Free things to do in London this week.
Big screen Wimbledon
As the 2026 Wimbledon Championships enter their second and final week, loads of venues all over London screen the live tennis action for free. Large screens pop up in locations including South Bank, Covent Garden, Camden Market, King’s Cross, and in Wimbledon Piazza. Our guide to Wimbledon 2026 screenings will help you find your nearest one, where you want to make a day of it, or just catch up on the score during your lunch break.
Until 12 July.
Travel photography
Benches across the King’s Cross area — including Granary Square, Lewis Cubitt Square and King’s Boulevard — have had a revamp. You’ve got until this weekend to view the free, open-air exhibition of photos from the National Geographic Traveller (UK) Photography Competition shortlist, taken all over the world and showcasing various locations, themes and styles.
Until 12 July.
Football sculptures
A reminder that the free Pride in the Quarter art trail is ongoing, with 17 sculptures of lions and lionesses dotted across Westminster borough, to coincide with the World Cup. Each of the sculptures — their left paw perched atop a ball — is designed by a different artist. Download the map to track them all down.
Until 10 August.
Marble Arch walk
Join architect John Nash (or at least, a guide in character as Nash) for a free walking tour around Marble Arch on Tuesday afternoon. Meet at the arch, designed by Nash, and visit local historical sites including Speakers’ Corner, and the former site of the Tyburn executions.
If you can’t make it this week, the tours run on Tuesdays throughout July and August.
7 July.
Summer in the Square
Free festival Summer in the Square returns to Portman Square in Marylebone, centring around open-air screenings of Wimbledon. Deckchairs are set up so you can kick back and watch the tennis, and other entertainment includes craft workshops, pilates and fitness classes (some require advance booking) and games and activities for kids.
7-12 July.
Lunchtime lecture
Swing by the V&A South Kensington on Thursday lunchtime for a free lecture by African Heritage Guides Joy Johnson and Pennie Mendes.
Hear about how 18th and 19th century global trade and colonial power shaped dress in the Caribbean, and how Creole women reworked Parisian fashions and textiles as forms of self-expression and resistance.
9 July.
Drawn on the Western Front
Anna Lavelle, lead curator of the National Army Museum’s new exhibition Drawn on the Western Front, gives a free talk on Friday lunchtime. The wartime work of French artist Paul Sarrut is in the spotlight as Lavelle discusses how he captured the everyday moments of the conflict, as well as the diversity of the soldiers who served.
10 July.
Live at Lunch
Once again, Covent Garden’s Royal Opera House offers a free Live at Lunch performance, where Royal Ballet and Opera and guest artists give a free show in the Paul Hamlyn Hall. Details about the performers aren’t revealed until you arrive, so turn up to be surprised with 45 minutes of top-notch music or dance. This week’s show is the final of the current season.
10 July.
Southbank poetry
Southbank Centre hosts the three-day Poetry International Festival, and some (but not all) of the events on the programme are free. Poetic Unity community share their words accompanied by a live band on Friday evening, and there’s a free-entry zine fair on Saturday, as well as a chance to see top poets go head-to-head in the Apples and Snakes: Managers’ Match on Saturday afternoon.
10-12 July.
Māori New Year
Matariki, the Māori New Year, is celebrated in a free family-friendly festival at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich. It takes its name from a bright star cluster visible across the Pacific, which makes its first appearance in late June or early July, and marks the beginning of the new year in Māori culture.
Saturday’s festival begins with an opening ceremony, and also includes storytelling, a kite-making workshop, a dance performance and other entertainment throughout the day.
11 July.
Living chess set
Trafalgar Square hosts a free chess festival, open to all, whether you’re a seasoned player or want to learn the game. This year’s Chess Fest has a living chess set with 32 actors taking on the role of the pieces, recreating famous games of chess with live commentary, as well as free beginner lessons and a chance to challenge a master at speed chess.
12 July.
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