The Time Out London blog team

Londoners fell hard for Fool’s Spring last weekend – and not for the first time. One minute we were baring our legs and souls over Aperol spritzes in rooftop bars. The next, we were digging out our winter coats and huddling together for warmth in cafés, watching our outdoorsy social plans fall apart as messily as an over-stuffed pita. And it wasn’t pretty. So all things considered, it’s almost hard to get excited this for weekend when the best we can hope for is light rain and temperatures that creep into the mid teens. But don’t sink into despondency just yet. What this weekend lacks in radiant weather, it makes up for in abundant opportunities for free fun. You don’t need to drown your sorrows in expensive bars, cloak yourself in panic-bought jumpers from Hackney boutiques, or shell out for pricy tickets to indoor gigs to escape the gloom. Read on and start planning with our spirit-lifting line-up of events that won’t require opening your wallet. Just remember to bring a cardigan or a waterproof coat, so nothing can rain on your parade. RECOMMENDED: London travel disruption this weekend – full list of tube and train closures for May 16-17 2026. The best free things on in London this weekend, May 15-17 2026 1. Embrace the chill at a free Scandi festival Why not replace your dreams of warm weather with a day of wholeheartedly appreciating the culture of one of the world’s cooler countries, Norway? Covent Garden Piazza is laying on free festivities in honour of Syttende...

Mayfair has long been one of London’s more ‘red flag’ neighbourhoods. Just one street over from friendly fun Soho, but spiritually a million miles away, Mayfair is where oligarchs rub cashmere shoulders, private galleries shift questionable art, and people deal in literal diamonds. London is already one of the most expensive cities in the world, but Mayfair? Mayfair can bankrupt you in seconds.  Mayfair might have finally shaken off some of its stuffiness Despite all that money – or maybe because of it? – restaurants in Mayfair are usually more cringey than classy. It’s full of flashy tourist traps for those in possession of more cash than sense, and bonkers boltholes for the super-rich. But a new kind of Mayfair restaurant has been attracting regular Londoners back to the warren of Georgian lanes between Piccadilly and Oxford Street. It began with New York Italian-inspired disco bistro The Dover, and its sassy little sibling, Dover Street Counter, followed late last year. At both, the food isn’t as madly-priced as you’d think, and the vibes are exceptional. Automat on Mount Street has followed suit, pushing the same martinis-and-fries aesthetic and DakaDaka has impressed with its booming take on Georgian cuisine. New York import Carbone has also joined the party, and even Claridge’s has got in on the action, with historic West Village cafe Dante in permanent residence at the luxury hotel’s main bar and restaurant, and hipster baker Richard Hart in charge of the offering...

Enjoy a reasonably priced steak and live in south London? All your meaty dreams have come true, because Flat Iron has just announced plans for its first ever restaurant down south. For all the pedants out there, we’re not counting their London Bridge, Southbank, and Waterloo branches, which are merely south of the river rather than in south London proper. Flat Iron will open in Clapham Old Town late in 2026, so you still have a fair few months to wait for your £15 steak, but when it does launch there will be 130 covers (including on an outdoor terrace), meaning that it won’t be too difficult to secure a table.  The Clapham branch will join Flat Iron’s 16 London restaurants, which span Soho, Spitalfields, Marylebone, Kings Cross and Hammersmith. The most recent new opening was in Piccadilly, and Flat Iron restaurants are soon coming to Newcastle, Birmingham, Liverpool as well as the first Scottish Flat Iron in Glasgow. Flat Iron’s ‘Head of Beef’ Fred Smith, is local to Clapham, so is rather excited about the new restaurant. ‘Opening a restaurant in Clapham, my home, will be special,’ he says. ‘I grew up in the area and witnessed firsthand the evolution of the high street. Many years ago, there was a butcher’s shop (Moens, now a few doors down) on this site that my family would visit regularly, so to be bringing the beef back has extra meaning.’ Flat Iron Clapham will open at 18-19 The Pavement, SW4 0HY, later this year. Did you see that this beloved south London bakery is...