Image by Pritaya Sriolong

Everybody loves anything free, right? London gives residents and visitors alike many opportunities to enjoy this wonderful city at no cost – museums, galleries and other events. The Scoop is a venue beside the City Hall that offers a variety of free stuff, too. Apart from providing everyone with a space to just sit down and relax, you can enjoy a bit of entertainment and culture, too.

Events ranges from film screenings, exhibits, concerts and community activities are often staged at The Scoop, especially in the summer. The best part of these events is the fact that they are open to the public and most likely free. You will need to check their website or sign up to their mailing list to get regular updates.

If there is nothing then perhaps you might catch a sighting of London’s ‘infamous’ mayor, Boris Johnson, at the City Hall.

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The Scoop | Art & culture, Cinemas, Relaxing, Festivals & events | Free
2A More London Riverside,SE1 2DB | South-East
Film screenings Wed – Fri from 19:30

Copyrights Spotted by Locals London

Image by Matt Bramford

It’s now only a few months to go until London opens its doors to host the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic games. Hosting the Olympics has divided Londoners, not least because of the sheer volume of people that will descend on our city at once.

The Olympic site at Stratford, however, is a marvel even for the most hostile Londoner. Populous’ imposing Olympic stadium is already encircled by Zaha Hadid’s aquatics centre, the organic velodrome and numerous other new buildings. There’s only one place where you can take all these buildings in whilst enjoying a cup of tea, and that’s the serene Container Café.

Above the café, there’s the View Tube – a cargo container placed vertically into the air which acts as a make-shift viewing platform. It’s actually from here where you get the best view, but café customers also enjoy great views of the site itself.

It’s a nice little café and I plan to spend many a crisp Autumn afternoon there during the coming months. While its menu and various offerings aren’t going to win any awards, you won’t beat these splendid vistas anywhere else in the capital.

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Container Café | Coffee & tea, Festivals & events
The Greenway, Stratford, E15 2PJ | East
Mon – Fri 09:00 – 17:00, Sat – Sun 10:00 – 18:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals London

Image by Andrew Sidford

The London Fields brewery is, as you might expect, a small independent brewery in London Fields. They produce hand crafted ales in a railway arch, my favourite of which is probably the Session Ale, although I am also rather partial to London Fields Gold. The beers themselves are well worth recommending, but what separates London Fields Brewery is the fact that they have special ‘events’ on Saturdays in the courtyard outside the arch!

The events themselves aren’t a weekly thing, so you had better check the website or, better still, sign up for the newsletter as I have done. What comes with the LFB newsletter is all the details of forthcoming events and although they are different there is a basic principle behind them – have some live music, sell beers including guest ales (last time I went it was the excellent Meantime Pale Ale on draught) and have an Argentinian grill doing burgers, steak sarnies (which are great) along with festive treats like mulled wine and roasted chestnuts for the Christmas party!

All the events have been free so far and while there are downsides like the portaloos the courtyard is covered and heated, the bands are usually local and good, the beer is excellent and it is all quirky, independent and different, things which I really like. 

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London Fields Brewery | Bars, Festivals & events | Per bottle £ 3
374 Helmsley Place, E8 3SB | East | +442072540008
Sat 11:00 – 23:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals London