The capital’s best free events from Dec 16th-22nd
Dear {{ first name | Cheapskater }},
We can’t quite believe that this is the last Cheapskate edition of 2024! We’re so proud to have sent out 52 newsletters this year (a record!), including a couple of bank holiday specials. It’s been a complete joy sharing the very best of free London with nearly 30,000 of you. Thank you for opening our emails, clicking on our links, telling your friends about us and supporting our work via the Cheapskate club.
On that note, we’ve reintroduced our 50% off deal for today and tomorrow only, so you can join the club for just £2.50 a month or £25 a year. This will give you automatic entry into all of our weekly competitions, plus you’ll be entered into a monthly competition that’s exclusive to subscribers (see the Bathtub Gin competition below!).
Don’t worry if you can’t afford to join - you’ll still receive this email as usual each week. But if you can, then we’d LOVE your support to help keep Cheapskate going 🧡. FYI, if you want to pay using Apple Pay, make sure you enter your email address, otherwise it won’t work…
For our final edition of the year, we’ve partnered up with the Science Museum, which is hosting its first-ever festive late event this Weds. Fancy delving into the science of extreme cold environments, learning more about the chemistry of festive food and questioning the physics of exactly how Santa manages to visit so many homes all in one night? Find out more here.
Once again, thank you for all your support this year! We’ll be back on Jan 6, but until then we’re wishing you all the most wonderful festive period. Bring on 2025!
Kate and Georgia x
PS. Congrats to our readers Myriam, Jess, Rosemary, Phillipa and Saraniya who each won a bottle of XIX Vodka Gumball Orange, as featured in last week’s newsletter. Scroll down for two (!) fab competitions…
MONDAY
XMAS 🎶 Archway, 7.30-10pm
‘Sing-a-longa’ Xmas
Sing carols & Christmas classics with a local singing teacher & her students at the Shaftesbury Tavern this eve. Expect a “joy-filled evening of festive tunes, holiday cheer & community spirit” (all voices are welcome!).
EXHIBIT 🧦 Greenwich, until March 2025
A celebration of socks
Check out Socks: The Art of Care and Repair, a new exhibit at the NOW Gallery by textile artist Celia Pym. Socks celebrates the everyday act of mending through darning & features a colourful installation of 488 socks.
TUESDAY
EXERCISE 🏋️ Oxford C, 6.30-7.30pm
‘Merry Liftmas’
Head to Gymshark’s Regent Street store to take part in “Liftmas” - a beginner-friendly 5k-run around central London. There will be different groups, so this is one for both experienced runners & newbies.
COMEDY 😂 Covent G, from 7.30pm
Laughter’s free
Head to Cafe Mode for a free “new act, new material” comedy night, which will featue seasoned pros who’ve appeared on shows like Live at the Apollo, as well as up-&-coming comics. Get there early!
WEDNESDAY
XMAS 🤶 Barbican, from 5.30pm
Dickensian carols
St Bartholomew the Great is hosting a Dickensian carol service, which will feature “a service of readings from Dickens, together with carols he would have heard & known”. Mulled wine & mince pies will follow. Get there early!
FESTIVE ✍️ City Thameslink, 12-5pm
Wellness Wednesday
Shoe Lane Library is running a day of festive fun that includes an energising laughter therapy session, greeting card-making & winter weaving workshops, a self-guided drawing class & seasonal snacks.
THURSDAY
COMEDY 😂 London B, 7.45-10pm
An improvised Christmas
Join improv comedy gang The Descendants & special guests Anxiety Club for a pay-what-you-want night of festive hilarity at Hoopla Impro. The groups will be performing An Improvised Story of Christmas.
SHOPPING 📚 Holborn, 6-8pm
Bookshop late event
The lovely London Review Bookshop (one of the city’s best indie bookshops) is hosting a Christmas late shopping eve, where books are 10% off, there’s free gift wrapping & you get free wine while you browse!
Competition time! 🖼️
We have a pair of tickets (worth £25 each) to give away to Soane Late: A Georgian Christmas - a festive, after-hours event at the brilliantly barmy Sir John Soane’s Museum this Friday night.
The candlelit event will feature a display on Georgian winter recipes in the musem’s historic kitchen, & the tunes of a choir will accompany you as you wander corridors lined by Sir John Soane’s sculptures, paintings & treasures.
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, & then we’ll pick the winner’s name at random. Good luck! 🤞
FRIDAY
XMAS 🎅 Harrow, 3-6pm
Santa meet-up
Father Christmas will be landing at Market Place Harrow to give free presents to 100 lucky children this Fri (plus parents can relax & enjoy a complimentary glass of mulled wine at from 5-6pm).
FILM 🍿 Stratford, from 4pm
A modern Xmas classic
Head to Stratford Library for a free screening of The Holdovers, the Oscar-nominated 2023 Christmas comedy drama film (which will be followed by a Q&A). Seats are first come, first served.
WEEKEND
PARTY 🪩 Dalston, Sat from 10.30pm
‘Hot Pants Disco’
Boogie the night away at Paper Dress Vintage (the vintage clothing boutique/live music venue), which is hosting Hot Pants - an eclectic clubbing event featuring underground disco music. RSVP for a free ticket.
XMAS 🤶 St Paul’s, Sat from 5.30pm
Mixing the old & the new
The warm & welcoming St Bride's Church on Fleet Street hosts a famous service called the Festival of Nine Lessons & Carols each year - & it’s taking place this Sat. 125 spots will be held back on the day for walk-ins.
CREATE 🎨 Finsbury P, Sat 2-4pm
Jewellery upcycling
Got any old, broken jewellery lying around? Learn how to turn it into something fresh, wearable & stylish at this hands-on, pay-what-you-feel workshop, hosted by the Finsbury Park Trust charity.
FUTURE 🔮 Waterloo, Sun 12-3pm
Mini tarot reading
Curious about what the future has in store? Head to the Southbank’s Winter Market on Sun for a free tarot reading session with the brilliantly named Luna Bloodstone (plus you can check out the 60+ stalls).
And for dessert...
☕️ Want to keep Cheapskate in your inbox each week? Please support us by joining the Cheapskate club - which is 50% off today & tomorrow only! As a thank you, you’ll get automatic entry into all of our weekly competitions, plus you’ll be entered into a monthly competition that’s exclusive to subscribers…
🍹 …and on that note, this week, one Cheapskate club member will win a special, limited-edition bottle of Bathtub Gin (worth £34.95). The gorgeous bottle features hand-drawn illustrations of the six botanicals in Bathtub Gin's double-infused recipe, designed by the ceramicist Harlie Brown. Members are automatically entered into these prize draws; no need to do anything!
💌 Not able to financially support us? Please click on our links (like this one or this one!) - which won’t cost you a thing.
💙 Are you an NHS worker? Uber is offering you two £10 Uber rides & one £10 meal credit on 24 & 25 Dec. These rides are available to staff with a valid NHS or HSC email address. Find out more.
🥼 All I want for Christmas… are these gorgeous brushed cotton PJs (& you can get 20% off your first order when you sign up!). I also love the look of this periwinkle-coloured eye mask. - Georgia
💰 Does TfL owe you money? This piece in London Centric about the TfL cyberattack was very useful - it can help you check whether you've been overcharged for travel in the last three months.
💊 I’ve sadly had cold after cold this winter season, so I was very grateful to be sent a sample of Leapfrog’s chewable “IMMUNE” tablets. You take them at the first sign of a cough or a cold to help support your body in fending off bugs - & I’ve heard from friends that they really work.. - Kate
🧁 I had the pleasure of sampling some items from Lola’s Cupcakes’ new Christmas collection - & they were completely delicious. My highlight was “The Brownie Beast” - a 20-layer chocolate tower featuring gooey caramel, cookie dough crumbles & Lola’s classic red velvet brownie mix. Heaven! - Kate
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