Free Things To Do In London This Week: 31 August-6 September 2026

Free things to do in London this week. Get earlier access to these listings by signing up to our Keys to the City newsletter. It's free!

Festival finale

Free performing arts festival Greenwich + Docklands International Festival (GDIF) comes to a close at the weekend, with a few free shows to catch over the coming week. On bank holiday Monday head to Woolwich for Afrobeat gig theatre experience The Torch. Nature Speaks takes place at a Thamesmead nature reserve on 4 and 5 September, and the annual Dancing City takes over the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park on 5 September. Browse the full programme.

Until 6 September.

Puppetry exhibition

This is the final week of Marionettes, a free exhibition of string puppets to celebrate the 65th anniversary of Islington's Little Angel Theatre. View a collection of puppets and objects charting the story of the theatre, including pieces crafted by its founders John and Lyndie Wright.

Until 6 September.

Short stories

If you're catching a train from Paddington (or just passing by the station) with kids in tow, it's worth knowing there's a dispenser printing out free short stories for kids: The Ravens of the Tower, Herne the Hunter of Windsor, and The Miracle Dolphin of Mevagissey (the last one's written by none other than Michael Morpurgo). The machine operates 6.10am-10.15pm on Monday-Saturday, and 7am-10.15pm on Sundays.

Until mid-September.

Notting Hill Carnival

Bank holiday Monday (31 August) is the final — and biggest — day of Notting Hill Carnival 2026. The main festival day sees thousands of people descending on west London for hours of bangin' beats, lashings of street food, razzle-dazzle costumes and utterly fabulous parade processions. Entry to Notting Hill Carnival is free — here's everything else you need to know.

Free Film Festivals

Two Free Film Festivals kick off in south London this week, each offering a programme of free film screenings and other film-related events at venues around the neighbourhood. Streatham Free Film Festival kicks off with a quiz, with Jurassic Park shown later in the week. Over in Peckham and Nunhead, Blue Velvet, The Blair Witch Project and A Bug's Life are among this week's screenings.

Streatham, 1-20 September | Peckham & Nunhead, 4-13 September.

Totally Thames

Month-long river-centric festival Totally Thames runs throughout September, and while there's a charge for some events on the programme, others are free. Among those which won't cost you a penny this week: Thames Lens, an exhibition of photos celebrating the river; and Lost and Found by Henry Reichhold, two large montage photography works on display at the Tooley Street entrance to London Bridge station.

River race

Speaking of rivers, the Thames hosts a rather special race on Wednesday this week. The Doggett's Coat & Badge is the world's oldest river race, which sees up to six apprentice watermen in sculling boats rowing the 7.3km from London Bridge to Cadogan Pier in Chelsea. It's free to spectate — just head down to the river anywhere along the route. It begins at London Bridge at 1.15pm.

Waterloo Shot Tower

Ever heard of — or perhaps you even remember — the Waterloo Shot Tower? It sat on the South Bank alongside Royal Festival Hall during the 1951 Festival of Britain. To mark 75 years since the festival, St John's Waterloo is holding a special programme of events, including a free talk on Thursday about the significant role it played in Lambeth's development, and how it was celebrated in literature and mass media.

National Gallery in Brentford

See some of the most famous works from the National Gallery, on display on the streets of Brentford, for free.

OK, so they're not the actual artworks, but some jolly good replicas. The National Gallery's Art On Your Doorstep programme pops up in the area as part of the Brentford Creative Mile, with up to 30 printed reproductions of masterpieces on show in a free outdoor exhibition across the town.

Denmark Street festival

London's legendary musical thoroughfare Denmark Street — AKA Tin Pan Alley — holds a free one-day music festival on Saturday. Denmark Street Sessions is billed as "part street party, part open house, and a series of intimate live shows", happening at instrument stores, bars and venues in and around the area.

Black On The Square

London's Black cultural and creative talent is showcased at the fourth edition of Black On The Square, a free-entry festival happening in Trafalgar Square on Saturday. Catch live music, including Tomorrow's Warriors, MOBO Unsung and artists from Notting Hill Carnival on the main stage; play ludi and dominoes; fill up at food stalls from Black-owned businesses; or entertain the kids with art workshops and face painting.

Brompton Cemetery

Though you can visit Brompton Cemetery any day of the year, things get really interesting with a free open day this Sunday. You can take tours of the opulent Magnificent Seven cemetery and its catacombs, watch birds of prey displays, browse stalls from local businesses, and let the kids get stuck into storytelling sessions.