Broke or just being frugal? London for students can be costly so here are some ways to have fun for nada
London students are probably the UK's most hard-up students financially given our capital's expensive modus vivendi. London is also probably the wealthiest city in terms of the sheer scale of culture and entertainment at our fingertips.
So Spoonfed is here to establish a workable balance between the two, and help the strapped-for-cash find the best free things to do around London. We want to make London for students a better, cheaper place to be.
What's more you can't fool a London student, and free should not mean skimping on quality. So we're very much keeping your good times in mind with our recommendations for the best free things to do in London for students.
Free live & DJ Music
Free Beery Fun
Free Comedy
Free Exhibitions/Art
Free Theatre
Free Music, Student Nights Out, Student Club Nights and Live Gigs
What London student doesn't thrive on live music, London gigs and club nights playing all their favourite music? Perhaps the more bookish types, but we're placing our bets on rather a large slice who would answer, emphatically, yes.
90 Free Thursdays held at 93 Feet East on Brick Lane are unsurprisingly, free. The acts are more often than not pretty good, and there's some splendid beigel shops just up the road as well.
Plugged In Switched On in Brixton's Dogstar is putting all other open-mic nights across the capital to shame and is an ideal event for London's students to feast for free on new talents in the world of folk to rock.
Death Disco at the Notting Hill Arts Club is where you could see the next Oasis or Libertines for free. This is a very popular way to spend Wednesday night in a great venue, ideal for a mid-week night out – less of problem for students in London than anyone else.
Free live music on today, tomorrow or this weekend in London? Click here.
The Vibe Bar in Brick Lane is a regular haunt for the cool and edgy, which typifies most London students, plus there's usually no Little John at the door asking you to part with your pennies. There's Thing Fridays! on, um, Fridays, and If Mondays on, um, Mondays, to name a few regular nights.
Thirsty Thursdays at Raduno in Clerkenwell is a great and free way for London's students to get the weekend started nice and early. Drinks are cheap and the music is mainly techno/minimal and house.
The Mother Bar in Old Street regularly hosts freebies and they often end up bringing the house down on a Monday night. Expect Shameless Sundays, Miami Vice Mondays and Push It Good on Tuesdays. What's more, it's right next to its dirtier electro-loving daughter, 333.
For free DJ music events in London, click here to find out what, where and when
Free Beery Fun
On the whole, students probably pioneered the term 'Beery Fun' along with footie fans, but Spoonfed uses it to describe events in London that fall under no specific category or involve multiple categories. The constant is usually the presence of booze. London's students are always on the hunt for fun 'n' beer so here are a few where all you'll have to cough up for are the pints.
London is strewn with diverse bars, pubs and venues offering free entry to London's students, if not at least at a discounted rate. Your best bet is to check the free events listings for up to date things to do and what's on free of charge in London, as there'll be a veritable bucket load.
Poker at the Drunken Monkey is a chance for London's students to make some extra cash although a job is probably better... But for a fun night out with the student loan this is for you, but you didn't hear it from us.
Goldsmith's Tavern in New Cross is a regular haunt for London's students and hosts free events such as quiz nights, live music and DJs.
Check out what free 'beery fun' is on in London
Free Comedy
Sometimes being a student can be hard and some free laughs should cheer you up. And students in London get the pick of the UK's best comedians but usually at a cost, so here are some of our capital's cheap but choice chuckles:
Set Up Punchline comedy night at the Builders' Arms in Kensington is now set to go weekly by popular demand and overcrowding at its former monthly fixtures. Usually held on the Monday this is a great way to start your frugal student week where you will be tickled by established comedians alongside newcomers upstairs in The Loft.
Comedy Mondays, currently held at the Theatre Royal Stratford East, is a free comedy event, and drinks are pretty cheap too. Showcasing both established and emerging acts, there is also a feast of Caribbean cuisine available to munch on before and after the shows.
Lewis Schaffer is Free Until Famous is a free comedy night where contributions can be made at your discretion. This is good because American comedian Schaffer, marooned at the Source Below until further notice, has to work extra hard for your laughs.
Click here for more free comedy nights in London
Free Exhibitions
London students are a scholastic and intellectual lot who need constant stimulation from the arts, and there are plenty of free exhibitions throughout London. All we need to do is point you students in the right direction. Follow us.
The Wellcome Collection in King's Cross is conveniently nestled amongst some of London's biggest university and college campuses and routinely hosts spectacular and ground-breaking temporary exhibitions from artists known and not. The Wellcome Collection is one of Spoonfed's best museums in London and what's more, all of its exhibitions are free.
Check out the Wellcome Collection's current events.
We are of the opinion that London's students are the trendiest, and what better gallery and exhibition space to befit such a belief than the ICA. Based just off Trafalgar Square, the Institute of Contemporary Arts hosts regular free art exhibitions, talks, and gig. Oh, and they've even got a cinema.
For all the latest events at the ICA, click here.
Opened in 2009, the Saatchi Gallery in Chelsea is an arts venue that's not to missed off anyone's list, especially those of London's students. This has nothing to do with the fact that it's the first completely free contemporary art museum in the world... well maybe it does, but team that with some of the best contemporary art shows that London has to offer, and you're set for a winning outing.
Want to find out what free exhibitions are on in London at the moment? Click here
Free Theatre
Theatre in London is usually non-gratis but it doesn't always cost the earth, so costs should not stand in the way of you enjoying this city's diverse and multi-faceted drama scene.
London's Southbank Centre incorporates the Royal Festival Hall, Hayward Gallery, and Queen Elizabeth Hall and hosts some of London's premier music, art and theatre events. On the banks of River Thames the Southbank Centre occasions a great view and free riverside walks and sometimes hosts free events in its spacious foyer – from London jazz gigs to dance performances.
The National Theatre that houses the individual Lyttelton, Cottesloe and Olivier theatres is where most of London's best plays are to be seen and also sometimes hosts free foyer events such as exhibitions and live music – ideal for London's students.
Admittedly this is a seasonal suggestion, but The Scoop near Tower Bridge is an outdoor amphitheatre showcasing free films and plays throughout the summer months. With expensive bars surrounding The Scoop, best to bring a few tins of your own – something most students are pretty seasoned at.
Discover all the free theatre events happening in London
Click here for more on what's on in London for students
Click here for more things to do in London
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