11 Free London Festivals in 2015
Here at To Do List HQ we love a good festival, but believe that it’s not all about massive headliners and £100 price tags. Here’s our guide to some incredible free London festivals in 2015!
Wandsworth Fringe | 1-17 May
Packed full of free art exhibitions, theatre shows & outdoor extravaganza’s The Wandsworth Fringe is breathing life into south-west London.
Top Pick: Femmes by the Thames on 13 May a lady marathon of fine comedy & cabaret on our favourite floating venue The Battersea Barge. The line up includes regular Rosie Wilby. Carly Smallman (The Rob Brydon TV show), VG Lee, Revan & Fennell and Elf Lyons.
inHOUSE Festival 2015 | 1-10 May
Welcome to the warehouse district… an area of artists and artisans, film and fashion. Most of these events are taking place in people’s homes and they’re not always obvious so swing by the big green and white Omnibus on the corner of Eade Road and Seven Sisters Road and we’ll direct you from there.
Dulwich Festival | 8-17 May
Urban Village Fete | 10 May
Crouch End Festival | 5-14 June
This quirky festival is a hidden gem in the lovely Crouch End and this year features a Rocky Horror Zombie Walk, which sounds chuffing brilliant! Plus gothic deca-dances, a comic arts festival & a fishy treasure hunt.
Festival of Love, Southbank Centre | 6 June – 31 August
The Southbank Centre always seems to bring a unique magic to the South Bank in summer. This year is the second where love plays the main fiddle with activities, performances, music, exhibitions and free events. The massive riverside site will be transformed by several large-scale indoor and outdoor installations, interactive artworks and unique pop-ups to spend time in with your friends and lovers.
The Big Lunch | 7 June
Get together with your neighbours, friends and family, and join us on Sunday 7th June for a huge outdoor picnic outside your gaff or in a bigger party like the one in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
Crystal Palace Overground Festival | 24-28 June
The programme hasn’t been announced fully yet but we’re excited as the festival is back to prove that Crystal Palace is the home for wonderful free events in south-east London this summer.
Greenwich + Docklands International Festival | 26 June – 5 July
GDIF is our favourite arts festival, it champions spectacularly ambitious large-scale shows, which are free to all.
Be sure to check out the full programme here.
Lewisham People’s Day | 11 July
Lewisham People’s Day, in association with L&Q Housing, is on Saturday 11 July 2015, 12noon to 8pm and is south-east London’s biggest free festival. It’s always a great mix of community fun & lively frolics in a peaceful park setting in Lewisham, London’s underdog borough.
Walkie Talkies | 16 July – 3 August
This summer a host of madcap artists and companies will present a series of intimate performances for individuals and small audiences that take work out of The Yard, into the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and on to the streets of Hackney Wick. Walkie Talkies are a chance to discover paths that lead to new worlds right on our doorstep.
I am Joint Editor at To Do List. I like free, cheap & offbeat London, especially: cabaret, art, theatre, pop-ups, eating out, quirky films, museums, day trips, social enterprise & much more.
