Brought to you by
The capital’s best free events from Jan 19-25th
Happy Monday {{ first name | Cheapskater }},
Welcome back to another roundup of fantastic free things to do across the capital. Whether you buy into “Blue Monday” (the so-called saddest day of the year) or not, I hope the events and offers below add a little brightness to your week!
Clementine x
PS: Congrats to reader Xavier F, who won tickets to The Clapham Grand’s 125th birthday bash. Ready for your close-up? Scroll down for this week’s free-to-enter competition, plus all readers can claim a £10 Amazon voucher thanks to our partnership with cashback app Kaldi (use the promo code CHEAPSKATE). 👀
💰 Is 2026 the year you finally become an investor?
Kaldi is an amazing UK-based app that makes investing feel genuinely doable. You earn cashback when you shop at big-name brands (think: Amazon, M&S, Sainsbury’s, Deliveroo, Airbnb and over 160 more), and that cashback is automatically added to your savings or investments.
You shop as normal, earn instant cashback, and choose whether to save it or invest it in low-cost index funds. You can start investing with as little as £1, set goals, and even grow your pot alongside friends or family. It’s not about getting rich overnight – just a smart way to make your everyday spending work a bit harder.
Want to try Kaldi? Cheapskate readers get a free £10 Amazon voucher added to their Kaldi wallet when you use the promo code CHEAPSKATE and open an account.*
Just remember, when you invest your capital is at risk.
*Read the full promotion details on the registration link. T&Cs apply.
MONDAY
💙 Blue Monday deals
Enjoy free wellbeing events (& coffee) at Tate Britain, a free matcha with any pastry at Cafe Mama & Sons, 99p pasta & pizza at Prezzo & 50% off food at Noodle & Beer.
🗓️ Mon 19th Jan, various times
📍 London-wide
📚 It begins with Telemachus
Fancy ticking Ulysses off your to-read list? North London Ulysses performs the Joyce novel aloud in pubs across London, & this week they’re in The Clissold Arms in Muswell Hill.
🗓️ Mon 19th Jan, 8-10pm
📍 East Finchley
TUESDAY
✨ Light me up
Light shows aren’t just for Christmas, they’re for the whole of this month, apparently. The dreamy Winter Lights throughout Canary Wharf will be switched on every eve until 31 Jan.
🗓️ Tues 20th-Sat 31st Jan, 5-10pm
📍 Canary Wharf
🌌 ‘Pictures in the sky’
As long as humans have existed, we’ve looked up at the stars. Head to the Royal Astronomical Society for a talk on the history of constellations & how they’ve been interpreted.
🗓️ Tues 20th Jan, 6-7pm
📍 Green Park
WEDNESDAY
🎨 Drawing from life
Fancy unleashing your artistic side? Head to the Southbank Centre this Weds for “a fresh take on what life drawing can be”, with 2B or Not 2B Collective, a group dedicated to uplifting marginalised bodies in art. At this Sketch Social, you’ll warm up with some guided charcoal exercises before embarking on a longer sketch of a model.
🗓️ Weds 21st Jan, 6-8.30pm
📍 Waterloo
👩🎨 Women of the Heath
Hampstead in the late 19th & early 20th century was a haven for women artists, & this exhibit at Burgh House celebrates their work. Open Weds, Thurs, Fri & Sun.
🗓️ Weds 21st Jan-Sun 13th Dec
📍 Hampstead
🧘 Switch your brain off
The Dragon Cafe at Shoe Lane Library is back this week, with oil pastel drawing, a chance to make your own draught excluder & a relaxing evening meditation session.
🗓️ Weds 21st Jan, 12.30-7pm
📍 Chancery Lane
THURSDAY
🎥 ‘Migration on film’
Watch a moving film about a young migrant returning to the country he was illegally smuggled from, at Goldsmiths University (a panel discussion will follow).
🗓️ Thurs 22nd Jan, 6-8pm
📍 New Cross
🏛️ When in Rome
Head to the London Mithraeum to see this new modern art exhibit responding to the site’s archaeological history (it includes a “monumental” sculpture of a human head).
🗓️ Thurs 22nd Jan-Sat 4th July
📍 Cannon Street
📸 Competition time!
Do you need new headshots for work, LinkedIn or your socials? Cheapskate reader & photographer Lu Guertler (@lu.g.photo on Insta) is here to help.
One lucky subscriber will win a one-hour studio session with Lu, where they’ll end up with three edited images. Plus, we have two 25% off discount codes available for two runners up!
To be in with a chance of winning, get someone you know to subscribe 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 into a draw, & we’ll pick the winners at random.
FYI, members of the Cheapskate Club (our incredible community of readers who support us with a small monthly/yearly donation) get automatic entry into all of our competitions, no referral needed. Join here!
FRIDAY
🎸 Headbangers unite
Whether you’re a heavy metal newbie or a mosh pit regular, head to Signature Brew Blackhorse Road for ‘Thrashuary’, a celebration of London’s underground metal scene.
🗓️ Fri 23rd Jan, from 7pm
📍 Blackhorse Road
🎨 Drawing the diaspora
See the most exciting upcoming Arab artists from all over the world at this annual art fair at Chelsea Old Town Hall, the first fair to be exclusively dedicated to Arab art.
🗓️ Fri 23rd-Sat 24th Jan, 10am-6pm
📍 South Kensington
SAT - SUN
🤍 ‘The Weight of Being’
Yet another fab, free exhibit opening this week: The Weight of Being at Two Temple Place explores vulnerability, resilience & mental health in 20th century & modern art.
🗓️ Sat 24th Jan-Sun 19th Apr
📍 Temple
🤫 Shhhhh!
Watch a silent comedy classic at St Mary-at-Finchley Church, where the film will be accompanied by live organ improvisation, making full use of the church’s atmospheric setting.
🗓️ Sat 24th Jan, 6-8pm
📍 Finchley Central
🕊️ Fight for your rights
You may be inclined to avoid Leicester Square on the weekend, but don’t miss this exhibit at West End Arts Library featuring artistic responses to human rights issues worldwide.
🗓️ Until Sat 24th Jan, 10am-5pm
📍 Leicester Square
🌿 Plant-based power
Find some veganuary-friendly food, fashion & cosmetics at this pop-up, hosted at Pipoca Vegan in Brixton. Sat also marks the launch of the new Peckham Farmers Market.
🗓️ Sat 24th-Sun 25th Jan, 9am-6pm
📍 Stockwell
And for dessert...
🧡 Want to support Cheapskate without spending a single penny? Please click on links scattered throughout the newsletter like this one – we’ll be so grateful!
🏴 It’s Burns Night this Sun! Celebrate Scotland’s favourite bard with affordable neeps & tatties across the capital, including free haggis canapes at The Sun Tavern in Bethnal Green & several ceilidhs at Big Penny Social (I’ll be there on Sat, so please say hi!). - Clementine
🧦 Level up your cosy night-in game this winter with these fleece-lined memory foam slippers – just look at that fab range of colours! If you buy anything, slippers or otherwise, from Amazon, please use our affiliate link to help us earn some £££ 💜
💪 Want to try ClassPass & get access to hundreds of gyms & classes across London? Here's an exclusive month-long trial (featuring a whopping 72 free credits!).
🍽️ Looking for a spot for a special-but-not-fussy dinner? I visited modern Indian restaurant Roti Chai (just off Oxford St) & it was one of the best meals out I’ve had in ages. The mango cumin salmon & Koliwada fish kari were both standout, & we were lucky enough to try an off-menu dessert (Gulab Jamun, a syrupy doughnut), which was completely divine. The staff were wonderful, too! - Kate
🍻 Dry January’s not the most fun month to have a birthday (sorry to all the Aquariuses out there), but Jan babies can sign up here to receive a voucher for a free Madri beer at Boxpark venues across London. You can also get a free coffee at Grind!
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.
Sign up for Cheapskate Kids, our spin-off newsletter featuring free, family-friendly events across London, here 👧