{"id":625888,"date":"2025-12-11T08:19:25","date_gmt":"2025-12-11T08:19:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/625888\/"},"modified":"2025-12-11T08:19:25","modified_gmt":"2025-12-11T08:19:25","slug":"the-6-best-free-things-to-do-in-london-this-weekend-december-12-14","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/625888\/","title":{"rendered":"The 6 Best Free Things To Do in London This Weekend [December 12-14]"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s an\u00a0unavoidable\u00a0fact of the festive season: the closer we get to Christmas Day, the emptier our wallets get. On top of all the\u00a0Christmas shopping<\/a>\u00a0that we\u2019re obliged to do,\u00a0it\u2019s hard to say no to\u00a0all the cosy pub gatherings, mulled wine-fuelled dinner parties and spenny festive activities that arise this time of year.\u00a0<\/p>\n

So, give your bank account a break for\u00a0one weekend. No, that doesn\u2019t mean sitting around and doing nothing \u2013 London has a sparkling assortment of Christmassy (and non-Christmassy) things to see and do over the next three days that won\u2019t cost you a single penny. Besides the things that are\u00a0free year-round<\/a>\u00a0(city farms, museums, galleries, etc)\u00a0and the\u00a0the city\u2019s many free\u00a0festive displays<\/a>, there\u2019s loads of one-off\u00a0events worth checking out.\u00a0<\/p>\n

From a seriously silly horse race in Greenwich to an Irish oyster fest in Walthamstow to a wholesome\u00a0gardening gathering in Clapton,\u00a0here\u2019s\u00a0Time Out\u2019s guide to the some of the wonderful things\u00a0you can do for free this weekend.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The best free things on\u00a0in London this weekend<\/strong><\/p>\n

In scenes only slightly less dramatic and probably far more entertaining than the Grand National, more than 40 pantomime horses will gallop through Greenwich dodging bizarre obstacles, stopping at the local pubs for \u2018refuelling\u2019 breaks and generally horsing around, all while raising money for Great Ormond Street Children\u2019s Hospital. This year\u2019s theme is \u2018Rockstars\u2019 meaning you can expect horsey acts including Beatles tribute The Fab Foals, Liam & Noel Gallopher and Amy Winehorse.\u00a0Expect plenty of other\u00a0entertainment throughout the day, including an opening procession on King William Walk, and an after-party with live music, comedy and DJs. There may even be a celebrity appearance or two.<\/p>\n

Greenwich Park, SE3 7QD. Sunday December 14,\u00a01pm. Free to watch.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Whether you\u2019re on a mission to grab the last of your Christmas gifts or just\u00a0want to amble around soaking up cosy festive vibes, London\u2019s independent Christmas markets have you covered. In central this weekend, you\u2019ve got the oh-so-classy\u00a0Monocle Christmas Market<\/a>\u00a0(the only London fair with\u00a0real life reindeer);\u00a0out\u00a0west\u00a0there\u2019s the\u00a0Hawk\u2019s Nest Christmas Market<\/a>\u00a0and in the north there\u2019s the\u00a0Turning Earth Winter Ceramics Market.<\/a>\u00a0East of the city, there\u2019s the\u00a0Urban Makers Market<\/a>,\u00a0Third Man Xmas Fair<\/a>\u00a0with DJs and vinyls from a\u00a0range of independent labels,\u00a0Oslo Xmas Market<\/a>\u00a0and the market at\u00a0Next Door Records Two<\/a>\u00a0with workshops, flash tattoos, records, food and more.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Various venues. Fri December 12-Sunday December 14. Free entry.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Monocle
\nPhotograph: Monocle <\/p>\n

This day-long shuck-fest is a big\u00a0fat ode\u00a0to Irish oysters. With premium molluscs supplied by Rock Oysters, head to the bar to throw \u2019em back fresh or guzzle down hot ones straight from the barbecue. There\u2019ll also be tank-fresh pints supplied by 40ft Brewery and live Irish music from 6pm.\u00a0While entry is free, you will have to part with some cash for the food and booze. Happy hour deals have been promised, though!\u00a0<\/p>\n

40ft Brewery Blackhorse, 10 Lockwood Way,\u00a0E17 5RB. Saturday December 13, 12pm-8pm. Free entry.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Christmas was made for being merry, and what better way to get into the jolity of the season than a big ol\u2019 pub crawl. Food blogger Tour de Sarnie will lead the expedition, stopping at some of the best-loved pubs and top-notch food\u00a0spots\u00a0in the city. Attendees will start off by lining their\u00a0stomach with a Christmas sando from\u00a0Rogue Sarnies before heading to the Dundee Arms, Salmon & Ball, The Shakespeare, The Old George, Star of Bethnal Green, The Marquis of Cornwallis, The King\u2019s Arms, Well and Bucket and the Owl and Pussycat. There\u2019ll be refuelling at Bad Boy Pizza and then a Beigel Bake to look forward to, for those hard-core enough to make it to the end. Along the way, there\u2019ll be food giveaways and plenty of good vibes. Christmas jumpers are encouraged. Entry is free, but be sure to book tickets in advance.<\/p>\n

Various venues. Saturday December 13 from 1pm. Free entry.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

The best Christmas markets in London<\/a>, according to Time Out.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Peroni
\nPhotograph: Peroni <\/p>\n

You read that\u00a0right \u2013\u00a0free beer. Italian lager brand Peroni Nastro Azzurro is setting up a grand Italian Renaissance-style fountain that\u2019ll spout not water but lager for four days. Head to the Observation Point on the South Bank to secure your free half straight from La Fontana, while stocks last. We advise rocking up as early as you can, they\u2019re guaranteed to fly.<\/p>\n

South Bank, SE1 9PP. Until December 14, 12pm-8pm. Free.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Spend your Saturday\u00a0getting down and dirty with\u00a0Hackney\u2019s Tree Musketeers\u00a0in a\u00a0wholesome plantathon. The group will be in Millfields Park planting trees, mulching the woodland, enriching the soil\u00a0and create perfect little spaces for insects to thrive. They\u2019ll supply all the necessary equipment, but if you\u2019ve already got gardening gloves bring them along. Volunteers are also encouraged to\u00a0take a thermos filled with their hot bev of choice.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Millfields Park,\u00a0Chatsworth Rd, E5 0AR. Saturday December 13, 10am. Free.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Make the most of the end of the year with our\u00a0roundup of the best things to do in December<\/a>\u00a0and plan for 2026 with our guide to the\u00a0best things to do in January<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Get the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke \u2013 from news and reviews to events and trends. Just\u00a0<\/strong>follow our Time Out London WhatsApp channel<\/strong><\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Stay in the loop: sign up for our\u00a0<\/strong>free Time Out London newsletter<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0for the best of the city, straight to your inbox.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It\u2019s an\u00a0unavoidable\u00a0fact of the festive season: the closer we get to Christmas Day, the emptier our wallets get.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":625889,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7757],"tags":[748,6419,393,4884,257,6420,6417,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-625888","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-london","8":"tag-britain","9":"tag-categories-things-to-do","10":"tag-england","11":"tag-great-britain","12":"tag-london","13":"tag-news-city-life","14":"tag-things-to-do","15":"tag-uk","16":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115699959819656154","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/625888","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=625888"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/625888\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/625889"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=625888"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=625888"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=625888"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}