Free museums
Free museums in London: 18 events this week (24 Sept to 1 Oct)
Free exhibitions and art events at London museums and galleries this week, all in person. Every listing shows its price, so free entry is easy to spot.
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Jenkin van Zyl: Enclosure
Youth Arts Crafting Change
CHC Youth Hub
Create a Craft Flower Bouquet with Fatimah Mujtaba
Fragments into Form - Assembling a sculpture from wood off cuts.
Cyanotype Portraits with Michael Akuagwu & Jude Amponsah
Live Drawing with Rosemary Cronin
Karaoke at the Works
Day Funk DJs
Make Sense – Kentish Town
Clayplay Tuesdays
A Moment in Time Photography Display
Capture your portrait with Jasprit Singh
Tea & Tomorrow: Imagining Diasporic Futures
Make a Lantern for the Moon
Nataliya Zozulya
Sip & Paint with Lyla
Something Spooky! Free Trails for Families
London is one of the rare cities where world-class museums and galleries open their doors without a ticket price. Permanent collections sit alongside a steady churn of free-entry exhibitions, late-night openings, and gallery shows, and the offer changes from week to week as new work goes up and old work comes down.
This guide pulls together the free exhibition and art events happening across the capital this week, all of them in person. It is a list of free-entry shows and gallery events at museums and galleries rather than a directory of which institutions charge, so think of it as a way into what is on rather than a verdict on any single museum.
Because every OnlyHere listing carries its own price, free entry is simple to spot, and the page below gathers the exhibition and art events marked free for the days ahead. The list refreshes as venues add and rotate their programmes, so it is worth a look before you plan a slow afternoon among the collections.
Venues to know
- V&A South Kensington 6 events this week
- Museum of the Home 2 events this week
- Gym Room 2 events this week
- Somerset House - Lancaster Rooms, New Wing 1 event this week
- Cockpit Studios 1 event this week
- Great Exhibition 1 event this week
How we pick
OnlyHere tracks live listings from over a hundred London venues, councils, and programmers, refreshed nightly. Picks favour events with confirmed dates, real venues you can find on a map, and editorial notes written by us, not the promoter. Prices and dates come from the listing itself; we never guess.
Frequently asked questions
Which museums in London are free?
Most of London's major national museums charge nothing for their permanent collections. The British Museum, V&A, Natural History Museum, Science Museum, Tate Modern, Tate Britain, National Gallery, and National Portrait Gallery all have free entry. The page above lists what's on across them today and updates daily.
Do you need to book free museums in London?
For the permanent collection, usually not. You can walk in. Booking becomes worth it for blockbuster temporary shows or timed-entry galleries inside free museums. Weekend mornings at the British Museum or Natural History Museum fill up fast, so arriving early or on a weekday makes a real difference.
Are special exhibitions free at London museums?
Most of the time, no. Temporary exhibitions at free museums typically carry a separate admission charge. The permanent galleries stay free, but headline shows bring a ticket price. It's worth checking what's classed as permanent versus ticketed before you go, as the line isn't always obvious from the outside.
What are the best free museums in London?
Depends what you're after. South Kensington alone has three world-class options within walking distance. Tate Modern suits contemporary art; the Sir John Soane's Museum in Holborn rewards curiosity in a way bigger institutions don't. The free science and history collections in London are genuinely among the best in the world.
Are London museums free for kids?
Yes, children get into the national collections free just like adults. Family-friendly highlights include the Natural History Museum and Science Museum in South Kensington, both of which have hands-on galleries built for younger visitors. Weekday visits during school term time are noticeably quieter than weekends or holidays.
How many free museums in london are listed right now?
There are 18 events listed on this page right now. It updates daily.