Pulled together another selection of free and reasonably priced things happening around London this week, including new exhibitions, food pop-ups and a few ongoing picks you can still catch.

✨ New this week

After the Fire: Insurance, Finance and a Rebuilt City
▸ Bank of England Museum, City of London
📅 5 October–27 November
An immersive reconstruction of London around 1700, exploring how the Great Fire led to early fire insurance and influenced the rebuilding of the City.

Free

https://insurance.museum/after-the-fire

TERN x Borough Market
▸ Market Hall, Borough Market, London Bridge
📅 6–11 October
A week-long pop-up showcasing refugee-founded food and drink businesses, with Palestinian granola, Syrian kunafa, Turkish spices, Ukrainian honey and more.

Free entry; food and products cost extra

https://boroughmarket.org.uk/events/tern-x-borough-market/

Music, Migration and Mobility
▸ St John’s Waterloo
📅 Until 9 October
An exhibition tracing the journeys of musicians who fled Nazi Europe and established new lives and careers in Britain during the Second World War.

Free

https://stjohnswaterloo.org/event/musicmigrationmobility/

Amy Winehouse: In Focus
▸ Granary Square and King’s Boulevard, King’s Cross
📅 Until 15 October
An outdoor photography exhibition marking 20 years since Back to Black, featuring candid and previously unseen images of Amy Winehouse.

Free and open throughout the day

https://www.kingscross.co.uk/event/amy-winehouse-outdoor-benches-exhibition

Bloomsbury Festival
▸ Various venues, Bloomsbury
📅 Until 31 October
A month-long programme of exhibitions, walks, workshops, literature, science, music and community events, with plenty of free and low-cost options.

Free and paid events; selected tickets from £6

https://bloomsburyfestival.org.uk/whats-on

Tim Walker’s Fairyland: Love and Legends
▸ National Portrait Gallery, Trafalgar Square
📅 Opens 9 October
Fantastical portraits of LGBTQ+ activists, performers, artists and writers exploring queer identity, community and love.

£5 for eligible visitors aged 25 and under; standard admission costs more

https://www.npg.org.uk/whatson/exhibitions/2026/tim-walkers-fairyland-love-and-legends

🔁 Previously shared, but still running

Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer Portrait Award 2026
▸ National Portrait Gallery, Trafalgar Square
📅 Until 7 October
The final few days of the annual portrait-painting exhibition, featuring classical and experimental work selected from an international competition.

Free

https://www.npg.org.uk/whatson/exhibitions/2026/hsf-kramer-portrait-award-2026/

This Is Still Not a Pipe: The Afterlife of Magritte
▸ Gagosian Grosvenor Hill, Mayfair
📅 Until 12 December
Paintings, drawings and sculptures by René Magritte shown alongside work by more than 40 contemporary artists influenced by his surreal imagery.

Free

https://gagosian.com/exhibitions/2026/this-is-still-not-a-pipe-the-afterlife-of-magritte/

Amar Kanwar
▸ Serpentine North Gallery, Kensington Gardens
📅 Until 31 January 2027
Films and multi-screen installations exploring memory, displacement, power and the continuing consequences of Partition and decolonisation.

Free

https://www.serpentinegalleries.org/whats-on/amar-kanwar-exhibition/

Works in Conversation
▸ The Bakery Art Gallery, Islington
📅 Until 18 October
Ten resident artists showing recent painting, print, textiles, photography and ceramics, with the makers often around to discuss their work.

Free

https://thebakeryartgallery.com/pages/works-in-conversation

The Burberry Trench: Crafting an Icon
▸ V&A South Kensington
📅 Until 3 January 2027
A concise history of the Burberry trench coat, from practical military outerwear to one of Britain’s most recognisable fashion staples.

Free; no booking required

https://www.vam.ac.uk/exhibitions/the-burberry-trench-crafting-an-icon

Korea
▸ British Museum, Bloomsbury
📅 Ongoing
An exhibition exploring more than 2,000 years of Korean art, history and culture through objects from the British Museum and international collections.

From £14

https://www.britishmuseum.org/exhibitions/korea

(Image: René Magritte)

Pulled together another mix of free and reasonably priced things happening around London this week, including a few new exhibitions and events starting in October.

🎨 Free exhibitions

Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer Portrait Award 2026
▸ National Portrait Gallery, Trafalgar Square
📅 Until 7 October
Prize-winning and selected contemporary portraits from the 2026 award, displayed free on the second floor. Walk-ins are fine for general visitors.

https://www.npg.org.uk/whatson/exhibitions/2026/hsf-kramer-portrait-award-2026/

This Is Still Not a Pipe: The Afterlife of Magritte
▸ Gagosian Grosvenor Hill, Mayfair
📅 Until 12 December
Magritte paintings, drawings and sculpture shown alongside new work by more than 40 contemporary artists.

https://gagosian.com/exhibitions/2026/this-is-still-not-a-pipe-the-afterlife-of-magritte/

Amar Kanwar
▸ Serpentine North Gallery, Kensington Gardens
📅 Until 31 January 2027
Films and multi-screen installations by New Delhi filmmaker Amar Kanwar exploring memory, displacement and the Indian subcontinent.

https://www.serpentinegalleries.org/whats-on/amar-kanwar-exhibition/

Works in Conversation
▸ The Bakery Art Gallery, Islington
📅 Until 18 October
Ten resident artists showing recent painting, print, textiles, photography and ceramics, with makers often around to talk about their work.

https://thebakeryartgallery.com/pages/works-in-conversation

🏛️ Free museum & design picks

Sacred Treasures from Kyiv
▸ V&A South Kensington
📅 Until September 2027
Seven Ukrainian Baroque sacred objects from Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, including an icon, silver-bound Gospel and gilt chalice, shown in the UK for the first time.

https://www.vam.ac.uk/exhibitions/sacred-treasures-from-kyiv

The Burberry Trench: Crafting an Icon
▸ V&A South Kensington
📅 Until 3 January 2027
A free display following the Burberry trench from military outerwear to one of Britain’s most recognisable fashion staples.

https://www.vam.ac.uk/exhibitions/the-burberry-trench-crafting-an-icon

💷 Cheap exhibitions

Korea
▸ British Museum, Bloomsbury
📅 From 1 October
A new exhibition covering more than 2,000 years of Korean art and objects in the British Museum’s Great Court Gallery.

From £14

https://www.britishmuseum.org/exhibitions/korea

NIGO: From Japan with Love
▸ Design Museum, Kensington
📅 Until 4 October
The Design Museum’s first UK retrospective of NIGO, with more than 700 objects spanning streetwear, music, ceramics and his personal collection.

From £15.29

https://designmuseum.org/exhibitions/nigo-from-japan-with-love

🎭 Starting this week

Chelsea History Festival
▸ Various venues, Chelsea
📅 1–4 October
A programme of history events taking place across venues in Chelsea, with a mix of free and ticketed sessions.

Free & paid events

https://chelseaheritagequarter.co.uk/chelsea-history-festival/

The Big Draw Festival Launch 2026
▸ Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration, Clerkenwell
📅 2–3 October
The launch of this year’s Big Draw Festival, with a mix of free and paid activities centred around drawing and illustration.

Free & paid events

https://www.thebigdraw.org/about-us/the-big-draw-festival/the-big-draw-festival-launch-2026

I send out a short London picks newsletter twice a week. The next one goes out later today if you want it: www.tbd.london/this-weeks-picks

Pulled together some of the best free things happening around London this week, from exhibitions and festivals to a few good weekend options.

Festivals & citywide events

Open House Festival
Free · Across London · 12–20 Sep
Buildings, homes and workplaces across all 33 boroughs open to the public, including places you normally can’t access. (Image: Two Temple Place, credit Peter Dazeley)

London Design Festival
Free · Across London · 12–20 Sep
Installations, talks and design districts spread across the city, with the V&A and neighbourhood studios among the main hubs.

Totally Thames
Free & paid · Along the Thames · Until 30 Sep
A month-long river festival with exhibitions, walks, performances and activities at locations along the Thames. Plenty of the programme is free.

Moon Celebration Week
Free & paid · Greenwich · 12–20 Sep
Moon-themed talks, workshops and activities around the Royal Observatory and National Maritime Museum.

Free exhibitions

Sacred Treasures from Kyiv
Free · South Kensington · Until Sep 2027
Seven Ukrainian Baroque sacred objects from Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra are being shown in the UK for the first time at the V&A.

Waldmüller: Landscapes
Free · Trafalgar Square · Until 20 Sep
A free National Gallery display of Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller’s detailed Austrian and Sicilian landscapes.

Jock McFadyen with Jem Finer: Underground (and Surface)
Free · City of London · Until 27 Sep
Large-scale paintings of London’s Underground and cityscape shown alongside recordings from the Northern and Central lines.

Reviving Craft: Reflection of the Mind
Free · Strand · 16–27 Sep
More than 70 artists at Somerset House, covering ceramics, glass, jewellery, textiles and furniture.

Works in Conversation
Free · Islington · From 17 Sep
A new free exhibition opening this week in Islington.

This weekend

Streatham Free Film Festival
Free · Streatham · Until 20 Sep
Free screenings in pubs, halls and other spaces around Streatham, covering family films, cult favourites and more.

Letters to the Future
Free & paid · South Bank · 18–20 Sep
A weekend programme at the Southbank Centre with both free and ticketed events.

Yard Sale Trail
Free · Southfields · 19–20 Sep
A neighbourhood-wide yard sale trail with homes around Southfields selling secondhand items over the weekend.

If you’re looking for more things to do around London, subscribe at www.tbd.london/this-weeks-picks for a wider What’s On roundup.