The 5 best free things to do in London this weekend

It’s mid-July, and we are fully in summer mode. And while we are enjoying the current heatwave (while also relishing in complaining about just how hot and actually quite unsafe the tube is), we’ll admit that our bank balances aren’t looking so healthy right now. 

After all the beer garden pints, small plates dinners on trendy terraces, day festivals and M&S picky bits picnics, there’s only so much more our worn out purse strings can take. So, we have something for you – below we have listed five wonderful things you can do in the capital this weekend without spending a penny.

And this is by no means an exhaustive list. If you don’t fancy gasping in awe at the Lord Mayor’s Hot Air Balloon Regatta, or picking up a vintage kimono at the Southbank Centre’s Japanese market, you could be cheering on the Lionesses at a Women’s Euro 2025 screening, or kicking back with a classic flick at one of London’s free outdoor cinemas. Here’s our pick of the best free activities on this weekend. 

The best free things to do in London this weekend, July 18-20

Explore East and South East Asian Culture at the Southbank Centre

The Southbank is putting on a big celebration of East and South East Asian culture this weekend with ESEA Encounters. The multi-day extravaganza will present a veritable smorgasbord of activities, performances, pop-up markets, art, dance, music, poetry readings and more, all by East and South East Asian creatives. Shop for Japanese ceramics, jewellery, vintage kimono, comics and more at the Yokimono Japanese Summer Market, go to a 12-hour theatre-rave by acclaimed Chinese artist Tianzhuo Chen, explore Yoshitomo Nara’s wonderful cartoon figures, and much more. 

Southbank Centre, SE1. Jul 17-20. Free. 

Get squiffy at the 100 Years of Rioja Wine Festival 

Got a penchant for a plummy vino tinto? Good news then. This weekend a new east London wine festival is celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Rioja region’s ‘Denominación de Origen’. Visitors will be able to sample over 50 wines, take part in masterclasses with TV presenter and wine expert Olly Smith and some of the region’s top winemakers, try dishes from celebrity chefs José Pizarro and Omar Allibhoy and snack on pintxos and other Spanish fare from a variety of street food vendors. You can get a free entry ticket, or splash out a little cash to get wine sample tokens worth more than the price of your ticket (including 2 for 1 entry on Sunday which gets you £24 of wine tokens for just a tenner). 

Hackney Bridge, E15. Jul 19-20. Free-£10. 

Watch waiters racing at the Soho Village Fête

You don’t get enough village fêtes in London, so it’s lovely that the Soho tradition – which celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2025 – is still going. The annual neighbourhood jolly is organised by volunteers from the Soho Society, and sees the garden of Soho’s St Anne’s Church bursting with live music and entertainment. The main draw of the day is always the Soho Waiters’ Race, a hilarious 70-year-old tradition that sees a gaggle of waiters pelt through the streets of Soho, each holding a tray stacked with a bottle of champers, a glass and a napkin, all of which must be intact when they cross the finish line. Bon chance!

St Anne's Church, W1D. Sun Jul 20. Free. 

Join a traditional Italian procession on the streets of Clerkenwell

Every July, the spirit of what was once London’s Little Italy is roused by the annual Procession of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. A tradition dating all the way back to 1883, the procession starts at St Peter’s Italian Church (built in the 1860s for the area’s then booming Italian population) at 3.30pm, and forms the centrepiece Italian-style festival, or sagra, on the streets of Clerkenwell from 11am. Join the crowds lining the roads to watch life-size scenes of saints, martyrs and other Biblical types cruise by on floats, then scoff arancini, prosciutto, gelato and cannoli at the stalls set up on Warner Street.

136 Clerkenwell Road, EC1R. Sun Jul 20. Free. 

Witness dozens hot air balloons soaring over the city at the Lord Mayor’s Regatta 

It’s been cancelled for the past four years in a row, and it has already been called off once this year, but could July 2025 finally be the time Londoners get to see the magnificent Lord Mayor’s Balloon Regatta? All being well with the weather, around 50 colourful hot air balloons will take off at 5.30am from Battersea Park this Sunday, giving early risers a sunrise to remember. To get the best view, you want to be up high or on a bridge – Primrose Hill, Alexandra Palace, Greenwich Park and London Bridge should all be decent vantage points. Hold on to your hats for now, though. The forecast for Sunday morning is looking like rain and even thunderstorms. Gulp. 

Starts at Battersea Park, SW11. Sun Jul 20. Free.

The best things to do in London this July

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