New skills & curiosities
Mind & Learning
104 London DebatersToastmasters debate club; table topics. Meets at The Windsor Castle, Francis Street SW1, 2nd & 4th Tuesdays; a separate online club meets 1st Tuesdays.Debate London / It's DebateableFree public debates 1st & 3rd Wed
Agora Debate Club London~6 ticketed debates/yr; welcome drink. Held at the Tea House Theatre, Vauxhall Walk SE11.Sylvan Debating Club (est.1868)Classic Oxbridge-Union-style motions. Meets upstairs at Ye Olde Cock Tavern, Fleet Street EC4. Live site is sylvans.org.uk.
Toastmasters clubs (many)Find a local club; first visits free
Conway Hall / IQ2 talksPublic lectures & debates; humanist homeSkeptics in the PubFree-ish science/critical-thinking talks
How To Academy / 5x15 talksBig-name thinker talks; ticketed
Death CafeFrank tea-and-cake chats about mortality; free
Philosophy discussion groupFree pub-philosophy meetups
Library reading groupFree book clubs + author talksLanguage exchange nightFree practise + socialising; many languages
Language evening classStructured beginner courses
Sign language (BSL) tasterUseful, sociable, in-demand skill
Coding / tech meetupFree talks + workshops; very beginner-friendly
Writers' group / shut-up-and-writeSilent co-writing + feedback groups
Genealogy / local history societyDig into family & London historyOnline book clubJoin existing clubs or start one
Learn a languageFree apps + free in-person exchanges
Learn to codeFree full curriculum; build projects
Creative writing / start a novelFree prompts + communities; just start
Genealogy / family historyFamilySearch free; surprisingly absorbing
Stop-motion / video editingFree guides + free editing apps; make tiny films
Daunt Books / beautiful bookshops crawlFree browsing in stunning shops. Daunt's original Edwardian shop is on Marylebone High Street W1; other branches in Hampstead NW3, Holland Park W11, Belsize Park NW3 and Cheapside EC2.
Build a mechanical keyboardFree 'Keyboard University' build guides; kits sold onlineHome electronics / ArduinoBlink an LED, build gadgets; cheap starter kits
3D modelling (Blender)Free pro software; donut tutorial is the rite of passage
Learn to fold a fitted sheet / home skillsFree step-by-step home-skills guides; genuinely useful micro-skills
Learn shorthand / speedwritingFree Teeline/Pitman shorthand resources; oddly satisfying old skillMemory training / memory palaceFree techniques; remember anything
Mental maths / abacusFree mental-maths & technique guides
Sign language alphabet (BSL) at homeFree intro resources
Start a podcastFree hosting; just a phone to start
Digitise old photos / family archiveFree guides to scanning & preserving family photos; meaningful project
Learn touch-typingFree; genuinely life-improving
Gresham College free public lecturesLondon's oldest lecture series (since 1597); 100+/yr, free, no booking, also livestreamed. Lectures are held at Barnard's Inn Hall, Holborn EC1.
Royal Institution talksFamous science talks + the Christmas Lectures venue
The Royal Society public lecturesLeading scientists; many free; summer science exhibition. Held at Carlton House Terrace SW1.
LSE public eventsTop social-science thinkers; mostly free, often podcast-releasedUCL Minds public lecturesFree talks, performances & exhibitions across disciplines
King's College London public eventsFree lectures & debates across humanities & sciences
Imperial College public lecturesFree science & engineering talks open to all
British Library events & talksAuthor talks, history, science; treasures gallery free
British Library Reading Rooms (reader pass)Free reader pass; study in a world-great libraryThe British Academy talksFree humanities & social-science lectures
Royal Geographical Society talksExplorers & geographers; Monday Night Lectures
Royal Society of Medicine lecturesPublic medical-science talks
Wellcome Collection talks & coursesFree events on health, science & being humanWiener Holocaust Library talksFree; the UK's oldest Holocaust archive, with exhibitions & talks, Russell Square. Reading room by appointment.
Art history lectures (The Arts Society)Local societies host expert art-history talksCourtauld art-history short coursesShort evening courses in art history
Nerd Nite LondonFun expert talks + beer; 'TED meets the pub'
Funzing expert talksCurated expert talks on quirky topics
Philosophy short course (City Lit / Idler)Accessible philosophy & ideas courses. City Lit is in Covent Garden WC2; the Idler runs mostly online.
History reading / discussion groupFree history book & discussion groups
Great Books / classics reading groupWork through the canon together
Science book clubPopular-science reading & debatePoetry close-reading groupSlow, deep reading of poems together
National Archives visit (handle documents)Free; handle real historical documentsLondon Library day pass / tourBeautiful members' library; day passes/tours
Royal Astronomical Society public meetingFree monthly public astronomy meetings. Meetings are held at Burlington House, Piccadilly W1.
Economics / finance public talksMake sense of the economy from expertsLanguage & linguistics meetupFor people who love how language works
Chess lecture / masterclassGrandmaster talks around big tournaments
Recreational maths / maths circlePuzzles, proofs & playful mathsWatch open lectures free online2,000+ Gresham lectures + RI talks free online
FutureLearn / OU OpenLearn coursesFree university-level courses; OpenLearn fully free
MOOCs (Coursera / edX audit)Audit real university courses freeLecture series via library appsBorrow Great Courses lecture series free
Learn formal logic / critical thinkingSharpen reasoning; spot fallacies
Argument mapping (Kialo) at homeMap arguments before a debate-club night
Edit Wikipedia / join an edit-a-thonCitizen scholarship; in-person events too
Citizen humanities/science (Zooniverse)Transcribe & classify real research from home
Late-night bookshop / library eventEvening author talks & launchesTeach a class (Obby / ClassBento host)Platforms let you host & sell your own classes
Adult evening course (City Lit / Morley)Hundreds of subjects: science, languages, artsSkillshare / Domestika creative coursesSubscription creative & skills courses
Barbering short courseLearn to cut hair; intro to pro courses
Car mechanics evening classBasic car maintenance courses for non-mechanics
Royal Meteorological Society talksPublic weather & climate talks; amateur groups too
Robot building club / hackspaceMember workshops with tools, electronics, 3D printers. Moved to Standard Road, Park Royal NW10 — older listings showing Wembley or Hackney Wick are out of date.
Learn AI – meetup / study groupFree AI/ML meetups, talks & study groups
Learn AI – free online courseFree beginner AI courses; no maths needed to start
Coding club / CodeBarFree coding sessions, esp. for under-represented groups
Learned-society membership (your field)Most disciplines have a society with talks & eventsPhD / researcher socials (Thesis / PubhD)Researchers explain their work over a pint
Public lecture series (LSE/UCL/Gresham)Free top-tier academic talks open to all
Public speaking course (in person)Beginner confidence & presentation coursesPublic speaking practice (Toastmasters)Free first visits; regular speaking practice
Public speaking – online courseAudit university public-speaking courses free
Podcast / audio storytelling workshopMake your own show; kit & editing basics
Book swap / Little Free LibraryFree street book-swap boxes; take one, leave oneBook swap social / clubSwap books & talk reads over coffee
New Beacon Books (Black bookshop)The UK's first Black/Caribbean publisher & bookshop (est. 1966); browse, events & readings.
Pan-African / Black studies talkLectures & panels on African & diaspora history, politics & culture; Royal African Society and university events.
Yoruba / Twi / Patois language classLearn an African or Caribbean language; community classes & online tutors. Search current courses.
Kids' Black history / storytelling sessionStorytimes & workshops celebrating Black & African/Caribbean stories for children; check libraries & BCA.Saturday supplementary school / youth clubCommunity Saturday schools & youth clubs supporting Black children's learning & heritage; ask your local council.
Hairdressing masterclass – The London Hairdressing AcademyVTCT-accredited academy at 85 Stanmore Hill, Stanmore HA7 3DZ, Ofsted-rated Good. Most of what they run is professional — Level 2 and Level 3 NVQ diplomas over 18 weeks, one evening a week — but the one-day masterclasses and online courses are the ones worth knowing about if you just want to cut and colour better, no career change required. Enquire at info@thelha.co.uk or through the enrolment page.Practise BSL at Sign ClubFree signing practice every Monday, 5pm–7pm, at The Lounge @ Remark!, 18 Leather Lane EC1N 7SU. Open to BSL learners at any level — the point is mileage, not perfection.
Ask a real astronomer what you're actually looking atA new interactive space gallery with working astronomers on the floor, plus a live planetarium show relocated from the Royal Observatory.
Read or work in the City of London's historic Guildhall Library, no appointment neededGuildhall Library is the City's free public reference library on London history. You can walk in to browse the open shelves, use it as a quiet study space, or look up family history on Ancestry and the British Newspaper Archive.
Work for free with Wi-Fi in the Barbican's own public libraryTake a seat in the Barbican Library on Level 2 of the Barbican Centre and work or read with free Wi-Fi and public computers. Walk-in; membership is only needed to borrow.
Book a free quiet desk in a Victorian reading room off Liverpool StreetThe Bishopsgate Institute opens its archive Reading Room as a free, quiet place to work on most Mondays and Fridays, 10am-5pm, with free Wi-Fi. Book a place online or at reception on arrival.
Find a quiet corner with free Wi-Fi in the National Theatre's foyersThe National Theatre's South Bank building is open to the public all day Monday to Saturday, with quieter areas throughout that have free Wi-Fi, plus cafés and a bookshop.
Buy a one-day desk at Second Home's plant-filled Spitalfields co-working spaceSecond Home sells single coworking day passes for its Spitalfields and Holland Park spaces: turn up, grab a hot desk and work with high-speed Wi-Fi.
Hot-desk for a day at Uncommon in Holborn, Borough or Liverpool StreetUncommon's individual day pass makes you a member for the day at one of its London workspaces, weekdays 8am-6pm, with high-speed Wi-Fi, coworking lounges and artisan coffee.
Work a day in The Hoxton's co-working floors by Southwark, coffee on tapWorking From_, the co-working space attached to The Hoxton, Southwark, sells day passes: a desk, top-speed Wi-Fi, bottomless tea and coffee, and a 12th-floor café with day beds.
Grab a £20 co-working day pass at Huckletree in Soho, the City or KensingtonHuckletree's day pass gives you one day in a shared workspace at your chosen London hub, with fast Wi-Fi, phone booths, free tea and coffee and breakout areas.
Settle into a free study desk at Woolwich's big town-centre libraryWoolwich Centre Library has desks, quiet areas and study spaces, computers and laptops to use, and free Wi-Fi for members; library membership is free.
Apply for a free hot desk among Camden start-ups in an old auction houseCamden Collective, a charity, gives early-stage creative and tech start-ups free hot-desking in the Collective Auction Rooms in Camden Town, with gigabit Wi-Fi, 24/7 access and free meeting rooms. You apply, and give two hours a month back to the community.Book a £35 co-working day at Work.Life with unlimited barista coffeeWork.Life sells day passes to its London coworking spaces (Holborn, Borough, Camden, Soho and more): hot desks, phone booths, seriously fast Wi-Fi and unlimited barista-quality coffee.
Work with a coffee in Bermonds Locke's coworking space by Tower BridgeBermonds Locke aparthotel has a café and flexible coworking areas open to non-guests: buy something at the restaurant or coffee shop and you get a Wi-Fi password for two hours at a time.Claim one of 41 free study spaces at Canada Water Library, café downstairsCanada Water Library has 41 study spaces, plus a ground-floor café, computers and Wi-Fi that open from 8am on weekdays; the rest of the library opens at 9am.
Study for free on the reference floor of Islington Central Library, HighburyIslington Central Library offers study space in its 2nd-floor Reference Library, free Wi-Fi and 30+ free public computers, open seven days including Sunday afternoons.
Work in the quiet study room of Brixton's Grade II-listed Tate LibraryBrixton Library on Windrush Square has a quiet study space and reference library on its first floor, free unlimited Wi-Fi with a library card, and free computers; open seven days a week.
Grab one of 66 free study spaces in Peckham LibraryPeckham Library has 66 study spaces open to anyone, residents or visitors, with desk space to study or work and Wi-Fi, as at all Southwark libraries; open 9am to 8pm most weekdays.Work in Lambeth's largest library at the Mary Seacole Centre, ClaphamClapham Library on Clapham High Street, Lambeth's largest, has study space, free unlimited Wi-Fi with a library card and Wi-Fi printing; open seven days a week.
Take a co-working day pass at Riley Studios by Archway tubeSpacemade's Riley Studios in Archway sells day passes: pick the location, create an account and turn up to work, with zoom booths and collaboration rooms a few minutes' walk from the tube.Crack a pub puzzle hunt with a team on the second Tuesday of the monthPuzzled Pint posts a location puzzle online that leads you to a London pub; once there, your team works through a set of beginner-friendly puzzles over drinks, with hints on hand.
Learn bridge from scratch with beginners' lessons in HammersmithThe Young Chelsea Bridge Club runs beginners' lessons and courses, then gentle supervised games for learners, alongside its regular duplicate sessions at the London MindSports Centre.
Drop in for free games of Go on a Wednesday night in HammersmithThe London Go Centre opens its first-floor room for social Go twice a week; turn up, find an opponent and play, with free teaching for newcomers who get in touch.
Get paired with a chess partner at your level in a Clapham pubA Chelsea Chess social night: a host sizes up your level when you arrive and matches you with someone similar, so complete beginners and regulars can both get a game.
Take on the Monday pub quiz at a riverside pub in LimehouseA long-running Monday-night quiz at The Grapes, an old pub on the Thames in Limehouse; turn up early because tables for the quiz can't be booked.Turn up for a Tuesday night game at a 140-year-old chess club in BatterseaBattersea Chess Club meets every Tuesday evening near Clapham Junction for games at all levels; visitors can come twice for free before deciding to join.
Chase a rollover jackpot at a Monday pub quiz by Peckham RyeA weekly Monday quiz run by The Big Fat Quiz at The Herne Tavern, a 1930s heritage pub opposite Peckham Rye Park, with a bar tab for the winners and a jackpot that rolls over until someone wins it.
Learn to play mahjong in a two-hour beginners' workshop at AldgateDear Asia's newbie workshop takes you through the tiles, sets and winning hands, then gets you playing at a four-player table with an instructor, so you leave able to play.
Sit down at a beginners' mahjong table over cocktails in ShoreditchMahjong Palace takes over Shoreditch Arts Club for an evening of mahjong with cocktails and snacks from BAO; green tables teach beginners and red tables are open play for those who know the game.
Take on a famously silly Tuesday pub quiz in AngelThe Old Queen's Head's long-running Tuesday quiz is known for daft rounds as much as general knowledge, held in the pub's upstairs room on Essex Road.Have a drink with other engineering and product leaders at a Bankside pubAn informal evening for engineering, product and tech leaders: no panels or talks, just drinks, snacks and conversation, hosted by the software consultancy thoughtbot as the last of its autumn series.
Hear three talks on practical AI, then stay for pizza and networking in ClerkenwellLondon's monthly practical-AI meetup: a builder's talk, a productivity demo and a future-of-work talk, followed by pizza, drinks and time to meet the room. Free, but spaces are limited.
Spend a day with Black professionals rethinking success, with coaching and headshots, in EalingA one-day event for Black professionals with talks from more than 20 Black leaders, founders and coaches, plus lunch, coaching, headshots and wellbeing checks, and plenty of time to meet the room.
Mix with London business owners and hear three 8-minute keynotes off Pall MallAn after-work business mixer in a private room at the Tom Cribb pub: a welcome round of drinks, canapés, and three short keynotes to get conversations going.
Hear a fireside chat on building AI companies that last, then a Christmas social with Black founders and investorsBlack Venture Network's festive evening: canapés on arrival, a fireside chat on what makes an AI company defensible, then networking and drinks with Black founders, investors and VC professionals.
Pitch yourself to a room of women in business and tech for 60 seconds, then network, near SouthwarkA women-only professional networking evening for founders, executives, investors and product people: everyone gets 60 seconds to introduce themselves to the full room, then it opens into one-to-one conversations.
Have eight structured one-to-one chats with other women in tech, by WaterlooAn after-work speed-networking evening for women in software, AI, data, product, design and tech sales: eight short, structured conversations, a drink and a bite, then open networking.Join London's Salesforce women for talks, a quiz and networking by London BridgeThe monthly meeting of the London Salesforce Women in Tech community group: career stories from members, a networking break, then a quiz with prizes. Hosted this month by Slalom.
Swap startup war stories at a festive founders' party with a fireside chat in the CityA monthly founders' meetup, this time the Christmas edition: open networking with colour-coded badges, community shout-outs where you can ask the room for help, a tactical fireside chat with an experienced entrepreneur, then drinks.
Hear data-science talks with free food, then go to the pub with London's Python crowdLondon's long-running monthly PyData meetup: free food and drinks, two main talks plus lightning talks on Python, data and AI, then drinks at a nearby pub. Free, but you have to RSVP and bring photo ID.
Meet senior women in insurance inside Lloyd's of London's Old LibraryWomen in Banking & Finance launches its Women in Insurance Network with an afternoon panel of senior women insurance leaders, plus networking that connects students, apprentices and graduates with the industry, inside Lloyd's.Read two articles and argue about them over drinks in the National Theatre barSunday Assembly London's Article Club: members vote on two articles (one current affairs, one history, culture or science), read them in advance, then discuss and score them on the soft seats of the Lyttelton bar. Sometimes they go on to the pub.
Try a one-off beginners' Japanese (or Korean, Greek, Arabic...) lesson in Covent GardenInternational House London runs one-off taster lessons for complete beginners in over a dozen languages: a sample class at its Covent Garden school covering greetings and introducing yourself, before you decide on a full course.
Stand next to Freud's actual couch in his last home in HampsteadThe house in Maresfield Gardens where Sigmund Freud lived after fleeing Vienna is kept as a museum, with his study, collection of antiquities and the famous analytic couch; an audio guide is included.