The capital’s best free events from May 13th-19th
Dear {{ first name | Cheapskater }},
The sun has finally got his hat on! We hope you were able to catch some rays over the last couple of days (rhyme intended). I spent a glorious Saturday soaking up the sun at Redfreya & Friends w/ Super Flu (a day party at Dalston Roof Park), while Georgia was lucky enough to support her home team Spurs at the Women’s FA Cup Final on Sunday.
A big thank you to everyone who took the time to reply to our email and fill out the poll in last Monday’s edition. It was reassuring to see that our newsletter doesn’t seem go into tooooo many people’s spam folders! Let’s hope things stay that way…
This week, Georgia and I have another question for you: what sort of free event is most likely to excite you? Knowing this will help us prioritise the types of events we feature in upcoming editions of Cheapskate.
What type of event are you most interested in going to?
See you next Monday!
Kate x
PS. Congrats to our readers Raksh, Sarah, Miriam and Daniel, who each won a pair of tickets to the improv comedy night Stage Time (promoted in last week’s newsletter). Scroll down for another amazing competition…
MONDAY
CRAFT 🎨 various places, until Sun
Celebrating creativity
London Craft Week kicks off today with a packed series of free (& paid-for) events from guided tours, to open houses, to masterclasses. See the full programme here.
MUSIC 🎸 Dalston from 7.30pm
Indie-rock evening
Head to The Shacklewell Arms tonight to catch smol fish, the indie-rock four-piece band from Perth, Australia, who are performing there as part of their first European tour.
TUESDAY
FILM 📽️ Herne Hill, from 7.30
Free film night
Watch a free screening of Sisu, the Finnish historical action thriller from 2022, at music venue Off The Cuff as part of the Herne Hill Free Film Festival. Rye Lane is playing on Saturday.
DESIGN 🎨 St Paul’s, Tues to Thurs
The power of pewter
Tuesday’s the launch of Pewter Live, a three-day event that’s been going since 1988 to promote the design & sale of traditional & contemporary pewter. There’ll be workshops, an exhibition & more.
Competition time! 🫧
Fancy voyaging through a fun-filled world of bubbles as part of an interactive, multisensory experience?
We have a pair of tickets (worth £17.90 each) to give away for the hugely popular Bubble Planet at Wembley Park, which features giant bubble spaces, infinity rooms, bubble bath pits, cloud rooms & a hot air balloon flight simulator.
To enter the draw, simply refer a friend to Cheapskate by sending them this link (it contains your personalised referral code): {{rp_refer_url}}.
Once they’ve signed up, you’ll be entered & we’ll then pick a name at random. Good luck! 🤞
WEDNESDAY
EXHIBIT 🖼️ HS Ken, until Sept
Design Discoveries
A new, interactive exhibit that focuses on Japanese design across disciplines, regions & eras opens at Japan House London this Weds. Displays range from Jōmon pottery to sportswear.
ART 🎨 Lad Grove, from 4pm
Portobello evenings
Visit Muse Gallery on Weds for the launch of the Portobello Art Wall, on which 15 artists have created work out of recycled market waste. Portobello Vegan Night Market is also on that eve.
THURSDAY
LATE EVENT 💷 Bank, 5-8pm
The beauty of banknotes
Have you ever looked at a banknote up close? Each one is like a tiny work of art, according to the Bank of England, which is hosting a “banknote late” ft. calligraphy classes & more.
ART 🖼️ Crystal Palace, 6-9pm
‘Dreamscape’ paintings
The Tom Cox Gallery is hosting a private view to celebrate the opening of a new exhibit of ethereal, “dreamscape” landscapes by acclaimed painter David Taylor.
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FRIDAY
ICE CREAM 🍦 London-wide, all day
The perfect Friday treat
To celebrate its “Sweet 16th”, UK-wide dessert chain Creams Café is giving away free gelato all day from almost every one of its 100 stores. Find your nearest Creams.
FILM 📽️ Herne Hill, from 8pm
Summer of Soul
Bring something to sit on & whatever you need to stay warm & dry at this outdoor screening of Summer of Soul, the Oscar-winning documentary about the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival.
SATURDAY
SPORT 🥊 M Arch, 9.30-11pm
Fury vs Usyk & free food
Watch the Fury vs Usyk fight at SOUND, the sports bar located in The Cumberland Hotel, for free this Sat eve. There’ll also be free food (including chicken wings, tenders & onion rings).
FAIR 🎉 Dulwich, 10am-4pm
The best of West Dulwich
A family-friendly street fair is taking place across West Dulwich this Sat, ft. free activities like maypole dancing, face painting, kids’ crafts, treasure hunts & balloon modelling.
SUNDAY
FAIR 📚 Sloane Square, 11am-5pm
Rare book fair
Firsts: London’s Rare Book Fair returns to Saatchi Gallery this Thurs-Sun - & it’s free to attend on Sun. Anyone “with an immense thirst for the glory of books” will love it, said Stephen Fry.
PARTY 🎉 Stratford, 12-11pm
Time travel back to 2014
Party like it’s 2014 at Roof East this Sun, which is throwing back to prices from a decade ago to celebrate its 10th birthday! All games will also be 50% off, & entry is free all day.
And for dessert...
🧡 Help your colleagues, family & friends get the best out of London for free by referring them to Cheapskate using your unique code: {{rp_refer_url}}.
🗣️ It’s not free, but our friends at It’s Hardback Out Here (the book club & community for people in their 20s) are hosting a special panel event next Monday. The theme of the event is loneliness, pegged to Norwegian Wood by Murakami.
🍟 Côte Brasserie is giving away 100 free portions of chips with new “Le Curry Sauce” from the French bistro’s pop-up stand at St Katharine Docks from 12-4pm this Friday.
🍻 Love Spanish food? There are a couple of weeks left of Beer & Bite, a month-long initiative running as part of Estrella Galicia Gastronomy Month. Top restaurants including Barrafina, Brindisa, Iberica, Casa Manolo & Sabor are offering special pairings of Estrella Galicia beer with certain Spanish dishes, with prices ranging from £4.95-£21.
🍻 Looking for the perfect present or Father’s Day gift? CityStack sells a £25 stack of beer mats that gives you £100 to spend at any 10 of 50+ fantastic pubs in the collection. Use CHEAP24 for free shipping.
🛍️ On the subject of perfect pressies, I’ve recently discovered a handful of new super-sustainable fashion brands which I’d love to shout-out: Forét (which does the most gorgeous shirts), knitwear brand Artknit Studios & Wax London (which has beautiful, original pieces for men. Georgia & I are always trying to shop more sustainably - please share any recs here!
🤓 Eyecare specialist Eye Emporium opened its latest store at Southside Shopping Centre in Wandsworth on Saturday & they’re giving away free eye tests (plus 20% off all glasses & sunglasses) until June 11.
💌 We’ve been loving the free Nomad for Less newsletter, which is full of budget-savvy travel tips, & Finchley Now, which is a great read for N12ers & beyond.
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