The Arts for Free

The Arts for Free

Museums & Galleries

Perhaps no other city in the world can match up to London's offerings of free art. Most of London's museums and galleries do not charge entrance fees. The monthly Galleries magazine, available from galleries themselves or online at www.artefact.co.uk, has listings for all private galleries in the capital.

Contemporary Music

Brixton's Dogstar pub has an excellent selection of DJs playing for free on weekday evenings. Ain't Nothing But the Blues in Soho has live blues most nights, often without a cover charge. Spitz, in Spitalfields Market, frequently has live music for free. The largest of the music superstores, such as Virgin Piccadilly and HMV Oxford Street, have occasional live performances of pop and rock bands, often to accompany album or single launches.

Classical Music & Jazz

The Barbican, the Royal National Theatre, and the Royal Opera House often have free music in their foyers or in dedicated spaces, usually of high standard. On the South Bank, free festivals and special performances often take place alongside the river.

Many of London's world-class music colleges give free concerts several times a week. The Royal Academy of Music and the Royal College of Music often have free concerts. St. Martin-in-the-Fields has free lunchtime concerts. Other churches, including Westminster Abbey and Christchurch Spitalfields, also have frequent free music. For the Proms, which run from July to September at the Royal Albert Hall, good seats are expensive, but hundreds of standing tickets are available at £4: not quite free, but a good value.

Drama & Performance Arts

Look out for occasional festivals where innovative performances take place on the South Bank. Check the newspapers and Time Out for upcoming performances.

Park Life

London's parks come to life in summer with a wide-ranging program of music, dance, and visual arts. See www.royalparks.gov.uk for details or phone 020/7298-2000 for a free printed program. Radio stations also organize free summer music concerts (generally aimed at the teenybopper set) in London parks, with lots of big-name pop stars, but entry is usually by ticket only and events are often oversubscribed. Other free festivals, such as the excellent Fruitstock, with a more eclectic mix of music, are easier to get into.

Radio & Television

With so much broadcast material made in London, much of it recorded in front of live audiences, there are often opportunities to watch a free quiz show, current affairs debate, comedy, or even drama. Check the BBC Web site for forthcoming recordings or call BBC Studio Audiences (020/8576-1227. www.bbc.co.uk/tickets). Hat Trick Productions (020/7434-2451. www.hattrick.co.uk) makes a number of good comedy programs, including the excellent satirical current affairs program Have I Got News for You.