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Autumn is well and truly upon us. But as skies turn more grey and leaves drop from the trees, London’s lineup of brilliant things to do is far from drying up – in fact, it’s as vibrant as ever.
Of course, festive season is slowly approaching, and you may not want to splurge on a extravagant meal, or waste money on a mediocre night out. That doesn’t mean staying inside and doing nothing with your precious days off, though – the Big Smoke is never short on free stuff.
From the biggest Diwali celebration in the city to a big old Italian festa, here’s your guide to the best things that you can do in London this weekend without spending a penny.
RECOMMENDED: The best things to do in London this weekend.
1. Attend London’s largest Diwali celebration
Around 35,000 revellers will descend on Trafalgar Square to celebrate the Hindu, Sikh and Jain Festival of Light. And whether you celebrate Diwali every year or are new to the festival, it promises to be a colourful, educational day out for the whole family. This year’s festival kicks off with a colourful dance sequence on the Main Stage, featuring, with more than 200 people performing traditional dances from across the Indian subcontinent. Visitors can also take part in yoga, dance and meditation classes running throughout the day, sample a plethora of vegetarian and vegan treats from a bustling street food market and find out more about Sikh and Hindu traditions from a variety of interactive displays, while kids will be entertained with puppet shows, fancy dress and a variety of quizzes and games at a dedicated Children’s Zone.
Trafalgar Square. Sun Oct 22. Free.
2. Go on a photography exhibition crawl for Photomonth
Hop across dozens of east London venues, like Whitechapel Gallery or Four Corners in Bethnal Green, to make the most of all the photography on display as part of Photomonth. The festival’s hub is at Art Pavilion in Mile End, which will display a group exhibition called ‘Longing’. There’ll also be a new exhibition from Zed Nelson called ‘The Anthropocene Illusion’, which interrogates the troubled relationship between humans and the environment. There’ll also be around 50 pop-up exhibitions at locations across east London: download the fest’s interactive map to find them all.
Various east London venues. Until Nov 3. Free.
3. Explore the London Film Festival beyond movie screenings
Didn’t manage to nab tickets for the London Film Festival this year? You’ll be glad to know that it isn’t just film screenings, and it’s not all ticketed (it’s touted as the most accessible of the world’s big film festivals for a reason). You can swing by the Games Lounge at LFF Expanded to try out video games from around the world for free, beeline for the mezzanine at BFI Southbank to get up close to costumes, props and rarely seen behind-the-scenes photography from the first instalment of Wicked, or head into the BFI Bar for free film inspired DJ nights – Friday night’s is dedicated the first hip-hip film Wild Style, while Saturday’s celebrates the release of documentary Black Is Beautiful: The Kwame Brathwaite Story. There are a bunch more free talks and workshops that are sold out, but you could still try your luck and queue up 15 minutes before they’re due to start, in case there are any no shows.
BFI Southbank, Belvedere Road, SE1 8XT. Until Oct 19.
4. Pretend you’re on a sunny Italian street at San Genaro Festival
Coal Drops Yard is transforming into a Neapolitan piazza for the weekend. Over two days, the Kings Cross shopping district will be decked out with stalls selling everything from arancini to panelle while independent chefs will be live cooking and recreating traditional dishes from the region. There’ll be children’s activities as well as an eclectic musical line-up of live DJs, folk musicians and traditional chants. Stick around for a showcase of international short films curated by San Gennaro POP and AnotherStory Lab, plus a photographic exhibition looking at ritual, faith and community in Naples. Brace yourself for a flash mob, too.
Stable Street, N1C 4AB. Sat Oct 11-Sun Oct 12. Free.
5. Witness London’s first ‘urban pond skim’
London is getting its first snow of the season on Saturday. Tonnes of the cold stuff will be laid out in Potters Fields Park ready for a troupe of pro skiers and snowboarders taking part in an ‘urban pond skim’. Yes, it sounds bizarre, but it also sounds kind of thrilling. Throughout the day athletes will be charging down a slope onto a pool of water, attempting to skim across it without sinking. If you’ve got some ski experience under your belt, you can have a go at pond skimming yourself – there’ll be coaches on hand to show you how it’s done.
Potters Fields Park, SE1 2UD. Sat Oct 11 12pm-6pm. Free.
6. Browse some greenery at the Autumn Plant Fair
Plant nurseries from across the nation will gather at the Arnold Circus bandstand in Bethnal Green to attend to all your botanical needs on Sunday. Entry is free, but you’ll have to pay if there are any plants that take your fancy. Now is as good a time as any for new additions to your collection – apparently, autumn is the best time of year to get planting, as the ground still has some warmth while the air turns more cool and moist. The money raised at the fair will go towards the Friends of Arnold Circus charity to maintain the garden (there’ll be cakes and ceramics on sale too!).
Arnold Circus Bandstand, E2 7JS. Sun Oct 12 10.30am-3pm. Free entry.
See here for Time Out’s full guide to the London Film Festival 2025.
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