The capital’s best free events from March 9-15th
Happy Monday {{ first name | Cheapskater }}!
Happy International Women’s Day for yesterday! Thank you to everyone who sent in recommendations for women-owned businesses and initiatives across the city; we rounded up our faves in this blog post.
Read on for your regular roundup of London’s best free events, a free-to-enter competition thanks to the EatClub app, special discounts and more.
Have a wonderful week,
Clementine x
PS: Congrats to the winners of last week’s competitions: Megan B and Cheapskate Club member Dave P, who respectively won tickets to a bookish International Women’s Day event and a box of Easter treats from Floozie Cookies 📚🍪
Just a reminder that our amazing Cheapskate Club supporters get automatic entry into all our weekly competitions (plus they have the satisfaction of knowing that they are helping make London’s culture free and open to all). Join today!
PPS: Want to support Cheapskate without spending any money? Please click the ad below 🧡
Adventures led by women designed to make a difference.
Trek the Andes with an all-female crew in Peru. Join a women-run tuk tuk tour in Cambodia. Enjoy a traditional hot stone bath experience at a women-owned farmhouse in Bhutan. Intrepid’s new small-group Women’s Expeditions in Peru, Cambodia and Bhutan provide immersive local experiences for travellers, while supporting women-run businesses.
MONDAY
⚖️ To the letter of the law
Order, order! Head to the London Archives to find out all about the sordid history of law & order in London, from the medieval period to the modern day.
🗓️ Until Thurs 25th Feb 2027
📍 Farringdon
💌 Bewitch me, body & soul
It’s the final week to see this exhibit at the British Library marking 250 years since Jane Austen’s birth – feast your eyes on her earliest manuscripts to get a glimpse of her writing process.
🗓️ Until Fri 13th Mar
📍 King’s Cross
TUESDAY
💆♀️ ‘M is for Menopause’
Half the population experiences it, but it remains little understood: this exhibit at Deptford Lounge aims to spark conversation around the topic of menopause.
🗓️ Tues 10th-Tues 24th Mar
📍 Deptford
🇧🇷 ‘Parallel Realities’
Question your preconceptions about life in Rio de Janeiro at this pop-up photography exhibit chronicling the city’s contrasting narratives (hosted by the charming Photobook Cafe).
🗓️ Tues 10th Mar, 4-9pm
📍 Old Street
WEDNESDAY
🌱 Nowruz Mubarak!
At a time of immense upheaval for the Iranian diaspora, come together to celebrate Nowruz – Persian New Year – with a month of festivities at Lauderdale House.
🗓️ Weds 11th Mar-Mon 6th Apr
📍 Archway
👠 ‘Who Fits Fashion Now?’
Head to London Metropolitan University for a nuanced discussion about how the body positivity conversation has evolved in fashion, followed by a student runway show.
🗓️ Weds 11th Mar, 5-6.30pm
📍 Holloway Road
🍱 Competition time!
Want to try out the best of London’s food scene without breaking the bank? EatClub is your friend – giving you up to 50% off food & drink at some of London’s trendiest spots, from Mildreds to Inamo & everywhere in between. It’s totally seamless – just tap-to-pay in the app, with no vouchers & no awkward chats with your waiter.
To celebrate our partnership, we’re giving away £50 of EatClub credit to three readers – yep, dinner’s on us!
To enter, simply download EatClub & then fill out this form before the end of March (if you’ve already downloaded the app, simply fill out the form). We’ll then pick three names at random. Good luck – & happy eating.
ALL our readers can get their hands on £20 of EatClub credit – just use the code CHEAPSKATE20 on your first redemption! 🍽️
THURSDAY
🏛️ You’re Wellcome
This Thurs, the Wellcome Collection is hosting its first after-hours event! The 1880 THAT late will play host to a range of performances, talks & workshops exploring deaf identity.
🗓️ Thurs 12th Mar, 7-10pm
📍 Euston Square
🐴 Hockney & horses
Two (free) art world behemoths are opening this Thurs: there’s David Hockney at the Serpentine, & a celebration at the National Gallery of Britain’s greatest painter of horses.
🗓️ Opening Thurs 12th Mar
📍 Lancaster Gate/Charing Cross
FRIDAY
🎭 ‘Theatre Fam Live’
Love theatre, but wish the theatre community was less stuffy? People of Theatre might be the magazine for you, & the team’s holding an exciting live event at the Common Press.
🗓️ Fri 13th Mar, 7-8.30pm
📍 Shoreditch High Street
📸 Smile for the camera
Look through the lens of seven decades of changing social realities at this exhibit of the Camera Club Journal archives, at the magazine’s Kennington gallery until this Fri.
🗓️ Until Fri 13th Mar
📍 Kennington
SAT - SUN
🎨 Create with charcoal
Head to Two Temple Place this Sat for an inclusive, hands-on charcoal workshop exploring tone, texture & expressive mark making (no prior experience needed). You’ll create seascapes of different scales & contribute to a collaborative drawing. Spaces are limited, so booking is essential.
Use the code CHEAPSKATE to get £5 off your ticket.
🗓️ Sat 14th March, 1-3pm
📍 Temple
🐛 ‘Common Host’
Get weird at this exhibit inspired by ancient folk customs & modern parasites, at Safehouse 1. There are pay-what-you-can live performances on Fri & Sat, too.
🗓️ Sat 14th-Sun 15th Mar, various times
📍 Peckham Rye
🛍️ Vintage vibes
Two fab free-entry markets from the folks at Go East this weekend: there’s this vintage extravaganza at the Strongroom in Shoreditch, & this makers’ market at Hackney Depot.
🗓️ Sat 14th Mar, various times
📍 Shoreditch High Street/London Fields
🏰 The gardens are open
Hampton Court Palace is opening up its gardens for free once again – no ticket or pre-booking is required to see the acres of formal parkland, including several Bridgerton locations!
🗓️ Sat 14th-Sun 15th Mar, 10am-4pm
📍 Hampton Court
🍀 The emerald isle
Happy St Patrick’s Day! Celebrate all things Ireland with the annual parade starting in Trafalgar Square, or over in East London, this free trad session on Sat at Next Door Records Two.
🗓️ Sat 14th & Sun 15th Mar
📍 Charing Cross/Rectory Road
LOOKING AHEAD
🤩 Stan Twitter devotees will love this pay-what-you-can exhibit at Somerset House, all about how we idolise pop stars & other cult icons.
🎸 Freight Brixton, London’s biggest rooftop, is being taken over this summer by gigs from world-class artists & DJs, starting with this one on 7th May.
🎨 Tate Britain’s next late is on 15th May. No booking necessary for entry, but certain panel events & workshops will sell out.
And for dessert...
🤗 There are just 125 people in the Cheapskate Club – our incredible community of supporters who literally keep this newsletter going, for less than the price of one coffee out per month. We’d love to add some new members, so we’re running a sale all this week – sign up here 🧡
🐆 Kleman is my go-to for fun footwear, like this fabulous, almost-sold-out leopard print number. - Clementine
🚌 Ride an old-school 38 bus for FREE this Sat, thanks to the London Bus Museum’s heritage day – it’s celebrating the Victoria-Clapton route, which has been running since 1912.
🌱 One of our lovely Cheapskate readers is hosting a seed swap near Hackney Bridge this Sun – simply bring any seeds you’d like to get rid of, & swap them with your fellow home gardening enthusiasts.
🧴 I love a luxury hand soap without the expensive price tag, & I’ve just noticed these amazing Baylis & Harding ones (with a jojoba, vanilla & almond scent) are 37% off! - Georgia
🥃 To celebrate St Patrick’s Day, Young’s Pubs are giving away 10,000 free Jameson, ginger & lime cocktails across the whole of March. Sláinte!
🍱 Speaking of free food & drink, BOXPARK Shoreditch is giving away 2,000 free meals this Weds-Fri only. The offer’s first come, first served!
💪 Want to try ClassPass & get access to hundreds of gyms & classes across London? Here’s an exclusive two-week trial (with a whopping 72 credits to use). - Kate
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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