Free And Cheap Things To Do In London This Week: 6-12 November 2017

By Kyra Hanson Last edited 76 months ago

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Free And Cheap Things To Do In London This Week: 6-12 November 2017

All week

Iesha Evans stands her ground in a protest against police violence on black men.

GLASS ROOM: A pop-up tech store that will make you question the time you spend online, the data you leave behind and the corporations who benefit from your perpetual scrolling. 69-71 Charing Cross Road, free, just turn up, until 12 November

NEWHAM WORD FEST: A new festival launches in London this week for the literary-minded, with most events free or under a fiver. On Thursday there's a free workshop on words and wellbeing and on Sunday, use your face as a canvas for poetical graffiti at a digital self-portrait workshop, Various venues (Newham), free, book ahead, until 19 November

WORLD PRESS PHOTOS: The return of our favourite free exhibition, which celebrates some of the finest press photography from around the world. Royal Festival Hall, free, just turn up, until 20 November

Monday 6 November

TODDLER MUSIC GROUP: Introduce your toddler to the joys of music through this fun session with instruments and singing. Canning Town CNC, free, just turn up, 10am-11am

HONEYBEE TALK: You might think all this conservation talk around honeybees is a good thing but ecologist Rebecca Nesbit thinks there are 250 other bee species deserving of our attention and protection. The Monarch Bar (Camden), £3, just turn up, 7.30pm

Tuesday 7 November

Last year's Christmas light spectacle at Oxford Street.

WOODTURNING: See 40 unique, wooden artworks created from a 300-year-old chestnut tree felled by the Royal Parks, which will be auctioned on 17 November, with proceeds going to human rights charity Freedom from Torture. Greenwich Gallery, free, just turn up, 9am-5pm

MADE IN CHINGFORD: Did you know Chingford was once the condom centre of the world? This illustrated talk tells the story of the London Rubber Company. Birkbeck, free, book ahead, 6pm-7.30pm

NEW WRITING: This east London storytelling night transfers to Croydon, where new talent will be waxing lyrical on the theme of bicycles. Boxpark Croydon, free, book ahead, 7pm-10pm

PODCAST PARTY: Poet Ross Sutherland is leaving his bedroom studio behind to perform a live recording of Imaginary Advice, a mashup of intriguing storytelling and music with special guests to mark the podcast's third birthday. Battersea Arts Centre, pay what you can, book ahead, 8pm

OXFORD ST LIGHTS: This year we're promised "falling snow flakes" and "the whole mile of Oxford Street covered in a blanket of bright white lights and 1,778 baubles". Singer Rita Ora is doing the honours this year and the charity partner is NSPCC.

Wednesday 8 November

Photographer Adrian Houston opens an exhibition dedicated to Battersea Power Station.

E-WASTE: Outdated phones, broken chargers, unused tech; they've all got to end up somewhere. This exhibition looks at the issue of electronic waste through haunting images of present-day Hong Kong. Screenings and talks on environmental issues accompany the show. V3 Gallery (Waterloo), free, just turn up, until 11 November

BAND FESTIVAL: Support live music venues and discover your new favourite band at Be A Body, a four-day festival across four different venues. Various venues, free, just turn up, until 11 November

BATTERSEA POWER STATION: British photographer Adrian Houston blends dramatic photos with actual pieces of the building's structure in this exhibition celebrating the iconic power station. The Village Hall (Battersea), free, just turn up, until 12 November

BAR SHORTS: Bar Shorts Film Club returns to the Book Club for BarMageddon II, a night of apocalyptic shorts. The Book Club (Shoreditch), free, book ahead, 7pm-11pm

Thursday 9 November

LIFE ON EARTH LAUNCH: Author Helen Scales spills the beans on what it's like interviewing David Attenborough and how to work with badly behaved animals at the launch of her book 11 Explorations into Life on Earth. Stanfords (Covent Garden), £4, book ahead, 6.30pm-7.45pm

LATE SHIFT EXTRA: Join a queer tour through the National Portrait Gallery, pick up a pencil at a drop-in drawing class and have your photo taken in a pop-up studio for the 10th birthday of Queer Perspectives. National Portrait Gallery, free, just turn up, 6pm-9pm

PECHAKUCHA NIGHT: A storytelling event for coffee enthusiasts, where each speaker gets six minutes to speak on the theme Something's Brewing. Allpress Dalston, £1 (donation), just turn up, 6.30pm-9.30pm

Friday 10 November

SMALL PUBLISHERS FAIR: Leaf through books from more than 60 indie publishers, plus settle in for readings and talks at the Small Publishers Fair. Conway Hall, free, just turn up, 11am-7pm, until 11 November

CHRISTMAS MARKET: Browse Christmas gifts, pop into Santa's Grotto and stick around for comedy, cabaret and burlesque performances popping up from now through until the new year. Leicester Square, free, just turn up, until 6 January

Saturday 11 November

Lord Mayor Jeffrey Mountevans. Photo: Clive Totman (2015)

LORD MAYOR'S SHOW: Get up early for the river pageant, then join the procession made up of unicycles, bathtubs and all sorts, which culminates in a massive fireworks show over the Thames. Swing by St Paul's Cathedral on your journey, which is open for free today. City of London, free, just turn up, from 9am (fireworks at 5.15pm)

WALKING TOUR: Learn about the history of Hyde Park, from a piggery to the park's role during the first and second world wars. Hyde Park, £5, book ahead, 10.30am-noon

GREAT COURT GAMES: Explore the British Museum's collection with the help of a Samsung Galaxy smartphone, which will send you on a tour via Whatsapp messages. How very 2017. British Museum, free, 11am-4pm

DAY OF WEIRD: Don't hide your eccentricities, embrace them at this event where anything is game, from talks on urban legends, weird wales and encounters with faeries, ghosts and spirits. Funds go to the Sophie Lancaster Foundation. North by Northwest (Islington), £5, just turn up, 1pm-late

Sunday 12 November  

FAMILY FUN: Spend Sunday afternoon getting crafty with the help of local artists. Vestry House Museum (Walthamstow), free, just turn up, 1.30pm-4pm

VINTAGE TEA DANCE: Cha Cha with your children, Jive with your gran, Foxtrot with your father or Samba with a stranger at this old-fashioned knees up. Poplar Union, £5, book ahead, 6pm-10.30pm  

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Last Updated 03 November 2017