London is a hugely popular city for tourists. Just look at the 2015 report published by the Office for National Statistic (ONS). The ONS data confirmed that London saw a record-breaking number of tourists as a massive 17.4 million overseas visitors headed to the capital, which was an increase of 3.5% when compared to 2013.
Part of this boom has to do with the interest surrounding the London Olympics which took place in 2012, as it gave people from all around the world a renewed reason to look at the capital. But part of it is also down to the sheer number of attractions, festivals and events that the city of London has to offer and, positively for tourists on a budget, many of these events are free.
Summer by the River
Summer by the River isn’t just one free London festival; it’s an entire series of free festivals! Taking place between June 1 and running all the way until October 31, this line-up of programming takes place at the London Bridge City which is the best-known outdoor amphitheatre in the city and one of the most well-known in the country. There’s a large range of things on offer here, from the summer bouquet event which encourages attendees to get creative with flowers to performances which are all about feel-good tracks and embracing your inner pop sensation.
Walthamstow Garden Party
Taking place on the weekend of July 14 – July 15, Walthamstow Garden Party is a free festival with a jam-packed line-up of music, arts and crafts, spoken word performances, dance, film, and food and drink. On the music side of things, reggae power band Adrian Sherwood and Creation Rebel will be providing a mix of live band and electronic sounds, Choir 17 will be providing their uplifting vocal talents, while Drum Heads Electronic Set will be bringing the beats. Rock fans are unlikely to be satisfied by this one, unfortunately. However, not too far down the road, Cambridge Rock Festival is back for another year. And, as Lottoland’s blog reported, that was no certainty until Adrian Bayford stepped in to save the day and host it in his sizeable back garden.
West End Live
Capping off this list is West End Live, which takes place at Trafalgar Square on the weekend of June 16 to June 17. If you’re a big fan of Broadway, you’ll love this too, as it will feature performances from all of the big stage shows including Motown the Musical, Disney’s Aladdin, Disney’s The Lion King, The Phantom of the Opera, and Strictly Ballroom The Musical. While the performances themselves are expected to be sensational, the power of a singalong can never be understated and you’re likely to lose your voice and have a fantastic time if you attend.
As this list shows, you don’t have to have a huge amount of disposable income in order to enjoy what London has to offer. There is a brilliant variety of free attractions in the capital city this summer, you just have to know where to look.