Cheap Things To Do in London

Music
Many live music venues put on free and cheap gigs, particularly during the week. If you like rock, indie and blues Camden is a hotbed of activity, with many pub and live music venues putting on good upcoming bands. Try the Blues Kitchen, Dingwalls, The Black Heart, The Dublin Castle and The Monarch. Proud Camden and The Lock Tavern have a mixture of indie and electronic music, as well as free entry.

Free concerts take place at the Southbank, at lunchtimes or in the early evening. Classical, folk and jazz are the most common genres, with some gigs taking place in the foyer of the Royal Festival Hall or the Queen Elizabeth Hall. In the summer months operas and ballets are relayed from the Royal Opera House onto a screen at Trafalgar Square; it’s a good job they’re free as it’s perilous attempting to plan anything for the outdoors.

If you’re into clubbing and don’t mind turning up late, you can save yourself money on the door price at Fabric by arriving after 3 am on a Friday, and 4 am on a Saturday, when entry costs £7 and £10 respectively. Generally speaking the larger clubs tend to charge a fair bit on the door, but you can often save a little by booking tickets in advance. Smaller clubs like Plastic People, Corsica Studios, The CAMP and XOYO sometimes have free entry or charge from a fiver upwards depending on the event.


Getting around
Obviously walking won’t cost you a thing, and you’ll get to see more of the city as well as learn your way around faster than if you took the tube. But if you’ve got a fair distance to go, Boris Bikes are free for half an hour (once you’ve paid the access fee, which is £1 for 24 hours or £5 for a week). Children up to the age of 10 travel for free on public transport.