Budget-friendly things to do in London this week for £5 or less.

The Science Museum stays open late on Thursday. © Science Museum Group

Looking for more free things to do in London? Here are 102 of em! We've also compiled this epic map of free stuff in London.

Catch the final days of this Rolling Stones exhibition

A reminder that The Rolling Stones: Elegantly Wasted is open until Tuesday this week. The free exhibition, at J/M Gallery in Notting Hill, showcases never before seen images of the rock band, taken by 'Spanish Tony' (Tony Sanchez, the Stones' photographer friend), which were hidden away in an attic until recently.

Free, until 5 March.

Master the mathematics of coincidences

What are the odds of one person winning the Lottery twice? Or suffering seven lightning strikes in their lifetime? Geometry expert Professor Sarah Hart talks about the mathematics of coincidence — and the terrible consequences that can arise as a result of misunderstanding them. It's a Gresham College lecture, so you can watch in person at Barnard's Inn Hall, or online.

Free, 5 March.

What are the odds of lightning striking twice? Photo: SeanMcAuliffe via Unsplash

Go to a talk about climate tipping points

What are the crucial, irreversible tipping points in the fight against climate change which we should be focusing on? In Tuesday's second Gresham College lecture, Professor Myles Allen talks about changes such as the collapse of the west Antarctic ice sheet or a melting of Arctic permafrost, and how much of a rise in global temperature can take place before these things happen.

Free, 5 March.

Have a hoot at an evening of comedy and poetry

Comedian/actor/polymath Robin Ince takes part in an evening of comedy and poetry at Walthamstow Trades Hall, organised by Forest Poets. Spoken word artist Other Theresa and performance poet Steve McLean also appear.

£5, 5 March.

Get the lowdown on Super Tuesday in the American presidential race

The American presidential race is underway. Photo: Cristina Glebova via Unsplash

This Tuesday is Super Tuesday, the day in the United States presidential primary election cycle when the greatest number of U.S. states hold primary elections, giving a strong indication of the likely final presidential candidate for each political party.

The day after Super Tuesday, head to LSE for a panel discussion with academics and journalists on how likely it is that we'll see a repeat of the 2020 battle between Joe Biden and Donald Trump. The speakers also share their own predictions for who they think will be moving into the White House next.

Free, 6 March.

Hop aboard the 'Zen Den'

All aboard the Zen Den.

An old American schoolbus has been transformed into a 'Zen Den', and for 12 days it's parked up in Lewis Cubitt Square in King's Cross, offering free 11-minute wellbeing sessions, including meditations, sound baths, yoga and breathwork. You'll need to book a slot.

Free, 6-17 March.

Indulge in a spot of solastalgia

Solastalgia is the sense of anxiety, grief, or loss due to the degradation or alteration of your home environment. It's also the name of Turf Projects' current show at their space in Croydon's Whitgift Centre, which sees the work of 21 artists and groups create a communal 'Croydon folklore', celebrating the area's shared spaces, and pining for those that have been lost.

Free, Weds-Sat until 23 March.

Treat yourself to a free concert

Fancy hearing some live music without dipping into your wallet? These are some of your options this week:

There's a lunchtime concert in Christ's Chapel at Dulwich Picture Gallery, with budding musicians from local schools performing. Free, 6 March;

Lauderdale House in Highgate continues its series of free lunchtime concerts in the Long Gallery. This week it's an International Women's Day special, with music written by, and for, women performed by the Chamber Opera Ensemble. Free, 7 March;

There's always an air of mystery to the Live at Lunch sessions at the Royal Opera House. All you know before you arrive is that you'll see Royal Opera House performers and/or guest artists performing in the historic Covent Garden building. Free, 8 March.


Embrace your inner night owl at these museum lates

Do a museum after the usual closing times. © Science Museum Group

It's a bumper week for freebie museum lates this week — Thursday specifically — with all of this happening:

The Royal College of Physicians Museum stays open late on Thursday, for an evening focused on women in medicine. Explore special archives revealing some of the earliest women in medicine, join a special tour around the museum, and visit the current Covid exhibition. Free, 7 March;
Also on Thursday, the LSE Library stays open late to celebrate 10 years of the Women's Library Reading Room, which allows researchers, artists, academics, activists to delve into the largest library in Britain devoted to the history of women's campaigning and activism. The late event includes a pop-up exhibition, tours and short talks. Free, 7 March;

The monthly Science Museum Late has a theme of love, covering topics including the latest dating and sex tech, and the power of pheromones, through talks and workshops. There's also a silent disco, and a chance to visit the museum's usual exhibits and displays without the daytime crowds. Free, 7 March.


Celebrate the contributions of refugees

Photographs celebrating refugees from around the world, taken by female photographers, are on display in charity ActionAid's free exhibition, Women by Women.

The photos highlight the contributions refugees make to their host communities, from the Rohingya women living in Bangladesh who have trained as lifeguards to protect children in the community, to the activists in Uganda's refugee settlements teaching girls how to make their own reusable period products. It's part of London's International Women's Day celebrations, and takes place at gallery.

Free, 7-10 March.

See an exhibition about women in frontline jobs

Another of our picks of International Women's Day events in London is the exhibition Women on the Frontlines. Open at Buckle Street Studios in Aldgate, it celebrates 10 women who worked in essential jobs, from the NHS to postal services, during the Covid-19 lockdowns — looking at the mental, physical and emotional toll it took.

Free, until 31 March.