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July arrived earlier this week, summer is in full swing, and London is looking its cheery best. But as glorious as summer in the city can be, it can also get rather spenny, what with all the summer holidays, music festivals, day trips and mammoth beer garden sessions drinking £11 Aperol spritzes that it usually entails.
Keen to go one weekend without having a heart attack when you check your bank balance? There’s no shortage of wallet-friendly summer fun to be had around town if you know where to go. Here’s our pick of the best free activities on this weekend.
The best free things to do in London this weekend, July 5-6
Take to the streets for London’s Pride Parade
Pride month might now be over, but the biggest event of the ‘Pride season’ arrives this weekend, with over a million revellers expected to take to the streets of London on Saturday for the city’s annual Pride parade. The biggest Pride event in Europe, Pride in London features more than 500 groups, and around 35,000 participants. Attendees can also catch a host of live performances at the Main Stage in Trafalgar Square and five additional stages dotted around Soho and the West End, with the legendary Chaka Khan headlining, with the party continuing late into the night at bars and clubs around Soho. Check out our Parade guide for timings, line-ups and everything else you need to know ahead of the big day.
Start at Hyde Park Corner, W1J. Sat July 5. Free.
Catch some hit flicks at Everyman on the Canal
Situated on the scenic stretch of Regent’s Canal by Granary Square, Everyman’s Screen on the Canal is one of the city’s best loved outdoor cinemas thanks to its atmospheric setting, eclectic programming and the fact that it doesn’t cost viewers a penny. Stop by over its opening weekend to catch all the live action from Wimbledon, plus an eclectic roster of evening film screenings including Paddington in Peru, Wicked and Conclave.
Granary Square, N1C 4AA. Until Aug 17. Free.
Pick up a summer read at the Aesop Queer Library
Looking for chic, LRB-approved novel to read in the park during the next heatwave? Aesop can sort you out. The fancy soap purveyors’ Soho store is once again transforming into the Aesop Queer Library this weekend to mark Pride. Instead of bougie candles and skincare, its shelves are currently stocked with a selection of queer-themed reads curated by London’s oldest LGBTQ+ bookshop, Gay’s the Word, and bookworms can swing by any time over the weekend to select one to take home free of charge.
41 Lexington Street, W1F 9AJ. Until Sun Jul 6. Free.
Watch the Lionesses take on France in the Women’s Euros
It seems like only yesterday that we were tossing our pints in the air and screaming ourselves hoarse as England’s women’s football team secured their first major piece of silverware at at a home Euros final, but Sarina Wiegman’s side are back at it this weekend as they attempt to retain their title in Euro 2025. The Lionesses’ campaign gets underway on Saturday evening as they take on France, with Wales vs the Netherlands earlier in the day. Hoping to cheer on the home nations? Check out our roundup of London’s best screening parties here.
Various London venues. Sat July 5. Free.
Revisit some ’90s and ’00s pop classics at Between the Bridges
Nothing screams ‘summer in the city’ quite like a stroll down the South Bank on a sunny weekend. If you’re planning a riverside jaunt this weekend, be sure to stop by Between the Bridges to soak up the atmosphere. The pop-up venue has all sorts of free entertainment scheduled across the summer, including Guilty Pleasures each Saturday, where you can get down to some nostalgic bangers ranging from old school RnB to noughties pop hits.
The Queen’s Walk, SE1. Every Saturday of the summer. Free.
Got a bit more cash to splash? Check out our roundup of the best things do to this weekend
Or find some more wallet-friendly entertainment with our guide to the best free things to do in London
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