The capital’s best free events from Nov 24-30th
Happy Monday {{ first name | Cheapskater }},
We know your inbox is about to be flooded with Black Friday emails, so we’ll keep this quick. We’re not huge fans of the whole spend-spend-spend vibe (shocker, we’re Cheapskate!), so if you’re after an anti-Black Friday move… why not join the Cheapskate Club? It gets you automatic entry into all our weekly competitions, plus exclusive members-only prize draws.
Each week we spend hours outside our full-time jobs putting Cheapskate together because we genuinely want everyone to enjoy London for less. In a time when everything feels pricier, we love showing people that this city is still full of brilliant, FREE things to do.
But as we’ve grown, so have our running costs – and we really do need the help of our amazing readers to keep us going. We’re a tiny independent team with no big media machine behind us, so your support truly matters.
It would mean the world if you could support us by joining the Cheapskate Club. (And if not, please don’t worry – the weekly newsletter will always stay free.) We’re running a special half-price deal, meaning lifetime membership is just £2.50 a month (less than a coffee!) or £25 a year.
Thanks for reading – and we hope you enjoy this week’s edition (it’s a goodie!). 🧡
Kate, Georgia and Clementine x
PS: Congrats to our reader Dionne B, who won a pair of tickets to the BIG Gospel Choir’s show, as featured in last week’s newsletter. Scroll down for your chance to win a magical winter GoBoat experience worth £199, plus you can get your hands on a free meal (!) thanks to our new EatClub partnership.
MONDAY
❤️🔥 Everything is romantic
Can’t get enough of BookTok erotica? Fall in love with this documentary on “avid racy-romance-readers” around the world (hosted at Fun Stuff, a community cinema in north London).
🗓️ Mon 24th Nov, from 6pm
📍 Caledonian Road
🕯️ ‘Wax & Relax’
It’s the last week you can catch this seriously cool installation in a derelict beauty parlour on Downs Road. You view it in your own private session, so booking is essential.
🗓️ Until Sat 29th Nov
📍 Clapton
🍽️ A gift for our readers
Want to try great restaurants without blowing the bank? EatClub is an amazing app that gives you up to 50% off food & drink at brilliant London spots like Kricket, Coqfighter & Mildreds. It’s totally seamless – just tap-to-pay in the app, with no vouchers & no awkward chats with your waiter.
Thanks to our partnership with EatClub, your next meal out could be free. Just use the code CHEAPSKATE20 when you redeem your first offer to get £20 credit towards your meal.
TUESDAY
🏛️ ‘By Appointment Only’
The London Museum Docklands’ new display spotlights the history of Romani people in Britain – the title references the ‘Travellers By Appointment Only’ signs once common at restaurants & pubs.
🗓️ Tues 25th Nov-Sat 31st Jan
📍 West India Quay
👁️ ‘Eye, the Witness’
Head to Hogarth’s House for a new exhibit exploring the experience of the mothers who were forced to give up their babies to the Foundling Hospital, as well as the relationship between art & psychoanalysis.
🗓️ Tues 25th Nov-Sun 10th May
📍 Turnham Green
WEDNESDAY
🗞️ Hot off the press
Head to the Southbank Centre this Weds eve to try your hand at typography & collaborative print-making, & learn the art of letterpress with artist Theo Hersey. This communal print-making experience is part of the free Creative Encounters series.
🗓️ Weds 26th Nov, 6-8.30pm
📍 Waterloo
🧮 Count me in
Whether you loved or hated maths at school, head to Lauderdale House for the Mathematical Mirrors exhibit; it’s all about the cultural & emotional (!) role of mathematics in human life.
🗓️ Weds 26th Nov-Sun 21st Dec
📍 Archway
💘 Aim for the heart
For the first time ever in the UK, Caravaggio’s Victorious Cupid is going on public display at the Wallace Collection, alongside two ancient Roman sculptures.
🗓️ Weds 26th Nov-Sun 12th April
📍 Bond Street
🛟 Competition time!
Fancy sipping mulled wine as you float around Canary Wharf & London’s Docklands with seven of your besties?
We’ve teamed up with GoBoat to give away an incredibly festive Winter Pod experience (worth a whopping £199!). This cosy boat trip, suitable for up to eight people, will feature panoramic views, a heated seat cushion, sparkling festive lights & complimentary mulled wine.
To be in with a chance of winning this amazing experience, 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 a winner at random. Good luck! 🤞
THURSDAY
🏙️ Thursday film club
Experience Fritz Lang’s sci-fi classic Metropolis like never before at this screening at Deptford Lounge, which includes rarely seen extra footage & a live musical score.
🗓️ Thurs 27th Nov, 7-8.30pm
📍 Deptford
🎄 Winter with William
The William Morris Gallery is getting festive with this winter-themed late, which includes an after-hours opening of the Women in Print exhibit. (The V&A is hosting a late this week too.)
🗓️ Thurs 27th Nov, 5-9pm
📍 Walthamstow Central
FRIDAY
🍂 Down to earth
This Fri marks the opening of Grounding, a serene group show at Tom Cox Gallery that will explore texture, tone & the quiet power of natural materials. Expect earthen hues, organic textures & works shaped by wood, soil & stone – all reflecting a deep dialogue between artist & nature. The exhibition launches with a private view on Thurs (6-9pm).
🗓️ Fri 28th Nov-Sun 21st Dec
📍 Crystal Palace
💚 Defy gravity
Wicked: For Good may not have had the best reviews, but we’re still excited to hear all the classics from the musical at this party at Juju’s Bar & Stage, along with other show tunes & Ariana Grande hits.
🗓️ Fri 28th Nov, 7-11pm
📍 Shoreditch High Street
🗣️ ‘The Songs We Sing’
Music is one of the most powerful ways we can connect with our communities, so join this singing workshop at the Feminist Library to help create a collaborative ‘map of each other’s songs & sounds’.
🗓️ Fri 28th Nov, 6-7.30pm
📍 Peckham Rye
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SAT - SUN
😈 Talk dirty to me
To accompany the (not free) Dirty Looks fashion exhibit, the Barbican is hosting a (free) Dirty Weekend, packed with workshops, installations & even an erotic literature market.
🗓️ Sat 29th-Sun 30th Nov
📍 Barbican
🦙 Christmas on the farm
Vauxhall City Farm is switching on its winter light trail on Sat, so head down to explore the farmyard after dark (animals included!) & sip on some mulled wine or hot choc.
🗓️ Sat 29th Nov, from 4pm
📍 Vauxhall
🤶 Pearly queens
The Vagina Museum’s ‘Pearly Makers’ Christmas market proudly platforms new & established queer creatives, so it’s the perfect place to snag some unique Xmas gifts.
🗓️ Sat 29th Nov, 12-5pm
📍 Cambridge Heath
🎶 Sing, choirs of angels
Hark those heralds & ding those dongs, because carol season is here. We like the sound of this service at St Giles-in-the-Fields, or this open-air vibe on Camden High Street.
🗓️ Sat 29th Nov & Sun 30th Nov
📍 Tottenham Court Road/Camden Town
And for dessert...
🛍️ Black Friday might not be our favourite time of year, but there are a few Amazon deals we’re tempted by. If you’ve always wanted to take the plunge on an air fryer, for example, now might be the time. If you’re thinking of buying anything from Amazon, please use our affiliate link to help us make money 🧡
🥓 Excited for Christmas dinner? 64 Old Compton Street is offering free portions of pigs in blanket ragu pasta (normally £19.90) this Tues. The offer’s only available from 12-1.30pm!
☕ Still panic-scrolling every Sat morning for something to do with the kids? I’m not a dad, but I’ve been loving the Dads in London newsletter, which sends five great weekend ideas straight to your inbox. Sign up here. - Kate
🍜 Noodle and Beer is turning six this month, so it’s 50% off on food this Thurs lunchtime in the Spitalfields & Chinatown locations. Plus, after 5pm, if you find the lucky Golden Chopsticks hidden in your chopstick packets, you’ll win free food for a whole year!
🥿 Looking for a new office shoe? I know how hard it can be to straddle the line between corporate & chic, but sometimes a classic pair of loafers does the trick. - Clementine
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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