The capital’s best free events from Feb 9th-15th

Happy Monday, {{ first name | Cheapskater }},

Welcome back to another packed roundup of the best free things to do in London. This week’s edition also comes with plenty of treats…

Scroll down for your chance to win one of five pairs of tickets to a pop-up ceilidh in a historic church, plus tickets to a play at the Charing Cross Theatre. Every reader can also bag £20 free credit on the EatClub app (basically a free meal), and a £10 Amazon voucher thanks to our partnership with the brilliant cashback app Kaldi.

Have a wonderful week,
Clementine x

PS: We often hear from subscribers that you’d love to see more family-friendly events in the newsletter. We get it – finding genuinely good free things to do with kids in London isn’t easy, which is why we created our spin-off newsletter, Cheapskate Kids 🧒

Sign up here for a free roundup of the best free events over Feb half term, plus a competition with the Young V&A (landing this Wednesday!).

MONDAY

🎶 ‘Making Trouble’

Make trouble in all the right ways with this celebration of Union Chapel’s rich history, featuring a brand new song cycle conceived by young musicians from North London.

🗓️ Mon 9th Feb, 5-7pm
📍 Highbury & Islington

💔 Mend your broken heart

This one sounds especially wholesome: Hypha Studios is hosting a ‘bring your own crafts’ evening for Valentine’s Day, followed by a mystery romantic movie night.

🗓️ Mon 9th Feb, 6.30-8.30pm
📍 Caledonian Road & Barnsbury

🎻 Competition time!

We’ve teamed up with the historic Actors’ Church in Covent Garden to give away tickets to a very special event.

Five(!) Cheapskate readers will each win a pair of tickets (worth £24 each) to a “pop-up ceilidh” on Thurs 12th Feb, led by the well-loved ceilidh band Fiddle Paradiddle. Expect a night of live folk music, big energy & joyful chaos, with no prior ceilidh experience needed.

To enter the draw, simply fill in this poll by 5pm today. We’ll pick the winners by Tues morning (but for those of you who don’t win, you can get 50% off tickets using the code CHEAPSKATE).

Would you like a pair of tickets to this one-of-a-kind event?

^{*By selecting ‘yes please!’ you agree for us to share your email address with our partner, the Actors’ church.}

TUESDAY

🏮 Lucky Lion Dance

Celebrate the start of Lunar New Year festivities by watching a free Lion Dance performance set against the stunning backdrop of Covent Garden’s iconic Market Building.

🗓️ Tues 10th Feb, 6.30 & 7.30pm
📍 Covent Garden

🎬 Light after dark

Japan House London is hosting the first UK screening of The Lit-up Calm, a powerful documentary about the resilience of a community affected by successive earthquakes.

🗓️ Tues 10th Feb, 6-8pm
📍 High Street Ken

WEDNESDAY

🍻 Raise a cup

Are you a woman or non-binary person interested in brewing? Head to Pretty Decent Beer Co to help brew a special beer just in time for International Women’s Day.

🗓️ Weds 11th Feb, 9am-4pm
📍 Blackhorse Road

👀 I’m seeing double

It’s a double bill of new openings at White Cube Bermondsey: these large-scale sculptures & these tech-inspired paintings. (There’s also a food-themed Science Museum late!)

🗓️ Weds 11th Feb-Sun 29th Mar
📍 London Bridge

THURSDAY

🕰️ See you LATEr

Take your pick of museum lates this Thurs: there’s V-Day at the Museum of the Home, this ‘blonde takeover’ at the Whitechapel Gallery, or ‘the age of self’ at the British Academy.

🗓️ Thurs 12th Feb, various times
📍 Hoxton/Aldgate East/Charing Cross

🤍 A powerful pop-up

Change the way you think about grief at this community pop-up shop opening at the Barbican Centre on Thurs. Items can be purchased on a pay-what-you-can basis.

🗓️ Thurs 12th-Sun 22nd Feb
📍 Barbican

🎭 Competition time!

This week, one lucky Cheapskate Club member will win two tickets to Mrs President starring Keala Settle (The Greatest Showman) at the Charing Cross Theatre. Like its accompanying free exhibit, Mrs President tells the story of First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln, & the allegations of treason that plagued her after her husband’s death.

It’s because of our amazing 112 Cheapskate Club supporters that we are able to keep sending this newsletter out each week. As a thank you, they get automatic entry into all of our competitions.

Join today & get 30% off a monthly or annual membership, making it just £3.50/month or £35/year! 🧡

FRIDAY

📸 Smile for the camera

Celebrate photographer Lee Miller’s legacy at the latest Tate Britain late. Also, if you’re aged 16-25, you can see the accompanying major exhibit for FREE.

🗓️ Fri 13th Feb, 6-10pm
📍 Pimlico

🧠 ‘Landscapes of the Mind’

Head to the Wellcome Collection for a discussion about the ‘social, medical & political nature of mental health’ – & if it sells out, fear not, because you can also watch online.

🗓️ Fri 13th Feb, 6.30-8pm
📍 Euston Square/virtual

SAT - SUN

💞 The art of a heart

Drop by the Saatchi Gallery this weekend to see Share Your Heart, an exhibit bringing together 70+ heart-themed artworks exploring messages of support, resilience & connection.

🗓️ Tues 11th Feb-Sun 15th Feb, ends 2pm
📍 Sloane Square

🪩 Disco inferno

Throw it back to 1970s New York at this Studio 54-themed party at The Chelsea Ram – make sure to come dressed to impress in your finest flares & halter necks!

🗓️ Sat 14th Feb, 7-11.30pm
📍 Imperial Wharf

🗞️ Get in the zine

Use the rich history of LGBTQ+ activism in east London as inspiration for making your own personal zine at this drop-in workshop hosted by London Museum Docklands.

🗓️ Sun 15th Feb, 2-4pm
📍 West India Quay

🎨 Art for all

See some of the fabulously talented artists local to south-west London at this affordable art fair in Balham. Make a day of it by also exploring the Tooting Food Festival down the road.

🗓️ Sun 15th Feb, 12-5pm
📍 Balham

LOOKING AHEAD

📚 Pride & Prejudice (1995) screenwriter Andrew Davies will be in conversation at the Charles Dickens Museum.
👩‍⚕️ The Royal College of Physicians is hosting a late celebrating Women’s History Month.
🎶 Expand your musical horizons at this celebration of Mexican classical music at the Southbank Centre.

And for dessert...

💰 Curious about investing, but not ready to risk loads of your own money? Try Kaldi – a super-smart app that turns cashback from everyday shopping into savings or investments. Readers get a free £10 Amazon voucher added to your Kaldi wallet when you use the code CHEAPSKATE & open an account (T&Cs apply). Capital at risk when investing.

🍽️ Love eating out but not the price tag? The EatClub app gives you instant discounts on food & drink at great London restaurants. It’s totally seamless – redeem an offer, enjoy your discounted meal, then tap-to-pay with your EatClub digital card (no awkward voucher chats with staff!). Get £20 off your first visit with the code CHEAPSKATE20 – basically a free meal. Download the app here.

🍕 It’s National Pizza Day today & we’ve spotted several fun offers/initiatives: Doughnation in Covent Garden is offering 2-for-1 pizzas all day; Pizza Express is giving away Margheritas to customers wearing black & white striped t-shirts or jumpers & ASK Italian is giving diners the chance to win free pizzas with its ‘Box of Chance’ game.

🌷 If you’re in search of a last-minute, affordable V-Day gift, we love the look of these quirky LEGO flowers. If you make any purchases on Amazon, please please click on our affiliate link first (to help us make some £££).

👴 Over the age of 60? If so, you heard it here first: you can get a bowl of soup, a bread roll & unlimited tea/coffee for just £1 at any ASDA cafe.

🇰🇷 Last Weds, the Cheapskate team were invited to SOOM, a brilliant new Korean BBQ spot in Covent Garden. We had a seriously delicious dinner – there’s something so satisfying about watching your meat cook right in front of you, & the japchae noodle side was a definite standout.

💖 Spend your Valentine’s Day in nature with this dreamy, heart-shaped guided walk around Hyde Park. On a darker note, if you get stood up or have a bad V-Day date, Honi Poke will offer you 30% off a poke bowl (DM them the code ‘DATE FAIL’ on Insta).

💌 Congrats to reader Kirstin W (who referred an amazing 138 people to Cheapskate!) – you’ve won a romantic night out at The Lucky Pig, as featured in last week’s email. If you missed out, don’t fret; all readers can get 50% off tickets using the code CS50 (making them £10 each).

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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.