ListingsUpdated Sun 25 Oct
Free events in London right now
Everything on this site that costs nothing, from museum late openings to cemetery open days and the free half of the big festivals. Free does not always mean unticketed: where a free event still needs a booked slot, the listing says so.
Showing free. Clear
Sunday
11 April-
Seasonal Free
The Boat Race
Four and a quarter miles from Putney to Mortlake, free from either bank, and over in about twenty minutes. Hammersmith Bridge and Furnivall Gardens are the good spots.
Saturday
24 April-
Seasonal Free
London Marathon
Until 25 Apr
Free to watch anywhere along twenty six miles. Cutty Sark at mile six and Tower Bridge at twelve are the loudest; the Mall is ticketed grandstands and a wall of people.
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Seasonal Free
Watching the marathon at Tower Bridge
Until 25 Apr
Mile twelve, and the best half mile of the course to stand on. Get there by half nine: the bridge closes to traffic and the north side fills first.
Sunday
25 April-
Seasonal Free
London Marathon
Free to watch anywhere along twenty six miles. Cutty Sark at mile six and Tower Bridge at twelve are the loudest; the Mall is ticketed grandstands and a wall of people.
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Seasonal Free
Watching the marathon at Tower Bridge
Mile twelve, and the best half mile of the course to stand on. Get there by half nine: the bridge closes to traffic and the north side fills first.
Friday
2 July-
Seasonal Free
Pride weekend in Soho
Until 4 Jul
Old Compton Street closes and the whole of Soho becomes the afterparty, which for many people is the actual event. Free, outdoors, and it goes very late on the Saturday.
Saturday
3 July-
Seasonal Free
Pride weekend in Soho
Until 4 Jul
Old Compton Street closes and the whole of Soho becomes the afterparty, which for many people is the actual event. Free, outdoors, and it goes very late on the Saturday.
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Seasonal Free
Pride in London parade
A million people, from Hyde Park Corner down Piccadilly to Whitehall. Free from the pavement, and the stages in Soho and Trafalgar Square run into the evening after it passes.
Sunday
4 July-
Seasonal Free
Pride weekend in Soho
Old Compton Street closes and the whole of Soho becomes the afterparty, which for many people is the actual event. Free, outdoors, and it goes very late on the Saturday.
Sunday
29 August-
Seasonal Free
Notting Hill Carnival: Children’s Day
The Sunday is the family day and the one to bring anyone under ten to. Same route, same sound systems, a fraction of the crush. Free, and the buses stop running near it early.
Monday
30 August-
Seasonal Free
Notting Hill Carnival: Monday parade
The main day, two million people, and the last of the sound systems off at seven. Walk in from Shepherd's Bush or Paddington: the stations inside the route are exit only or shut.
Wednesday
1 September-
Markets Free
Totally Thames: river festival, whole programme
Until 30 Sep
A month of walks, boat trips, art on the foreshore and one super-choir on the river. Most of it costs nothing and needs no booking.
Saturday
11 September-
Talks Free
Open House London: buildings open to the public
Until 19 Sep
Nine days of normally shut buildings, free, from private houses to livery halls. The 2027 dates are ours until Open City publishes.