Top Free Events in London This Week: Art Unveilings, River Races and Open Gardens

Visitors in London this week can look forward to an array of completely free cultural events, art unveilings, and seasonal festivals taking place across the city.

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Public Art and Museum Lates

Trafalgar Square welcomes a brand-new Fourth Plinth installation as Tschabalala Self's Lady in Blue makes its debut. The bronze sculpture, patinated with lapis lazuli blue, represents a young, metropolitan woman of colour and will remain on display through 2028.

Science fiction enthusiasts can head to the Science Museum for an adults-only evening celebrating the 60th anniversary of Star Trek. Highlights include a 360-degree projection of the Enterprise Bridge, short talks, the Star Trek Warp Trail, and access to over 150 retro gaming consoles in the Power Up area.

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Film, Art Exhibitions and Culture

Screenings are popping up across south London through local free film festivals. Highlights include Paddington 2 at Christ Church Peckham, short film selections at Peckhamplex, The Secret Agent in a beer garden, and Vertigo at Streatham Library.

Art lovers can drop by the Mall Galleries to view the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation's Wildlife Artist of the Year exhibition. The display features wildlife-themed pieces ranging from intricate pencil sketches to large oil paintings and recycled plastic sculptures, with half of all sales supporting conservation work in Asia and Africa.

Meanwhile, Gresham College resumes its free public lectures at Barnard's Inn Hall in Holborn, offering talks on empathy, music history, and upcoming science and historical topics.

Seasonal Festivals and River Spectacles

As part of the month-long Totally Thames festival, the Great River Race will see more than 250 rowing boats, including barges, skiffs, and Viking-style long boats, navigate a 21.6-mile course along the Thames from Millwall to Richmond. Spectators can watch the fleet set off from 12:45pm from any viewpoint along the riverbank or bridges.

East London hosts the Taste of Iceland festival, offering visitors a guided cocktail journey, Blue Lagoon skincare samples, a comedy set, and a photography exhibition showing Icelandic landscapes. Elsewhere, Heritage Open Days kicks off across the UK, allowing free access to 44 London venues, including family activities at the Southwark Integrated Waste Management Facility and tours of the British Vintage Wireless and Television Museum in Dulwich.

Historic Gardens Reopen for Free

Hampton Court Palace brings back its free Garden Open Days. Visitors can wander through the Great Fountain Garden, Privy Garden, Kitchen Garden, and Pond Garden without paying the standard entry fee. Admission fees still apply for the main palace, the maze, and the Magic Playground.