedestrianised this Sat, & taken over by various seasonal pop-ups (like free gift wrapping!) hosted in three vintage London buses.
🗓️ Sat 6th Dec, 2-9pm
📍 Oxford Circus/Piccadilly Circus
🖼️ And the winner is…
Drum roll please, because Southwark Park Galleries is announcing the winner of its Annual Open. There’s a final chance to see the entries, plus mulled wine.
🗓️ Sat 6th Dec, 1-4pm
📍 Surrey Quays
🛍️ Markets galore
You’re spoiled for choice with quirky festive markets this weekend, like this Japanese extravaganza, this Dulwich Picture Gallery vintage fair & the return of Black Culture Market.
🗓️ Sat 6th-Sun 7th Dec, various times
📍 Dalston Kingsland/West Dulwich
🎭 It’s showtime!
See free theatre in London (!) with this one-man show at 39A Loughborough Road in Brixton. Book ASAP, as tickets are selling fast for the Sat & Sun evening performances!
🗓️ Sat 6th-Sun 7th Dec, various times
📍 Loughborough Junction
And for dessert...
🎷 Bonus competition: We’re giving away a pair of tickets to Christmas with the Jess Gillam Ensemble, a festive afternoon show at King’s Place next Sat 13th Dec. The winner will be chosen from our Cheapskate Club – join today & you’ll get automatic entry into all our competitions, plus entry into supporter-only prize draws like this one!
🥾 Some fab new arrivals from Kleman this week; I particularly love the edgy vibe of these black Oxfords (like Doc Martens mixed with hiking boots). -Georgia
🛍️ It’s Cyber Monday today, & we love the look of some of the deals, like 50% off the L’Oreal Paris advent calendar & 30% off this impressive cast iron cookware set. If you’re thinking of buying anything (absolutely anything!) from Amazon, please use our affiliate link to help us make money 🧡
👟 Can’t choose between a run club & a Christmas market for your Sat plans? Luckily, you don’t have to pick, because Puresport is combining its usual 5k with a second-hand market (for charity!) next to London Fields.
⚡️ I use Octopus energy at home, which is 100% renewable & the customer service is actually good. If you’d like to try Octopus, here’s £50 free credit! -Kate
🍺 Looking for the perfect gift for someone who loves discovering hidden gems & supporting small businesses? The £25 London Independent Pub Collection gives you £100 worth of food & drink to spend at 80+ brilliant pubs across the city. Use code CHEAP25 for free shipping.
🍜 Did you know Honi Poke now sells ramen? I was lucky enough to be invited to try the new menu last week – I sampled the shoyu beef flavour, which was so tasty & a very generous portion for the price! -Clementine
📖 If you’re thinking about new year’s resolutions, a great one would be to join a book club. We like the sound of the Queer Girls’ Book Club, & since their next meeting is on the 16th Dec, you’ve just about got enough time to read the book (The Mercies by Kiran Millwood Hargrave).
What did you think of this edition?
We try to only include accurate information, but sometimes things can change. Everything included in the newsletter is accurate to the best of our knowledge at the time the newsletter is sent out. Sometimes we make money from ads and the links we include (like this one!) but we only recommend things we genuinely like. You can also support us by joining the Cheapskate Club as a monthly or annual member.
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