The 6 best free things to do in London this weekend (July 25-27)

Ah, summer in London – the glorious season of beer garden pints, rooftop cocktails, day festivals, beach trips and al fresco dinners. There’s nothing like it. But it’s a sad fact that those things can end up costing quite a lot, and if you’re anything like us, your bank balance has taken a serious hit over the last couple of months (it was all worth it, of course). 

So if you’re looking for a more low-cost way to spend this weekend, we’ve got you covered. Whether you’re after a bit of cultural education, a caffeinated pick-me-up or a good old fashioned dance, this is our selection of the best things to do for free in the capital over the weekend. 

📍 Things to do in London this weekend.

The best free things to do in London this weekend, July 25-27

Cheer on the Lionesses at a screening of the Women’s Euros final

They’ve done it. The Lionesses have made it to another Euros final. Can they go the whole way and bring it home once more? Whichever way it goes, we can guarantee that Sunday’s final against Spain will be best watched in pub surrounded by fellow footie fanatics. And there are loads across the city that’ll let you in to come and watch the game on their screens for free (though we imagine you’ll probably be wanting a pint or seven). The Old Nun’s Head, The Prince, Five Points Taproom, The 411 and The Volley are some of the top venues hosting screenings with free entry. But don’t risk just turning up – we strongly recommend booking your bar of choice in advance. See our full list of the best places to watch the Women’s Euros final here. 

Various locations. Sun July 27. Free entry (booking advised). 

Take part in a big ol’ street party on Trafalgar Square

Installation artist and Turner Prize winner Jeremy Deller is throwing a huge blowout in central London to mark the end of the National Gallery’s 200th birthday celebrations. Titled ‘The Triumph of Art’, Saturday’s party will start with a procession up Whitehall at 11am which will then wind its way into Trafalgar Square, where things will keep going until 4pm. Expect music, performances, workshops, banners, costumes and, crucially, a giant puppet called Quingo Starlequinn – a towering structure built by learning disability arts collective Do Your Own Thing that’ll have DJs performing from inside it throughout the day.

Trafalgar Square, WC2N 5DS. Sat July 26, 11am-4pm. Free. 

Ponder on beauty in the digital age at Somerset House

This summer, Somerset House has dedicated a whole exhibition to how the internet has changed our idea of what people should look like. In Virtual Beauty, Somerset House will explore the impact of digital technologies on how we define beauty today. The show will display more than 20 artworks from the 'Post-Internet' era, an art movement concerned with the influence of the internet on art and culture. It features sculpture, photography, installation, video and performance art, with highlights including ORLAN’s Omniprésence (1993), a groundbreaking performance in which the artist live-streamed her own facial aesthetic surgery, and AI-generated portraits by Minnie Atairu, Ben Cullen Williams, and Isamaya Ffrench. 

Somerset House, Strand, WC2R 1LA. July 23-Sep 28. Pay what you can.

Shimmy down to the Southbank Centre

‘Dance Your Way Home’ is the Southbank Centre’s big festival of the year. It’s curated in collaboration with Emma Warren, who wrote a book of the same name - in celebration of the type of ordinary, messy dancing we do in kitchens and bars, not the rarified kind that happens on the stages of the Royal Opera House. That means that there’s a big focus on getting normal folk on the floor (but if you’re feeling shy there’s plenty of stuff you can watch, too). This weekend, free events on the programme include Jazz Re:Fest in the Clore Ballroom and a party with East London’s most prominent reggae sound system, King Original Sound System.

Southbank Centre, SE1 8XX. July 26-27. Free. 

Nab a complimentary iced coffee from the Baileys Little Treat Café

Newsflash: Baileys isn’t just for Christmas. Baileys Little Treat Café is here to prove it. The cafe is a pop-up at Shoreditch’s Pink Shop that’ll be serving up summery drinks made with the Irish cream, in collaboration with Caffé Nero.  Pick from tiramisu, pistachio chocolate or millionaire shortbread iced coffee, all zhuzhed up with non-alcoholic Baileys flavoured syrup. Only the first 100 customers will get their coffee for free, but if you turn up a bit later the drinks still cost less that your average London iced coff (between £2 and £3). 

The Pink Shop, Shoreditch. July 26-27 12pm-6pm. Free for first 100 customers. 

Catch the final weekend of Deptford X Festival 

Deptford X, SE8’s vibrant 18-day visual arts festival, concludes on Sunday. There are eight commissioned artists putting on exhibitions, including Audrey Damier’s ‘Can A Brother Get Some Peace?’, a photographic exploration of Black masculinity, identity and vulnerability, and Joseph Ijoyemi’s ‘Sea Between Us’, an origami boat installation reflecting on migration, identity and community. Plus, there are more than 500 artists taking part in the festival fringe with a ton of free exhibitions, interactive events and workshops leaving almost no part of Deptford untouched. 

Various locations across Deptford. July 26-27. Free.