At this point, you shouldn’t need us to tell you that it’s easy to do London on a budget. There are as many affordable eats as there are high end restaurants, enough free art to keep you occupied for weeks and plenty of opportunities to get your hands on discounted tickets to some of the city’s best shows.
On top of all that, there are one-off free events going on all the time. Most weekends there’ll be brands hosting pop-ups and giving away free merch, museums and art galleries hosting brilliantly curated late night events, free to explore specialist markets or free cultural festivals, leaving you no excuse to be bored.
This weekend is no different. From one of Europe’s largest indie art fairs to a night with one of the biggest DJs around, read on for all the great free stuff going on in the city this Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
The best free things on in London this weekend, February 27-March 1 2026
1. Party at one of London’s finest art institutions
Club culture legend Honey Dijon is taking over Tate Lates for a celebration of queer culture and creativity this February. Check out the DJ sets that she’s programmed in Tate’s South Tanks (which will be decked out with her photos), Terrace Bar and Corner Bar, go on a LGBTQIA+ tour of Tate Modern or take part in a community zine-making session with Zoë Thompson, founder of sweet-thang zine (booking advised).
Across town, the V&A is hosting its own late exploring of gender expression, belonging and change in East and Southeast Asian culture. There’s a DJ set from Filipino DJ Miamor, performance art inspired by Chinese spiritual traditions from artist Zhuyang Liu and a zine-making workshop reimagining stereotyped female figure Xiaomei with artist and researcher Funa Ye. That’s as well as a curator’s tour exploring female voices in textile, ceramics and glass in the V&A’s China gallery, short films being played on loop and a panel discussion.
Various locations. Fri Feb 27. Free.
Take a stroll along Southbank this Friday and you may spot a big blue gacha machine stuffed with BuzzBallz. The 10ft machine will be full of the brand’s new ‘Berry Cherry Limeade’ flavoured drinks (which, we assume, has notes of berry, cherry and lime). If you give it a spin, you’ll be able to try the new flavour BuzzBall for yourself and be in with a chance to win one of 4,000 other prizes. One lucky person will even take home a £5,000 cash prize. That could buy you at least 1,000 BuzzBallz.
Observation Point, Southbank, SE1 9PP. Fri Feb 27, 12pm-7pm. Free.
We hold our hands up – while entry to the Black Culture Market is free, it will involve spending money once you’re inside. But that money will go towards supporting local black-owned indie businesses. The spring market at The Department Store in Brixton will spotlight more than 40 traders selling everything from Caribbean street food to books to handmade accessories to African art. Look out for Black Legacy Cards, playing cards celebrating black leaders and pioneers; Africa inspired jewellery, clothing and art from Aso and scrubs and soaps from ethical plant-based skincare brand Sõlïna.
The Department Store, 248 Ferndale Road, SW9 8FR. Sat Feb 28-Sun March 1. Free entry.
More than 10,000 artworks will be on display at Parallax Art Fair in Chelsea Town Hall over the weekend. Some of those will apparently be from ‘music and movie stars’. Ed Sheeran’s splattered canvases perhaps? Robbie Williams’ motivational quotes that look like something from the TK Maxx home section (‘Yes you are self centred, but what a marvellous self to be centred on’), maybe? You’ll have to go to find out. Visitors don’t have to buy anything at the fair, but if you do want to you’ll be able to get artwork cheaper than you’d get it anywhere else as there’s no middleman, meaning zero percent commission. There’s also zero VAT on most pieces. Besides the art, there’ll be a soundtrack of electronic music keeping the energy up and drinks available at the De Ritz bar.
Chelsea Town Hall, King’s Rd, SW3 5EE. Sat Feb 28-Sun March 1. Free entry.
5. Catch the final few days of these art exhibitions
Both Candice Lin: g/hosti at Whitechapel Gallery and Roger Mayne: ‘Football’ at OOF Gallery in Tottenham Hotspur Stadium finish on Sunday. The former is like walking through a sinister fairytale book, featuring a maze of cardboard panels painted with animals involved in gory activities like maiming, jumping through flames or playing with a human cadaver. It’s an unsettling show bringing attention to the war in Gaza, the California wildfires and police brutality at US student protests, and one worth catching while you still can. OOF’s exhibition, on the other hand, is a more joyful affair. It’s the first ever exhibition dedicated to the portrayal of football in acclaimed street photographer Roger Mayne’s work. It shows football as a game (not a sport), with kids in shorts diving to save wild shots on hard concrete and dribbling down the middle of the road.
Various locations. Until March 1. Free.
Traditionally, Lunar New Year is celebrated across 15 days. That means this weekend will be the final weekend to get involved. Over in Shoreditch on Friday, BOXPARK has partnered with the likes of Asian Girls Club, Eastbound Music and Eastend Chinatown to put on an evening of DJ sets. There’ll be Filipino budot from Ting Run Run, Korean trap inspired beats from Pianwoo, experimental electronics from Chadzing Kung and more. And on Sunday there’s a free community BBQ At the Calthorpe Community Garden in King’s Cross accompanied by lion dances and creative workshops for kids.
Various locations. Fri Feb 27-Sun March 1. Free.
Curate your calendar with our guide to all of London’s best things to do in March.
And plan for the rest of the year with Time Out’s roundup of the 26 best things to do in 2026.
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