London’s best free events from Weds July 23rd to Tues July 29th
Hello Cheapskater,
After several sweltering heatwaves, we’ve finally arrived at the school holidays. Fear not - we’ve got you covered for the weeks and months ahead!
Every Wednesday for the next six weeks, we’ll send you a curated list of the very best free London outings and events, helping to keep your kids occupied, entertained and out of trouble.
We’ll also feature a weekly free-to-enter competition - this week, we’re giving away a family ticket worth £100 to Jurassic World: The Experience at Battersea Power Station! And congrats to reader Annie G, who won a Rockit pram rocker in the last edition of Cheapskate Kids.
This week we’ve teamed up with the National Portrait Gallery, where the Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer Portrait Award exhibition has just opened - and it’s completely free to visit. It features 46 powerful and creative portraits by artists from around the world and is a great one to mosey around with the kids if you’re in central London. Find out more here.
Have a fantastic week - fingers crossed for some sunshine, but no heatwaves!
Kate x
PS: If you like the newsletter, please do spread the word using your personalised referral code: {{rp_refer_url}}. We’d greatly appreciate it. You can also support us by clicking on our links (like this one!).
EVENTS
Baby: 0-1, Toddler: 1-3, Child: 4-12, Teen: 13-19
🩰 Dance the afternoon away
Head to Hawley Wharf near Camden Market for two exciting dance performances, including one that blends ballet with juggling. There’ll also be arts & crafts, face painting, & a Lego workshop.
👧 CHILD
🗓️ Weds Jul 23, 1-4pm
📍Camden Town
🌎 Playtime for the planet
It’s playgrounds as you’ve never seen them before: the Southbank Centre’s REPLAY is an installation made entirely from recycled materials, designed to inspire children to imagine and build new worlds.
👧 BABY➜CHILD
🗓️ until Sun 24 Aug
📍 Waterloo
☎️ Sample the surreal
It’s never too early to get them started on surrealism…right? In this session inspired by surrealist works in the Tate Britain’s collection, older kids can design costumes & explore life lessons hidden in tarot cards.
👧 CHILD➜TEEN
🗓️ Until Thurs Jul 31
📍Pimlico
🔊 Exploring sound
Only a couple of days left to catch the Sound Explorers workshops at the Young V&A: it’s a great chance for kids (aged 2 & under) to make some noise and discover the museum’s collection through sound & music.
👧 BABY➜TODDLER
🗓️ until Thurs, 10.30-11.10am
📍Bethnal Green
🌳 Enter the story garden
The Summer Reading Challenge theme is ‘Story Garden’, so enjoy this free writing workshop at Shepherd’s Bush Library. In an enchanted garden, a young bee hasn’t yet found his story…your child can help him out!
👧 CHILD
🗓️ Fri Jul 25, 11am-12pm
📍 Shepherd’s Bush
🦖 Competition time!
This week we’ve got an incredible prize worth more than £100 up for grabs: a family ticket (two adults & two kids) for Jurassic World: The Experience at Battersea Power Station!
This interactive experience involves stepping through the iconic Jurassic World gates & journeying across 10 immersive zones. You’ll walk beneath a towering Brachiosaurus, explore the genetics lab & come face to face with the mighty T. rex.
To be in with a chance of winning, simply refer a friend to Cheapskate Kids by sending them this link (it contains your personalised referral code): {{rp_refer_url}}. Once they’ve signed up, you’ll be entered into the draw, & we’ll pick one lucky winner at random. Good luck!
🎤 Popcorn!
This interactive Whitechapel Gallery exhibit invites visitors to explore the sonic world through voices, bodies & props. The show’s inspired by designers who produce the sounds we hear in films, TV and video games.
👧 TODDLER➜TEEN
🗓️ Until Sun Sept 21
📍 Whitechapel
🌊 Sea-riously fun
This week marks the start of the National Maritime Museum’s summer holiday programme, which is jam-packed with storytelling, crafts, & interactive games all about the wonders that lie beneath the ocean.
👧 TODDLER➜TEEN
🗓️ Until Sun Aug 31
📍 Greenwich
🪴 Sun, sand & splashing
Royal Docks Summer Splash is turning Royal Victoria Dock into a free, family-friendly lido with open-water swimming, sandpits & chilled deckchair vibes. There’s also a packed ‘lates’ schedule with DJs & circus acts.
👧 TODDLER➜TEEN
🗓️ Fri Jul 25-Sun 17 Aug
📍 Custom House
🇵🇪 Rhythms of Peru
It’ll be Peruvian Independence Day next Mon, so what better time to enjoy a Peruvian dance workshop at BASE Dance Studios? These classes run monthly & are a great intro to the diversity of Peruvian folk traditions.
👧 CHILD➜TEEN
🗓️ Sat Jul 26, 1-4pm
📍 Vauxhall
🏰 Medieval magic
Head to Canbury Gardens this weekend for Athels’ Town - an action-packed experience which takes you back to Saxon England. Explore medieval Kingston with immersive activities, storytelling & even a battlefield arena.
👧 CHILD➜TEEN
🗓️ Sat Jul 26 & Sun Jul 27, 10-8/5pm
📍Kingston
🇹🇷 Turkish fashion history
Last chance for this fascinating workshop at the Hackney Museum, all about the Turkish diaspora’s work in the garment trade. Colour-in crochet patterns, design a piece of clothing, or chat about your own memories.
👧 CHILD
🗓️ Sat Jul 26, 10am-5pm
📍 Hackney Central
🦙 Family farm day
Always fancied visiting Vauxhall City Farm but live too far? Luckily, the farm is coming to St Paul’s Church for one day only, where your kids can take part in educational workshops and pet goats, sheep, guinea pigs & alpacas.
👧 CHILD➜TEEN
🗓️ Mon Jul 28, from 12pm
📍 Covent Garden
🌳 In the shade of an oak tree
This one sounds dreamy: beneath a magnificent tree known as the Storytelling Oak on Wandsworth Common, listen to beguiling tales from the natural world. Expect pesky pumpkins, tree huggers, & much more.
👧 CHILD
🗓️ Tues Jul 29, 2-3pm
📍 Wandsworth Common
🔥 Fire, fire!
How did a bakery fire destroy most of London in 1666, & how did the city recover? Find out the answers to these questions at this interactive family show at the London Museum Docklands – booking essential.
👧 CHILD
🗓️ Tue Jul 29-Thurs 28 Aug, various
📍 West India Quay
And for dessert...
🫶 Want to support Cheapskate without spending any money? Please click on our links like this one - it won’t cost you a thing, but you’ll massively help with our running costs.
🎭 Kids Week is back with free West End theatre tickets for children (plus no booking fees) running until Aug 31. More than 40 shows are still available to book.
💅 PSA: This “Five Minute Morning” kit from vegan beauty brand Merit has saved me on so many rushed mornings. It’s got everything you need - mascara, a brow brush etc - to look fresh & awake without having to spend ages getting ready. Plus it’s currently on sale! - Georgia
🇮🇳 It’s the season for kids-eat-free deals – start the summer off with a free three-course meal for kids aged eight & under at modern Indian restaurant Farzi in the heart of Theatreland. Offer running from Jul 25-Aug 31.
🎧 Expecting little ears at big events this summer? Baby Therapy’s baby ear defenders are a lifesaver if you’re heading to festivals or even just a noisy café with your little one in tow. They’re comfy, lightweight & actually stay on - a solid investment for any noise-sensitive Cheapskate parent.
What did you think of this edition?
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