Make things by hand
Arts & Craft
Tate ModernFree collection incl. Turbine Hall & river views. No booking needed for the collection; exhibitions ticketed (16-25s get £5 via Tate Collective).
Tate BritainFree; 500 years of British art + the world's largest Turner collection. No booking for the collection; exhibitions ticketed.
National GalleryFree; Van Gogh, Monet, da Vinci. No booking needed for the main collection; paid blockbuster exhibitions.National Portrait GalleryFree; reopened after major refurbishment. No booking for the collection; paid special shows.
Wallace CollectionFree; armour + old masters in a Marylebone townhouse. No booking needed.
Whitechapel GalleryFree contemporary shows + good cafe
Saatchi GalleryContemporary; some free, some ticketed
The Photographers' GalleryFree before noon; photography
Hayward Gallery / SouthbankBold contemporary exhibitions
Dulwich Picture GalleryEngland's first public gallery
Camden Arts CentreFree shows + ceramics + garden cafeFree First Thursdays (East London)Galleries open late & free, one eve/month
Open studios / artist trailsArtists open workspaces seasonally; free
Pottery wheel taster – Turning EarthTurning Earth: open-access ceramics studios at Hoxton, Leyton & Highgate (Highgate is North London, 5 min from the Tube). Beginner courses, 2-hr private tasters, and gym-style monthly membership once you've done a course. Book online. Hoxton E2 is the original open-access studio; other sites at Leyton E10 (the largest) and Highgate N6.
Pottery membership / open studioTurning Earth / Kiln Rooms etc: monthly open-access membership (clay, glazes & kiln firing included) once you've completed any beginners' course. Like 'gym membership for potters'.Paint-your-own pottery – MYOPaint pre-made ceramics in a relaxed Hackney studio; pick a piece, pay the painting fee + item. Walk-in or book; family-friendly.
Taxidermy class – A Field GuideEthical taxidermy classes (e.g. mounting a mouse/bird), materials included, from ~£50-90. 18+. Quirky date or group; book ahead. Park Avenue Studios, Crouch End N8 — the exact street number is sent to ticket holders.Neon Naked Life DrawingLife drawing with UV neon body paint at rotating London venues; ~£18-22pp, runs through the week. Materials provided, no experience needed. 18+. Book ahead.
Life drawing drop-inCheap untutored sessions at pubs & studios citywide (~£8-15); just turn up and draw. Materials sometimes provided.
Bookbinding workshopHand-bind a journal/notebook in a day; London Centre for Book Arts (Hackney Wick) runs beginner workshops. Book ahead.
Glassblowing – London GlassblowingLondon Glassblowing (Peter Layton's studio, 62-66 Bermondsey St) - free gallery + watch the 'hot shop'; paid make-your-own experience days. Book experiences ahead. Gallery open Mon-Sat.
Candle-making workshopBlend & pour your own scented candles; many studios via ClassBento. Half-day workshops, take your candles home. Book ahead.
Screen-printing – Print Club LondonPrint Club London (Dalston) runs screen-printing day & 2-day workshops; learn the process & take home prints. Book ahead.
Perfume-making workshopBlend your own fragrance to take home; Experimental Perfume Club & others run sessions. ~2-3 hrs, book ahead. The lab-boutique moved to 9 Gee's Court, Marylebone W1U — all blending workshops run there.
Woodworking / green-woodSpoon-carving, furniture & green-woodworking classes (e.g. Barn the Spoon / building-crafts colleges). Day to multi-week; book ahead. London day classes run at Stepney City Farm E1 (a hired venue, not a permanent workshop); other courses run in the Forest of Dean.
Mosaic / stained glass classMake a mosaic or stained-glass piece in a day workshop; options via ClassBento. Take your piece home; book ahead.
Sewing / dressmaking classLearn the machine & make a garment; e.g. The Thrifty Stitcher (Bethnal Green), Sew Over It. Beginner courses, book ahead.
Weaving / macrame workshopMake a wall hanging or weaving in a beginner workshop; options via ClassBento. Take it home; book ahead.Floristry / flower arrangingSeasonal bouquet & arrangement workshops; many florists & schools run them via ClassBento. Book ahead.
Neon / sign-making workshopGod's Own Junkyard (Walthamstow) & others run neon-bending workshops; make a small piece. Visit the free neon yard too (Fri-Sun). Book workshops ahead.
Leatherwork workshopMake a wallet, belt or small bag in a day; workshops via ClassBento & studios. Materials included; book ahead.
Letterpress / printmakingTraditional hands-on printing workshops (e.g. London print studios). Day classes; book ahead.Wine-making / mead workshopRenegade Urban Winery (Bethnal Green/Walthamstow) runs tours + blend-your-own sessions. 18+; book ahead. The working winery and bistro is on Lockwood Way E17; the Bethnal Green arch E2 is a wine bar and shop only.
Cheese-making classMake mozzarella/halloumi/ricotta in a hands-on session; options via ClassBento & dairies. Book ahead.
Photography walk / photowalkFree group photowalks; all kit welcome
Photography beginner courseGet off auto mode; darkroom options tooSewing / repair cafe (learn to mend)Free community fix-it days
Crochet / knitting cafe group'Stitch & bitch' social groups in cafesLearn to knitFree beginner video course at Sheep & Stitch; start with a scarf + a cheap starter kit
Crochet for beginnersBella Coco's free beginner crochet tutorials (also her YouTube channel @BellaCocoCrochet)
Embroidery / cross-stitchFree DMC patterns & how-to guides; beginner kits include everything you need
Punch needleFree intro guides online + cheap starter kits; fast and satisfying
Hand-lettering / calligraphyBrush-pen lettering courses on Skillshare/Domestika; almost no kit needed to start
Watercolour paintingLet's Make Art free beginner tutorials + paired paint kitsGouache / acrylic paintingBeginner painting courses on Domestika; forgiving paints, follow along
Procreate / digital artProcreate handbook + free tutorials if you have an iPadOrigami / papercraftFree diagrams; only needs paper
Polymer clay / miniaturesSculpey free project guides; make charms & trinkets, bake in a home ovenCandle / soap making at homeStarter kits + online guides; gift-able results
Wine-making / brewing at homeBeginner kits for wine, beer, cider & mead + how-to guides
Phone photography courseFree composition & phone-photography guides; learn with the camera you ownFilm photography developing at homeIlford's free step-by-step home black-and-white developing guides
Whittling / spoon carvingBarn the Spoon's guidance; a knife + green wood is all you need
Warhammer / miniature paintingCitadel/Warhammer free painting guides; meditative detail work
Lego architecture / buildingAdult sets; surprisingly relaxing
Pyrography / wood burningBeginner guides + cheap pyrography pen; quick satisfying results
Macrame / weaving at homeFree beginner macrame guides + cheap cord; make wall hangingsQuilting / patchworkQuilters' Guild resources; use up fabric scraps, a long-game project
Soapmaking / bath bombsBramble Berry's Soap Queen free recipes & tutorials; great giftsDiamond painting / paint-by-numbersZero-skill, very relaxing
Learn handlettering on iPadProcreate lettering brushes + free tutorials
God's Own Junkyard (neon paradise)Free to wander; cafe among the neon
Eel Pie Island open studiosRare open weekends on a quirky island
Pottery date night (couples special)Ghost-style two-person wheel session at a paint/pottery studio; book a couples slot ahead. Studio on Redcross Way SE1 (site is now myo.place); the Hackney E8 paint-your-own site is listed separately.Drawing in museums (sketch club)Free sketch meetups in galleries
Comic / zine making workshopMake a mini-comic or zine in a day
Animation / claymation workshopMake a short animation
Pottery for kids & parentsMessy fun for the whole family
Knit & natter at a library/cafeFree social crafting
Learn calligraphy with a brush penThe Postman's Knock free lettering worksheets; cheap entry, lovely results
Home flower pressing / botanical artFree RHS flower-pressing guides; press, frame & giftSoap-carving / fruit-carvingFree beginner carving guides; cheap, meditative knife craft
Learn to letter / draw comicsFree comic-making & lettering tutorials; tell tiny stories
Origami tessellations / modularFree diagrams for modular & tessellation folds; only needs paper
Build & paint a model railway / dioramaModel-railway association guides; deep, absorbing maker hobby
Watercolour-sketch your city walksUrban Sketchers community + free guides; combine with your walks
Wreath / seasonal craft workshopChristmas wreaths, spring planters
Cyanotype / alt photography workshopMake sun-print images; magicalBookbinding club / journaling meetupJunk journaling & binding socials
Lino-printing clubRecurring print socials
Community darkroom membershipDevelop & print film with others
Learn flower arranging at homeFree RHS arranging guides; supermarket flowers to start
Wine & paint night (at home)Host your own; follow a free paint-along with a glass of wineBird box / bug hotel buildingMake wildlife homes from scrap wood
Learn to repair clothes (visible mending)Free mending guides + community repair cafes; sustainable & useful
Upcycle furnitureFree upcycling & paint guides; transform charity-shop finds
Life drawing – Neon Naked (UV paint)Life drawing under UV neon paint; unusual date
Life drawing – untutored pub drop-inCheap, casual, no teaching; just draw
Life drawing – Drawing Room / classesTutored courses to actually improve
Life drawing – museum sketch nightsFree/cheap sketch meetups among the collectionsLife drawing – at home (online model sessions)Free timed-pose figure references online
Evening life-drawing & wineUnwind after work with a sketchpad
Evening pottery / craft classWind down making something with your hands
Night photography walkShoot the city lit up after darkLate-opening gallery First ThursdaysGalleries open late & free, one eve/month
Sewing class (Sew Works / The Thrifty Stitcher)Beginner machine & dressmaking classes
Online sewing courseMakerist online sewing courses + free tutorials; learn at home
Makeup masterclassPro makeup technique workshopsBraiding / natural hair workshopCornrow/box-braid & natural-hair classes; search current dates
Nail art classGel & nail-art technique workshops
Carpentry / woodwork courseHand-tool & furniture-making coursesMillinery (hat) workshop – Morley / UAL / studiosFelt-blocking & fascinator courses; private studios too
Hat making at home (online + kit)Online millinery courses with posted material kits
Shoemaking course (London Sneaker School)Make your own pair of trainers over 3 days. Workshop is described as London Fields / Hackney E8; no street address is published.
Watch/clock making & repair tasterBritish Horological Institute lists courses & classesJunkyard / scrap art workshopMake art from salvage & scrap; search current dates
Street photography walk / collectiveFree group street-photo walks; all kit welcomeAfro / natural hair workshopCornrow, box-braid & natural-hair care workshops; search Eventbrite for current dates & locations.
Soca / Caribbean carnival arts (mas) workshopCostume-making (mas) & steel-pan workshops, busiest in the run-up to Notting Hill Carnival.
Black-led gallery / art exhibitionExhibitions by Black artists & curators (e.g. at major galleries & independents); check current listings.
Jewellery making course – Flux Jewellery SchoolA dedicated jewellery school at 2F Vanguard Court, London SE5 8QT, open seven days a week. Courses run from a single day or a weekend up to year-long certificates, covering foundation through advanced silversmithing — take a short course first and see if it grabs you. Prices aren't published on the site; email or call to book. Trained jewellers can also buy 24-hour studio access as members.
Make your own rings – The RingsmithsHands-on ring-making workshops using the traditional bench skills — carving, filing, soldering and casting — so you leave wearing the thing you made. Two sites: 61 Tower Bridge Road SE1 4TL and Unit 2.07–2.08 Oxo Tower Wharf, Barge House Street SE1 9PH. Popular for couples making their own wedding bands. Book through the timetable on the site, or call 020 3659 6296 (Tower Bridge) / 020 4547 3947 (Oxo). At-home ring design kits too, if you'd rather not come in.
Jewellery taster weekend – London Jewellery WorkshopCourses for all levels at Unit 18, Sunbury Workshops, Swansfield Street, London E2 7LF. The way in is the weekend taster — two days, 10.30am to 4.30pm, and you go home with two or three finished pieces. Also private tuition, wedding ring sessions, hen parties and workshop hire. Book online, or contact info@londonjewelleryworkshop.co.uk / 020 3417 8389.Sewing & dressmaking classes – Sew It With LoveA sewing school in a fourth-floor studio at 48 Russell Square, London WC1B 4JP — check step-free access before booking if that matters. Classes are unusually specific: copy a garment you already own, learn to sew jersey, draft a bodice or trouser block, alterations and upcycling, plus one-to-one tuition and gift vouchers. Studio hours 10.30am–1.30pm and evenings; closed Sundays. Book through the site.
Learn to do your own makeup properlyA beginner workshop at London College of Fashion covering skin prep, base, brows, and taking a day face into an evening one. Taught on you, for you — not a professional qualification.
Try professional makeup artistryUAL's introduction to working as a makeup artist rather than doing your own face: natural looks, smoky eyes, lash application and how the industry actually operates on set.
Book a one-to-one makeup lessonPrivate tuition at the London School of Make-Up, for when a group class means watching someone demonstrate on a face that isn't yours.
Learn special-effects and media makeupWestminster Adult Education Service runs hair and media makeup courses that can cover face painting, prosthetics and special effects. Adult-education pricing, so far cheaper than the private schools.Learn visible mendingVisible mending treats the repair as the decoration — sashiko stitching and darning that makes a worn jumper better than it was. Workshops in east London.
Learn traditional furniture makingProper joinery and furniture making — hand tools, machine work and the traditional joints — taught over courses rather than an afternoon. For people who want the skill, not the object.
Make a Danish cord stoolBuild an actual piece of furniture — a frame joined properly, then woven with Danish cord — and take it home. Learning joinery with something to sit on at the end.
Make a three-legged stool from green woodGreen woodworking uses freshly cut, unseasoned timber and hand tools — a shave horse, a drawknife, no electricity. Beginner-friendly, and you leave with a stool.
Build a wooden bench over a weekendTwo days of green woodworking building a stool or a full bench. Longer than the day class, so the joints are properly cut rather than rushed.
Carve a wooden bowl or kuksaHand-carve a bowl or a kuksa — the Nordic drinking cup — with an axe, a knife and a hook knife. Slow, quiet and absorbing in a way power tools aren't.
Try blacksmithing in a working forgeTraditional forging — heat, hammer, anvil — in a working forge, making something you'll actually use. Read the FAQ on clothing and footwear before you go.
Try a half-day at the anvilA short introductory forging session for people who want to find out whether they like blacksmithing before committing to a full course.
Make your own felt hatTraditional millinery — steaming felt and blocking it over a wooden hat block until it becomes a hat. A day workshop, and you wear the result home.
Learn couture hat makingSmall-group and private millinery workshops teaching traditional hat-making technique. Smaller and more hands-on than a class of twenty.
Make your own Christmas wreath over mince pies in a Dulwich pubA florist from Wildside London takes you through building a festive wreath from scratch over a two-hour evening session at the Woodhouse in Sydenham Hill, with all materials supplied. Book seats individually or put in a group booking request for your team or friends.Make a Christmas wreath over a mince pie at Coal Drops YardThe Botanical Boys run a festive wreath masterclass in their King's Cross shop: you watch a demonstration over a mince pie and welcome drink, then build your own long-lasting wreath. Private classes are available for groups.
Carve and print your own Christmas cards in a lino workshop by WestferryAllhands runs a festive lino-print workshop: you transfer a design onto lino, carve it, ink it and press your own set of handmade Christmas cards. Private sessions take groups, and the teacher can also come to your office.
Chisel a Christmas design in a calm Japanese carving workshop in WoolwichHandcraffiti teaches Japanese-style carving: you learn the background, then use special chisels to carve outlines and patterns into a festive piece to take home. Private sessions take small and large groups.
Dot-paint a mandala on a glass Christmas bauble by North GreenwichJenny of Jenny Art & Yoga leads a relaxing 90-minute class where you learn the dotting technique and paint a mandala onto a glass bauble you take home. Group bookings are offered in person or online.
Hand-build and paint clay nutcracker decorations at a BYOB Christmas pottery night in Lambeth NorthDoppiocotto's festive ceramics workshop teaches you to hand-build and paint your own clay Christmas decorations, nutcrackers included, and it's bring-your-own-bottle. Private bookings take up to 30.Paint your own watercolour Christmas cards in an illustrator's studio by BankIn Vencho Art's working studio near Bank, you explore festive card designs and colour palettes, then paint your own personalised watercolour cards and bookmarks with gentle step-by-step guidance. Private sessions take up to 30.
Blow your own glass Christmas bauble in a Stoke Newington hot shopAt Molten 1090's glass studio you get a hands-on introduction to glassblowing and make your own hand-blown bauble for the tree. Private sessions take up to 15.
Personalise your own Christmas stocking with cut vinyl by BoroughAt M.Y.O. in Borough you learn vinyl cutting and turn a plain stocking (or tote) into a personalised one, picking from bright colours and patterned vinyl. Private sessions take groups of 8 to 30.
Throw your first pot on a wheel by the riverA one-off three-hour wheel-throwing taster for complete beginners in the old County Hall building.
Develop a roll of film and print it by handA taster in a working communal darkroom: process black-and-white film, then make a print under the enlarger.
Blow a piece of molten glass on a SaturdayA three-hour hands-on session at a working hot shop where you make two pieces to collect a week later.
Watch the sun go down from the top deck of a Peckham car parkA not-for-profit arts organisation that takes over the top floors of a disused car park each summer with commissioned art, music and the best skyline view in south London.
Blend and bottle your own perfume with your group in MaryleboneA Blending Master takes your group through the fragrance Essentials, then everyone blends, bottles and names a perfume to take home, with drinks (alcohol-free on request) throughout. Sessions run one to two hours.
Pour your own scented candle with friends off Regent StreetAn Earl of East maker shows you how to blend a fragrance, then each person hand-pours a 170ml soy candle to take home, in about an hour. Groups can book the Regent Street workshop space privately.
Paint your own pottery after hours with your group in South WoodfordYour group paints mugs, plates or bowls at a ceramics café, with an afternoon tea or sandwich spread if you want one, and the café glazes and fires the pieces for collection a week later. It can stay open late just for your group.
Throw pots on the wheel, or paint pottery BYOB, with your group in North GreenwichBook the Design District studio for your group: a two-hour wheel-throwing session for 6–8, or an evening BYOB pottery-painting party for up to 24 where you bring your own drinks and snacks.Build a real-plant terrarium with your group in BatterseaIn a 90-minute private class at Duende Lab's Battersea studio, everyone plants a glass terrarium with real plants to take home, with a complimentary drink (alcoholic or not).
Arrange flowers with your group at a florist's school in Battersea Power StationMoyses' flower school runs private classes where your group picks a design and a date; they supply the flowers, aprons and drinks, and food can be added. It's taught in a working florist's space rather than a classroom.
Hire a private cinema screen for your group in HackneyBook The Castle Cinema's 27-seat Screen 2 (or the 82-seat Screen 1) for a private screening of a film you bring on DVD, Blu-ray or DCP, then carry on at the cinema bar. Minimum hire is two hours, available seven days a week.Book a sofa-filled studio screen for a private film night in WhitechapelHire one of Genesis Cinema's small studio screens (40 or 42 seats, all sofas and armchairs) in a 2.5-hour slot for your own private screening, with Bar Paragon's pizza-oven kitchen and bar for before or after.
Tuft your own rug in an afternoon in Hackney WickPick from 115+ recycled yarn colours, learn the tufting gun from scratch and tuft a 40 x 40 cm rug (or 55 x 55 cm on the 5-hour session) that you take home the same day.Tuft a 40cm rug on a Saturday in FulhamA 3.5-hour beginners' session in a small textile studio: transfer your own design onto the cloth, learn the tufting gun safely, then build up colour and texture in a 40x40cm piece you take home.
Whittle your own lime-wood spoon in a day in SouthwarkA full-day beginners' carving class where a City & Guilds-trained carver shows you how to shape a spoon from seasoned lime, with a straight or heart cut-out handle, to take home.
Paint and upholster a chair you get to keep in Shepherd's BushA full day in a makerspace: in the morning you sand and paint a chair, in the afternoon you learn modern upholstery and re-cover its drop-in seat, then carry the finished chair home.
Throw pots on a Sunday afternoon at a Clapham community potteryA three-hour Sunday session at a not-for-profit pottery run by working potters: you learn to centre and throw on the wheel, and can keep up to two pots for £5 each.Try the potter's wheel at a Walthamstow studio on a weekend afternoonA two-and-a-half-hour wheel-throwing taster at SkandiHus's E17 studio: you learn to centre clay and pull up your first pots on the wheel, in small dated weekend sessions.
Cut, foil and solder a stained-glass suncatcher in Muswell HillA small-group taster in a glass artist's studio: choose a design about 15cm square, pick and cut coloured glass, copper-foil and solder it, and take the suncatcher home that day.
Solder and polish a silver ring one-to-one in AlpertonA 2.5-hour private session with designer-maker Tayo Bello: measure, shape, solder, texture and polish a sterling silver ring, and leave wearing it.
Sew and case-bind your own hardback notebook in a dayA one-day beginners' class with bookbinder Joe Dixon: fold, sew, trim and 'case in' your own hardback notebook or travel journal, choosing from the centre's papers and cloths.Cut stencils and screen print your own fabric in LeytonstoneA four-hour Saturday taster with print designer Tamasyn Gambell: a live demo with pre-exposed screens, then you cut your own stencils and print a fabric design to take home.
Tuft your own rug and take it home the same day in AlpertonA 3.5-hour guided tufting class in north-west London: design your rug, choose from 90+ yarn colours, tuft and finish it, and leave with it that day.
Learn to centre clay on the wheel in a two-hour Fulham tasterA two-hour first go on the potter's wheel: centring, pulling up walls and shaping a pot, which the studio's technicians glaze and fire for you to collect about six weeks later.
Stitch a goldwork moon at the Hand & Lock embroidery prize showA three-hour taster in metal-thread goldwork embroidery run by Hand & Lock inside its Prize for Embroidery 2026 exhibition, with time to look round the show.
Carve a ring in wax and have it cast in silver at Coal Drops YardA 2.5-hour small-group session with Maya Magal's in-house jewellers: sculpt your own ring design in jeweller's wax, which is then cast in recycled sterling silver and finished for you.
Saw, file and solder a silver ring at a Walthamstow silversmithsA two-and-a-half-hour taster at Made By Ore's studio: cut, shape and file sterling silver, solder it and finish your own ring to wear home.
Carve a stacking ring in wax at a Bermondsey jeweller's studioA relaxed two-hour wax-carving class in Wild Fawn's making studio: carve your own stacking ring in wax, which the studio then casts in solid sterling silver and posts back to you.Watch a film from a two-person sofa or a front-row bed on Portobello RoadThe original Electric on Portobello Road seats you in leather armchairs, two-person sofas or beds in the front row, with a bar serving cocktails and snacks. Monday afternoons are parent-and-baby screenings.
Sink into a velvet sofa with burgers brought to your seat in Belsize ParkA refurbished single-screen Everyman fitted with sofas, where cocktails, sharing plates and burgers are delivered to your seat. Also shows National Theatre Live and Royal Ballet & Opera screenings.See a film at the Kensal Rise cinema that gives its profits to charityThe Lexi is a small independent social-enterprise cinema with a bar, showing new releases, Q&As and themed seasons, with baby-friendly and relaxed screenings. Its profits go to charity.
Watch a film under the 1910 barrel-vaulted ceiling of East Finchley's PhoenixThe Phoenix is a charity-run independent cinema in a building first opened as a picturedrome in 1912, with its original Edwardian vaulted ceiling and Art Deco wall panels. It shows new releases plus opera, ballet and theatre screenings.
Hear A Christmas Carol performed in Charles Dickens's own houseThrough December, actor James Swanton performs A Christmas Carol and Dickens's ghost stories in the writer's Doughty Street house, alongside talks by Dickens descendants, magic lantern shows and a Christmas Eve opening.
Watch up to 16 comics try out new material in a Crouch End basementThursday's Comedy Try Out Night at Downstairs at the King's Head puts up to 16 new and established acts on stage with an MC; a long-running cheap night to catch comedians before they're known.Watch new comics battle the crowd at Up the Creek's Thursday new-act night in GreenwichThe Blackout is Up the Creek's weekly new-act comedy night: newcomers get a short spot in front of a famously rowdy Greenwich crowd.
Play, read or tell a story at a friendly monthly open mic in a Bethnal Green caféOn the last Thursday of the month The Gallery Cafe at St Margaret's House runs a free open mic with eight 8–10 minute slots for musicians, poets, comics and storytellers; half can be booked ahead, half are sign-up on the door.
Laugh at new and established comics for free above a Clapham pub, Mondays or WednesdaysComedy Bandits runs free stand-up upstairs at The Railway every Monday and Wednesday, mixing new acts with established ones; a Chortle award-winning open mic night.Catch a free new-act comedy night with a pie in Shoreditch on a Tuesday2nd Row Comedy's original night: a new act and new material show every Tuesday at The Cornershop Bar, free to get in, starting 7:30pm sharp.
Watch comedians road-test new jokes in a Bloomsbury church undercroft on Monday nightsThe Monday Club at the Museum of Comedy is a weekly new-material night: pro and new acts (around a dozen on the bill) try out fresh jokes in the museum's bar under St George's Church.
Read a poem, then join the discussion, at a last-Saturday spoken-word night in Bethnal GreenExtra Second London is a cosy monthly poetry and spoken-word night in the chapel at St Margaret's House: open mic slots first, then a hosted discussion on the month's theme.Walk inside 40 famous paintings at an after-hours art late in Marble ArchFour galleries project masterpieces floor to ceiling with animation and an original score, so you wander through Van Gogh and Monet rather than looking at them. On Friday and Saturday nights it stays open late.
Paint a cherry-blossom canvas side by side at a paint-and-sip night in HanwellAn instructor walks the room step by step through one painting, a 'Cherry Blossom Dream', over three hours in a wine bar. Canvas, paints and aprons are supplied, you buy your own drinks, and you each take your painting home.
Walk through a light-and-sound show projected onto Wren's buildings in GreenwichAfter dark, the Old Royal Naval College's Painted Hall, Chapel and Colonnades become an immersive walk-through of projections and music by the artists Luxmuralis. It runs on ten nights only, in November.Get lost in a giant walk-through art city at an adults-only evening in White CityAbsurd City is a vast new immersive art world inside Westfield London that you explore at your own pace for three hours or more. 'After Hours' evenings are 18+ only, from 7pm.
Watch Santa's elves throw him his first Christmas at the Unicorn TheatreA world-premiere Christmas show for children at London's dedicated children's theatre by Tower Bridge: Santa's elves set out to give him the best Christmas ever, with a huge tree, treats and rollerskating. About 50 minutes long.
Catch a £9 Saturday children's show at Limehouse's young people's theatreHalf Moon in Limehouse programmes touring children's shows most Saturdays — puppetry, opera and storytelling pitched at specific ages from babies to teens. Every seat is £9 and unreserved.
See a glove-puppet musical on a canal barge in Little VeniceThe Puppet Theatre Barge, moored in Little Venice, stages The Three Little Wolves this winter: a brand-new 50-minute glove-puppet musical with dancing mice, slippery eels and a lion-taming pigeon.
Make your own spooky nature slime at Gunnersbury Park MuseumA 45-minute half-term workshop where children mix a batch of nature slime and customise it with moss, leaves, glitter or insects, then name it and take it home in a pot.
Help crack the Christmas code in an interactive show for under-7s in SouthgateChickenshed's Tales team stage Christmas Tales: Clumsy the Elf has lost the code to the Christmas Safe, and the audience helps solve the clues in a joining-in show for babies and young children.
Teens: drop in to a £2 music, media or circus session at the RoundhouseThe Roundhouse in Camden runs a youth programme for 11-30s in music, media (radio, film-making, content creation) and performing arts including spoken word, theatre, circus and dance — from £2 no-commitment drop-ins to tutor-led workshops and longer courses.
Shout 'he's behind you' at Clive Rowe's Hackney Empire pantoHackney Empire's family pantomime this year is Jack and the Beanstalk, directed by and starring Olivier Award-winner Clive Rowe as Dame Trot, with songs, dance numbers, extravagant costumes and plenty of joining in.
Help Buttons save the ball at the Lyric Hammersmith's Cinderella pantoThe Lyric's Christmas pantomime is Cinderella by Joel Horwood, set in 'Glamoursmith': the audience helps Buttons, the Prince's foot hunt and Cinderella's dash to the ball before midnight. About two hours.
Run, run as fast as you can to The Gingerbread Man in DeptfordStuff and Nonsense's 50-minute retelling of The Gingerbread Man at the Albany, Deptford's arts centre — a no-scary-bits Christmas show for small children.Take toddlers to their first show: Dear Zoo with puppets in North FinchleyRod Campbell's lift-the-flap book Dear Zoo, adapted for the stage with puppetry, songs and all the animals, at artsdepot over October half term — pitched as a first theatre trip for little ones.
Walk a light-art trail through the Royal Hospital Chelsea's gardensAn evening trail of light installations by British light artists through Ranelagh Gardens, followed by a winter village with food hall, fire pits, heated tipis, curling and a Chelsea Pensioners choir.
See a traditional panto at Greenwich TheatreGreenwich Theatre's Jack and the Beanstalk, written by and starring award-winning panto writer Anthony Spargo: a classic, proper family panto in a local playhouse.Boo the giant with Bonnie Langford and Basil Brush at Richmond's pantoRichmond Theatre's Jack and the Beanstalk stars Bonnie Langford as Mrs Blunderbore, Dr Ranj as the Spirit of the Beans and Basil Brush as Farmer Basil, in a Frank Matcham theatre on Richmond Green.
Fly off to Neverland with Aston Merrygold at Wimbledon's Peter Pan pantoNew Wimbledon Theatre's 2026 panto is Peter Pan, with JLS's Aston Merrygold as Peter and EastEnders' Jessie Wallace as Captain Hook.
Watch French and Saunders as the Ugly Sisters in the Palladium pantoThe West End's star-studded panto: Cinderella with Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders as the Ugly Sisters and Julian Clary as the Fairy Godfather, plus big costumes and effects.Watch newer comics build from five-minute spots at a free Sunday open mic in ArchwayAn early-evening stand-up open mic upstairs in a neighbourhood pub, aimed at comics starting out, with slots growing from 5 to 10 minutes.
Laugh at comics testing five-minute sets for free in a Bethnal Green pub backroomSix to eight stand-ups, from first-timers to veterans, try out material in the Three Colts Tavern's back room on the 1st and 3rd Monday of the month; first-Monday ticket proceeds go to a London charity.
Hear Black British poets, then take a first-come open-mic slot, at a free Peckham poetry nightPoetic Unity's monthly Poetry Foyer at Theatre Peckham: booked performers plus a community open mic where poets sign up on a first-come basis, with a paid feature slot at the next edition up for grabs.
Pay a fiver to watch comics try brand-new material in Camden on a MondayCamden Comedy Club's Monday 'Uncut' show: no advertised line-up, just comedians road-testing new jokes, for £5.
Read your poems to a welcoming crowd at a 'you pay, you perform' open mic in BalhamAn inclusive poetry and spoken-word open mic in a Balham bar where every poet who buys a performer ticket gets on stage – they've fitted 32 in one night.
Sign up on the night to read five minutes of poetry at a monthly open mic off the StrandVeteran poet Mr Gee hosts a monthly spoken-word open mic at RSA House: arrive at 6.30pm, put your name down in person, and read for about five minutes.Spit bars or read poems over live improvised music at a free riverside night at Somerset HouseA new spoken-word-meets-live-music night: headline poets plus open-mic slots for poets, rappers and lyricists, backed by improvised music at Setlist by the river.