In partnership with
The capital’s best free events from September 2nd-8th
Dear {{ first name | Cheapskater }},
It might be September, but we’re not going to succumb to the end-of-summer blues quite yet. The sun’s still shining and the days are still on the long side - at least for now! There are also SO many amazing events happening for free in London every single day of the week - and you’ll find out more about them when you keep reading below.
As always, we’re here for any feedback, thoughts, event suggestions or if you just want to say hello. Reach us by replying to this email or clicking here.
Have a glorious week!
Kate and Georgia x
PS. Congrats to our reader Isabelle, who won a pair of tickets to the National Portrait Gallery’s Six Lives: The Stories of Henry VIII’s Queens exhibition (and a goodie bag!), as promoted in last week’s newsletter. Scroll down for another fabulous, free-to-enter competition…
MONDAY
FOOD/DRINK 🥐 Pic Circus, 11-2pm
Free coffee & pastries
The sustainable coffee chain Kiss the Hippo is opening its ninth location in Soho today - & is giving away free coffee & pastries to celebrate. There’ll also be live music.
WRITE ✍️ Haringay, from 7pm
Putting pen to paper
If you’re a London-based writer who struggles to get your head down, you should try Rewrite Club’s weekly writing group at The Salisbury Hotel. Solo writing time is followed by a mingle.
TUESDAY
MUSIC 🎶 London Bridge, from 7pm
Shoegazy Tuesday
Fancy listening to some top-quality live music? Pale Blue Eyes - the on-the-up band from Totnes & Sheffield - are performing at the iconic Omeara venue. Catch them now before they’re huge!
MOVE 🏃♂️ Regent’s Park, from 6pm
The Lucky Saint’s run club
Booze-free alcohol brand The Lucky Saint has a run club which “brings the best of running & pub culture together”. Join them for a 5K around Regent’s Park this Tues - all paces are welcome.
The Daily Newsletter for Intellectually Curious Readers
We scour 100+ sources daily
Read by CEOs, scientists, business owners and more
3.5 million subscribers
WEDNESDAY
FESTIVAL 🥳 Waterloo, Weds-Sun
The sky’s the limit
Unlimited Festival - which showcases extraordinary performance, music & art by disabled artists (including several fantastic free events) - opens at the Southbank Centre this Weds.
FILM 🍿 Peckham, from 8pm
Bodies in the library
Head to the Feminist Library for a BYOB screening of Bodies, Bodies, Bodies, the comedic horror film from 2022 about a group of 20-somethings who get stuck in a remote mansion.
COMEDY 😂 Tufnell Park, from 7.15pm
Fresh from the Fringe
Watch four brilliant stand-up acts, then settle in to enjoy journalist & comedian Suchandrika Chakrabarti’s sell-out show, Doomscrolling, fresh from the Edinburgh Fringe! Doomscrolling is Suchandrika’s attempt to explain the speed of the news to her five-year-old niece, who has BIG questions.
THURSDAY
EXHIBIT 🖼️ Crystal Palace, 6-9pm
Arty private view
This Thurs is the private view of Hold Your Own, the new exhibit at the lovely Tom Cox art studio & gallery. Meet the artists, explore prints & enjoy a glass of wine courtesy of The Sourcing Table.
ART 🎨 east London, various times
Whitechapel Lates
On the first Thurs of the month (every month) is Whitechapel Lates - a chance to explore galleries, artist-run spaces & creative studios after-hours in east London.
Competition time! 🎙️
We’ve teamed up with our pals at Lyrix Organix to give away a pair of tickets to see Glastonbury favourite Hak Baker in conversation at the Royal Albert Hall on 5 October. Immigrant Island Dubplates is a new live podcast which reimagines the classic BBC Radio 4 show for a new generation (listen to episode one here with Rizzle Kicks’ Jordan Stephens!).
Expect impeccable music selected by Hak himself, intimate stories of immigration & subcultures, tears, laughter and a very special surprise…
Do you want to win a pair of tickets to see Hak Baker x Immigrant Island Dubplates at the Royal Albert Hall?
* By clicking “yes please!”, you are consenting to your email address being shared with our partner, Lyrix Organix.
FRIDAY
EXHIBIT 🍂 Pic Circus, until Oct 5
The changing seasons
Fri is the launch of Flowers Gallery’s Ice Moon Fire Land, a new exhibit exploring the fragility of nature through depictions of changing seasons & landscapes in the Scottish Borders.
FESTIVAL 🏛️ various, until Sept 15
Heritage Open Days
England’s largest volunteer-led festival returns this Fri with a celebration of all things history/culture, & a full programme of free initiatives. Search the London events here.
WEEKEND
FESTIVAL 🚢 Tower Hill, Sat & Sun
Classic Boat Fest 2024
The annual St Katharine Docks Classic Boat Festival returns this weekend, where 50 exquisitely preserved vintage vessels will assemble in the historic central & west basins.
FILM 🍿 Nunhead, Sat from 7.30pm
A true horror movie setting
The Wicker Man, the classic British folk horror movie, is being screened outdoors at Nunhead Cemetery (spooky!) this Sat eve. There’s a 300-person capacity & space is first-come, first-served.
ART 🎨 Charing Cross, until Sept 15
Sign of the times
Sat marks the launch of Times of the Day, a new solo exhibit by acclaimed contemporary landscape artist Lucy Marks, taking place at the lovely Royal Watercolour Society Gallery.
INSTALLATION 🏳️ Waterloo, Sun
Gathering hopes & dreams
Read messages of inspiration & add your own to an installation of banners that will bring together the hopes & dreams of people around the UK, held at the Southbank Centre on Sun.
And for dessert...
🧡 Want to keep Cheapskate in your inbox each week? Please buy us a digital iced latte. Or, you can support us by clicking on our links (like this one!) - which won’t cost you a thing.
📱Need a bit of a push to get off your phone & live in the moment a bit more? One of these could help…
📚 Bookworms, we think you’ll love the sound of Bookloop - Bookshop.org’s new buy-back scheme which allows customers to trade books they own for credit to use on the website. What a great idea!
🍺 Red Fin Cider is giving away 100 free half pints on a first-come, first-served basis from 4pm this Thursday, at The Porterhouse in Covent Garden.
💪 Want to try ClassPass & get access to hundreds of gyms & classes across London? Here’s an exclusive free month-long trial (with a whopping 72 credits to use).
💌 Looking for more cheap-spiration? We like the Money Monday newsletter, which shares the latest sign-up offers, referral schemes & switch deals that pay £££. Sign up for free here.
🍻 CityStack is offering our readers a fantastic deal! Order the Cheapskate bundle for £25 (instead of £45) & get £200 worth of food & drink at pubs. For any order placed this week, you’ll get two London Pub Collections (the Original one & the new one), each giving you £100 to spend at pubs.
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 the links we include (like this one or this one!) but we only recommend things we genuinely like. You can also support Cheapskate by buying us a coffee or making a monthly donation.