Free Things To Do In London This Week: 9-15 November 2026
Free Exhibitions Worth Your Time This Autumn
If you’re looking for something to do without spending a penny, this week’s exhibitions offer plenty of choice. Fulham Library is hosting its Annual Autumn Exhibition from the Society of Fulham Artists and Potters, known locally as SoFAP. The show brings together paintings, ceramics, sculptures, drawings and both two- and three-dimensional work from members of the society. Entry is free, and if you’ve started on your Christmas shopping, most pieces are for sale, which makes it a good place to find a gift with a local connection. It runs until 15 November, so there’s little time to waste.
For something more historical, the Wiener Holocaust Library’s free display J’accuse! Press, Polemic and the Dreyfus Affair is well worth the trip. The story it tells is a striking one: in the 1890s, the only Jewish captain in the French Army, Alfred Dreyfus, was wrongly convicted of treason, and the case became one of the first examples of a story spreading through mass newspapers across an entire nation. The exhibition shows how that press coverage shaped public opinion and forced France to confront its own conscience. It stays open until 19 March 2027, so you can fit it in around other plans.
Another good option is Japan House, which opens Tradition/Rebellion: Coming-of-Age Style in Kitakyushu on 11 November. The show looks at how twenty-year-olds in the Japanese city mark adulthood by mixing formal tradition with highly personal fashion. It runs until 18 April, giving you a long window to catch it on a quieter weekday.
Free Talks and Lectures to Book Early
This is a particularly busy week for free talks in the capital, and many of them are ideal for anyone who enjoys a good conversation about history or science. On 9 November, the Royal Geographical Society hosts a talk on nine extraordinary women mountaineers, from the 18th century to the present day. You can attend in person or join online, which makes it easy to fit in around work.
University College London and the Petrie Museum are also hosting a session on 9 November about tracing women in archaeological records. The speakers focus on how names and naming conventions can reveal women’s involvement in archaeology that was often left out of the record. It’s a useful talk for anyone curious about how historians piece together the past from fragments.
On 11 November, the National Archives hosts an online talk with historian Nandini Das about her book This Little World, which explores the multicultural communities living in England during the 16th and 17th centuries. The same day, Gresham College’s Professor of Astronomy Chris Lintott looks at what our Sun can teach us about other stars. Literary fans should also note that author Elly Griffiths is appearing at the Charles Dickens Museum on Doughty Street, in conversation with Dickens’s great-great-great granddaughter, Lucinda Hawksley. Many Gresham events fill quickly, so booking ahead is sensible.
Planning Your Week and What to Watch Next
With so much on offer, the best approach is to group your visits by area. Fulham Library is well connected by bus and the District line, so it makes a sensible first stop for a Saturday browse. The Wiener Holocaust Library and the Charles Dickens Museum sit close to one another in the Bloomsbury and Holborn area, so you could pair a museum visit with a lecture at UCL or the Petrie Museum on the same afternoon. Hatton Garden is a short walk away too, and Gresham College’s talk on how the district moved from a garden to a jewellery quarter makes a nice reason to wander its streets afterwards.
If you’re heading into the centre of town, take a stroll along Whitehall before you go. The walk past the government buildings towards Parliament Square gives you a view of Big Ben, and you can continue on to the Thames embankment before heading to your evening event. It’s a free way to enjoy one of London’s most recognisable skylines.
For residents, the practical advice is simple. Check each venue’s website before you travel, as some talks require free booking and online places can be limited. Keep an eye on the Fulham Library exhibition, since it closes on 15 November and sales may move quickly as Christmas approaches. Finally, look out for next week’s listings, which are usually published in the same newsletter, so you’ll always know what’s coming up in your neighbourhood.
Source: Free Things To Do In London This Week: 9-15 November 2026
Whether you’re a first-time traveller or a local looking for something new, there are plenty of ways to visit London free this week.
Visitors can watch the Changing of the Guard outside buckingham palace for free, though arriving early is wise since popular spots fill up quickly.
Visitors looking for free things to do in London this week can explore the british museum‘s vast collections of world artefacts, which are free to enter with no booking required.
