Free things to do in London this week

To reach Life on the Land, the National Gallery’s exhibition on the nineteenth century French artist Jean-Francois Millet, you have to walk through rooms of the museum filled with centuries’ worth of grand portraits of society’s upper crust. On arrival, surrounded by dusky-toned renderings of outdoor labour, it might take a moment to adjust. Stoicism abounds here, its head bowed and its eyes averted. You won’t find any grandeur or pomp in this concise exhibition of 15 muted and unflashy works, but you’ll experience an intensity rarely achieved in the portraits of nobility in the adjacent rooms. Millet’s images of peasants at work are rhythmic and visceral, unsentimental but deeply sensitive in their depictions of the beauty and harshness of a life working the land. The former can be found in the scenes’ wide horizons and the figures that punctuate them. The latter is best distilled in a detail of The Winnower (c. 1847–8), whose subject’s clogs are stuffed with hay to keep his feet warm. The exhibition’s centrepiece, L’Angelus (1859), is here on loan from the Musée d’Orsay in Paris. Like most of the work here, its ornate gilded frame feels incongruous with the painting itself, in which two shadowy figures stand statuesque in a twilit field, a basket of potatoes sitting on the ground between them. They could be staring at the ground, though their eyes, obscured by the enclosing darkness, might be closed. Just visible through lacy mist on the horizon is a church spire. The...

During the big men’s sports tournaments, you can count on practically every pub in the city to broadcast matches and fill up with fans. When it comes to the upcoming Women’s Rugby World Cup, though, public places fans can gather at to watch matches remain relatively few and far between. But this year, there is at least one place where you’re guaranteed to catch every single game: the brand new Asahi Open Arms. The fan-focused pub, backed by Women’s World Rugby Player of the Year Ellie Kildunne, is taking residency at The Queen’s Head in Shoreditch for the duration of the tournament. Besides the live screenings, it promises to host grassroots events, like Q&As and exclusive launches. A full programme is on its way soon.

Part of an ongoing exhibition series of group exhibitions featuring artists not represented by the gallery, this show will see three painters – Koak, Ding Shilun and Cece Philips – fill Hauser & Wirth’s vast Savile Row space with windows into imagined interiors. All taking domestic architectures as their starting point, each artist’s work becomes a meditation on the psychology of space.

Every year, London’s famous river gets a whole festival of art installations, performances, and talks devoted to her watery charms, many of which are free to check out. This year’s Totally Thames Festival has scores of events throughout September, all dotted along riverside locations from Richmond to Barking & Dagenham. This year, look out for Rekindling by Compagnie Carabosse (Sep 25-26), a huge fire installation on and around Royal Victoria Dock inspired by the Royal Docks’ role in London’s story. There’ll also be dance performances in the atmospheric Brunel Museum Tunnel Shaft (Sep 17) and gigs in Crossness Pumping Station (Sep 13).  Old favourites will also be making an appearance, including the Great River Race (Sep 20) from Tower Hamlets to Richmond, where 330 crews from across the world spending the morning speeding down the Thames on wooden rowboats, many of them in fancy dress costumes. While St Katharine Docks Classic Boat Festival (Sep 6) will let you clamber aboard ancient vessels. You can also visit a mudlarking exhibition, walk and masterclass, take boat tours and listen to special lectures.  Other events include guided walks, photography classes, talks, cabaret, and more: each weekend's activities revolve around a different hub, in the locations of Brentford, The Royal Docks, London Bridge, Greenwich and Kingston upon Thames. Check out the Totally Thames schedule for full details.

Ever wanted to have a nosy around some of London’s coolest private buildings? Open House London gives guests free access to architectural wonders that are not normally open to the public – from schools and offices to places of worship. It’s an often rare chance to explore iconic or just interesting buildings that make up the capital’s storied history, while the programme usually includes tons of workshops, exhibitions and more, as well as the usual tours. This year, the full programme will be announced on July 16, with bookings opening on August 20. Get practising your clicking now – these tickets go faster than Glastonbury. Five iconic London buildings you’ll be able to access for free in Open House 2025 10 Downing Street is opening to the public for exclusive tours during Open House London 2025

Once again you can expect to see remarkable feats of astrophotography at the Astronomy Photographer of the Year exhibition. It’s a chance to see magical views of both our own night sky and of galaxies far, far away. The winning spacey visions come from dozens of professional and amateur snappers in various categories including ‘Planets, Comets and Asteroids’, ‘Stars and Nebulae’, ‘Galaxies’ and ‘Young Astronomy Photographer of the Year’ for under-16s. Soar down to Greenwich to see the winners from 2025's competition on display. 

It feels a bit like Oktoberfest all year round at Munich Cricket Club, but it really takes the Bavarian joy up a notch as the season approaches. From mid September til the end of October, the spirit of the fest will take over its Canary Wharf, Tower Hill and Victoria locations. Expect foaming steins, platters of sausage and a live oompah band to get the vibes flying. Dancing on tabletops is encouraged – just be careful not to slip on any saus. The festivities also include the ceremonial tapping of the Oktober barrel, straight from Munich, plus games, silliness and surprises. There's also a bottomless cheese fondue brunch for anyone looking to test their digestive system to its very limits. 

Its been nine long years since Brick Lane last hosted its Curry Festival, but E1’s curry houses are once again coming together for this free festival taking over Brick Lane and nearby streets this September, with the aim of reestablishing this East End neighbourhood as the curry capital of the UK. The main event is on Sunday 21, when visitors can expect street food stalls and chef demonstrations outside the stretch of Indian, Bangladeshi and Pakistani restaurants on the corner of Brick Lane and Hanbury Street, alongside a host of family-friendly fun including DJs, stilt walkers, magicians and live graffiti presentations, plus some opportunities to get stuck in at henna and bangla dancing workshops. You can also get 20% off your bill at a host of participating restaurants all weekend by reserving a free ticket here.  Very tasty indeed.

For the past ten years, GRRRL Zine Fair has invited women, transgender and non-binary folk to unite in their feminist fervour for a weekend of zines, live music, creative workshops and exhibitions. At its studio in Southend-on-Sea, you can flick through hundreds of radical and just really cool independent print publications like Aether Mag, THIIIRD, FEM Zine and Sweet-Thang. On the Saturday, expect bands, DJs, interactive art installations and workshops ranging from risograph printing to comedy skills. Then, Sunday is a more chilled-out affair with zine readings, yoga and mindfulness workshops, culminating with a screening of the 2024 documentary The Disappearance of Shere Hite.

After four years of exciting performances, free music and dance festival Urban Elephant has grown into one of Elephant and Castle’s best loved cultural events, and for good reason. From classic Indian dance to Spanish flamenco, the weekend-long festival is a real showcase for the local area’s vibrant multicultural communities.  Fusion band Grupo Lokito will be bringing Congolese grooves and Cuban rhythms to the headline slot at this year’s edition, alongside Ivorian drumming and dancers from Kaagô, the IRIE! Dance Theatre Youth Company performing West African folktale ‘Anansi and the Pot of Wisdom’ through African and Caribbean dance, and a celebration of Colombia and Latin America from longstanding local dance group Yuruparí Grupo Folclórico.  Spectators can also expect whacky circus performances, cabaret and even some participatory fun in the form of a Latin American aerobics classes to kick off the festival, while local businesses will be running a variety of food and drink offers to keep you fuelled for a day of dancing.