London doesn’t have to be expensive in winter. From November to January the city fills up with free Christmas lights, festive traditions, world-class exhibitions and talks – and you can enjoy almost all of them without buying a ticket. This guide brings together the best free things to do in London this winter, taken from our live listings. Each entry links to its event page with dates, times, the venue and any booking details.
Free Christmas lights and winter light trails
Lights switch-ons are free street events, often with music, carols and late-opening shops. Light trails and illuminated gardens are best after dark, from about 4pm.
- Ever After Garden Illuminated Roses – On now until 21 Dec · Duke of York Square, Chelsea · Free
- Leicester Square Christmas Lights – On now until 6 Jan · Leicester Square, West End · Free
- Light + Flight Festival – 14 Nov – 15 Nov · Finchley Lakeside · Free
- Hampstead Village Christmas Lights Switch-On – Sun 15 Nov, 16:00 · Hampstead High Street · Free
- Fleet Street Quarter Christmas Lights – Wed 18 Nov · Fleet Street & Ludgate Circus, City of London · Free
- Greenwich Market Christmas Lights Switch-On – Wed 18 Nov, 17:00 · Greenwich Market · Free
- Leadenhall Market Christmas Lights Switch-On – Thu 19 Nov, 17:15 · Leadenhall Market, City of London · Free
- St Katharine Docks Christmas Lights – Thu 19 Nov · St Katharine Docks, Wapping · Free
- Walworth Road Christmas Lights – Thu 19 Nov · Walworth Road, Elephant & Castle · Free
- Bermondsey Lantern Parade – Fri 20 Nov, 17:00 · Bermondsey Market Place · Free
- Southbank Centre Winter Light Trail – 24 Nov – 13 Dec · Southbank Centre · Free
Festive days out and London traditions
From the Lord Mayor’s Show to a Christmas Day swim in the Serpentine, these are the free seasonal events Londoners look forward to every year.
- Free Entry to St Paul’s Cathedral (Lord Mayor’s Show Day) – Sat 14 Nov, 08:30 · St Paul’s Cathedral, City of London · Free
- Lord Mayor’s River Pageant on the Thames – Sat 14 Nov, 08:30 · River Thames, Westminster to HMS President · Free
- Royal Gun Salutes in Green Park and at the Tower of London – Sat 14 Nov, 11:30 · Green Park & Tower of London, Westminster · Free
- The Lord Mayor’s Show – Sat 14 Nov, 11:00 · Mansion House to Royal Courts of Justice, City of London · Free
- Newham’s Biggest Leaf Pile – Sun 15 Nov, 13:00 · West Ham Park, Forest Gate · Free
- Hatchards Christmas Customer Evening – Wed 25 Nov, 18:00 · Hatchards Piccadilly, Mayfair · Free
- Christmas Book Signing at Foyles – Thu 26 Nov, 18:00 · Foyles Charing Cross Road, Soho · Free
- Dogs in Jumpers Parade along The Mall – Sat 28 Nov, 10:00 · The Mall, Westminster · Free
- Festive Late at the Wallace Collection – Sat 28 Nov, 17:00 · Wallace Collection, Marylebone · Free
- Santa Charity Cycle – Sat 5 Dec, 09:00 · Richmond & Twickenham · Free
- Pepys Parish Wassailing – Fri 11 Dec, 18:30 · St Olave’s Church, City of London · Free
- Peter Pan Cup Christmas Day Swim – Fri 25 Dec · Serpentine Lake, Hyde Park · Free
Free exhibitions to see this winter
Many of London’s best galleries and museums are free. These exhibitions are free to visit – a good plan for a cold or rainy day.
- Becoming America: How Science Shaped a Nation – On now until 25 Apr · Science Museum, Kensington · Free
- Bridget Riley at Hazlitt Holland-Hibbert – On now until 27 Nov · Hazlitt Holland-Hibbert, Mayfair · Free
- British Wildlife Photography Awards – On now until 21 Feb · Horniman Museum & Gardens, Forest Hill · Free
- Childhood in War – On now until 28 Feb · Imperial War Museum London, Elephant & Castle · Free
- Declaring Independence: USA 250 – On now until 29 Nov · British Museum, Bloomsbury · Free
- Discerning Eye Exhibition 2026 – On now until 21 Nov · Mall Galleries, Westminster · Free
- Evelyn Taocheng Wang: Being Poetic Ruins Life – On now until 13 Dec · Goldsmiths Centre for Contemporary Art, New Cross · Free
- Freddie Mercury’s Wardrobe at the V&A – On now until 17 Jan · V&A South Kensington · Free
- Hyundai Commission: Tarek Atoui – On now until 11 Apr · Tate Modern, Southbank · Free
- Liz Larner: A Hard Line to Bend – On now until 17 Jan · Camden Art Centre, Hampstead · Free
- Winston Churchill: The Painter – On now until 29 Nov · Wallace Collection, Marylebone · Free
- Courtroom Art Exhibition at the Saatchi Gallery – 14 Nov – 17 Nov · Saatchi Gallery, Chelsea · Free
- Anselm Kiefer: Des Malers Atelier – 25 Nov – 24 Jan · White Cube Bermondsey · Free
Free talks and lectures
Free lunchtime and evening talks on history, science, art and ideas. Most are free but need booking, so reserve your place early – popular talks fill up quickly.
- The Bridgemasters of London – 850 Years – Mon 16 Nov, 17:30 · Royal Thames Yacht Club, Knightsbridge · Free (book ahead)
- To Lhasa and Beyond: Thomas Manning and Early British Sinology – Mon 16 Nov, 14:00 · Royal Geographical Society, Kensington · Free (book ahead)
- Back from the Brink: Saving Species, Inspiring Hope – Tue 17 Nov, 18:00 · London Zoo, Camden · Free (book ahead)
- Speaking Through Othello: Black Performance and the Training of Feeling – Tue 17 Nov, 18:00 · Barnard’s Inn Hall, Holborn · Free
- AHS London Lecture: Mark Crangle – Thu 19 Nov, 18:15 · St Mary-at-Hill Church, City of London · Free (book ahead)
- Ancient Egyptian Wooden Funerary Figures (Lunchtime Talk) – Thu 19 Nov, 13:15 · Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, Bloomsbury · Free (book ahead)
- What Makes a Good Life? The Debate – Thu 19 Nov, 18:30 · The British Academy, Westminster · Free (book ahead)
- The British Army in the Cold War (Lunchtime Talk) – Fri 20 Nov, 12:00 · National Army Museum, Chelsea · Free (book ahead)
- Talk: Hogarth – The Making of an Artist – Mon 23 Nov, 18:00 · Barts Great Hall, City of London · Free (book ahead)
- A Geological Perspective on Mountain Hazards – Tue 24 Nov, 18:00 · The Geological Society, Mayfair · Free
- Marxist Archive Tour: Marx Memorial Library & LSE Library – Tue 24 Nov, 14:00 · Marx Memorial Library, Clerkenwell · Free (book ahead)
- Sixteenth-Century London Dialect: How Londoners Spoke – Tue 24 Nov, 18:00 · Barnard’s Inn Hall, Holborn · Free
- Kraszna-Krausz Photography Book Award 2026 – Wed 25 Nov, 16:30 · V&A South Kensington · Free (book ahead)
- Following the Line – Thu 26 Nov, 18:30 · Architectural Association, Bloomsbury · Free (book ahead)
- Kitchener Camp & Willesden Jewish Cemetery – Sun 29 Nov, 13:00 · Willesden Jewish Cemetery · Free (book ahead)
- The Romantic History of Copyright – Mon 30 Nov, 18:00 · Barnard’s Inn Hall, Holborn · Free (book ahead)
- Bibles in Windows – Dr Harry Spillane – Tue 1 Dec, 17:00 · Lambeth Palace Library · Free (book ahead)
- A Matrilineal Descent: Victorian Paintings of Mothers and Children – Wed 2 Dec, 18:00 · Courtauld – Vernon Square, Islington · Free (book ahead)
- Popular Politics in the English Revolution (Lunchtime Talk) – Fri 4 Dec, 12:00 · National Army Museum, Chelsea · Free (book ahead)
- Offence and the Future of Courtesy – Mon 7 Dec, 18:00 · Barnard’s Inn Hall, Holborn · Free (book ahead)
- Shakespeare Now: Creativity and Controversy – Tue 8 Dec, 18:00 · Barnard’s Inn Hall, Holborn · Free
- Suez Crisis, 1956 – Lunchtime Talk – Fri 11 Dec, 12:00 · National Army Museum, Chelsea · Free
- The Maths of Christmas – Wed 16 Dec, 18:00 · Barnard’s Inn Hall, Holborn · Free (book ahead)
- Is Recycling Just a Load of Rubbish? – Fri 18 Dec, 14:00 · IET London: Savoy Place, Covent Garden · Free (book ahead)
- The Halfmoon Camp (Lunchtime Talk) – Fri 18 Dec, 12:00 · National Army Museum, Chelsea · Free (book ahead)
Open days, museum lates and free entry days
Rarely opened historic buildings, free entry days and after-hours museum events with music and activities.
- Surrey Street Market Turns 750 – Fri 13 Nov, 12:00 · Surrey Street Market, Croydon · Free
- Tate Britain Friday Late: 90s Rave Culture – Fri 13 Nov · Tate Britain, Westminster · Free
- Fulham Fire Station Open Day – Sat 14 Nov, 11:00 · Fulham Fire Station · Free
- V&A East New Commissions Opening Day – Sat 14 Nov · V&A East Museum, Stratford · Free
- Wimbledon Village Stables Open Hour – Sat 14 Nov, 14:00 · Wimbledon Village Stables · Free
- In the Shadow of Olympus: Bank of England Museum Late – Thu 19 Nov, 17:15 · Bank of England Museum, City of London · Free
- Model Railway Weekend at Museum of Croydon – 20 Nov – 21 Nov · Museum of Croydon · Free
- Barnet Physic Well Monthly Opening – Sat 21 Nov, 14:00 · Barnet Physic Well · Free
- Design Museum 10th Anniversary Weekender – 21 Nov – 22 Nov · Design Museum, Kensington · Free
- Free Entry to Hampton Court Palace Gardens – 21 Nov – 22 Nov · Hampton Court Palace, Richmond · Free
- Festive Late at the Wallace Collection – Sat 28 Nov, 17:00 · Wallace Collection, Marylebone · Free
- St Augustine’s Tower Open Afternoon – Sun 29 Nov, 14:00 · St Augustine’s Tower, Hackney · Free
- Imperial Lates: Science Across Africa – Thu 3 Dec, 18:00 · Imperial College London, Kensington · Free
- Novelty Automation Monthly Bar Night – Thu 3 Dec, 17:00 · Novelty Automation, Holborn · Free
- Barts Great Hall and Hogarth Stair Open Day – Sun 6 Dec, 10:00 · Barts Great Hall, City of London · Free
- Little Holland House Open Day – Sun 6 Dec, 10:30 · Little Holland House, Carshalton · Free
- Wimbledon Village Stables Open Hour (December) – Sat 12 Dec, 14:00 · Wimbledon Village Stables · Free
Tips for a free winter day out in London
- Book free tickets early. “Free” doesn’t always mean walk-in – check each event page for booking details.
- Go after dark for the lights. It gets dark around 4pm in December, so you can see the lights early in the evening.
- Mix indoors and outdoors. Pair a free exhibition with a nearby lights trail or Christmas market.
- Check before you travel. Outdoor events can change because of the weather – see the organiser’s link on each event page.
Planning to shop for gifts as well? See our complete guide to London’s Christmas markets, or browse all free events in London and what’s on this weekend.
