The Time Out London blog team

What’s that on the horizon? Another three day weekend? And temperatures potentially reaching 31 degrees? Don’t mind if we do.  After two weeks suffering through rain and cloudy skies, the sun can make us do crazy things. Like spending money we don’t really have on new summer clothes, dinners outdoors and way, way too many Aperol Spritzes. But if you’re anything like us, May has already been an expensive month and you need to be at least a little bit sensible.  The good news is that, as ever, the capital city is awash with fun things to do that won’t cost you a thing. If you want to boogie to house and soul in a park, there’s a free event for that. If you want to laugh at loud at one of the city’s most legendary comedy venues, there’s one for that too. Here’s a roundup of all the brilliant free stuff happening in London this bank holiday weekend.  The best free things on in London this weekend, May 22-25 2026 1. Stay out late at the National Gallery Get better acquainted with the ideas and images behind the spectacular works of Baroque master Francisco de Zurbarán at this Friday’s National Gallery Late. As well as letting you browse its exhibitions until 9pm, the gallery is putting on a selection of talks and workshops inspired by Zurbarán’s saintly scenes. There’s 15 minutes with a philosopher, which invites you to ponder on the pleasures and pains of the flesh, and life drawing sessions with costumed models based on Zurbarán’s muses. You can also join a tour with poet SJ...

Not only is the weather gonna be balmy over the late May Bank Holiday Weekend, but there’s loads taking place in London that’ll help you make the most of it. From Peckham’s legendary GALA festival and the fabulous Foodies street food festival to the Chelsea Flower Show, there’s plenty to see and do in the city over the long weekend. There is, however, also a lot of transport disruption planned for the city on May 23-25. Huge sections of two of London’s major tube lines will be down for almost the entire three days, particularly impacting Londoners in the west of the city. There’s also planned closures on the DLR and Overground. But that’s none of that is a reason to stay inside and not make the most of the sunshine. Find out everything you need to know to navigate the closures with Time Out’s May Bank Holiday Weekend travel guide below. London travel disruption and tube closures, May 23-25 2026 Piccadilly line On Saturday May 23 (from 4.30am) and all day Sunday May 24 and Monday May 25, no trains between Hyde Park Corner and Northfields / Uxbridge. Includes Saturday Night Tube. On Sat May 23 in the early morning (2am to 4.30am), no trains between Hyde Park Corner and Heathrow. Eastbound trains will not call at Barons Court until June. When travelling east, go one stop west (to Hammersmith) and bounce back east. Photograph: ShutterstockPiccadilly line train in London District line All weekend (Sat May 23, Sun May 24 and Mon May 25), no trains between Earls Court and...

Aye aye cap’n, it’s time to grab your skipper hat and quickly learn the difference between port and starboard because The Waverley, aka the world’s last ever seagoing paddle steamer, is heading this way. For anyone not down with the nautical lingo, we should probably explain: launched on Glasgow’s River Clyde in 1946, The Waverley is a steamship which has been chugging across UK waters for the past eight decades. The old girl was built to replace the 1899 Waverley that sank at Dunkirk and she was dubbed a ‘vessel of pre-eminent national importance’ in 2003. Now, to celebrate her 80th birthday, she’ll be making waves in the Big Smoke. The Waverley will visit the Thames Estuary as part of her anniversary season between September 24 and October 11, with departure points in Essex, Sussex, Kent, Norfolk, Suffolk and, of course, London. Avid ship spotters and naviphiles in the capital will have to head to London Tower Pier, a 10 minute walk from Tower Hill Underground station, to get a go on the steamship.  On board, you’ll be able to explore the engine room, hear the telegraph ring and watch the paddles turn. The ship, which looks just as she did when she first set sail thanks to a £1.5 million winter refit, also has full catering, period lounges, and a souvenir shop. Photograph: richardjohnson / Shutterstock.comPS Waverley, a paddle steamer Prices vary depending on where you plan to dock, but an evening return cruise from Gravesend which takes you under Tower Bridge (twice!)...