London on a budget - entertainment edition.

Question of the week: Do you have any tips on getting the most out of London on a budget?

"We have plenty, which is why we give a session on just that! Here's the list of entertainment-related links and tips that we promised in that session:

General principles:

Sign up to gallery / museum / venue / band / club mailing email lists - spread your net wide in whatever areas you're interested in, and let the opportunities come to you. (You may want to set up a temporary email address to use just while you're in London)

Watch out for booking fees - if you can manage it, the cheapest option is often going to the venue box office, with cash.

Check explicitly what ID is accepted for 'student discounts' - often this is shorthand for 'NUS card holders discount', sometimes they'll take ISIC, sometimes they'll accept your university ID, and it's good to know what to expect before you get to the till.


London for free

London offers loads of free stuff: galleries, readings, performances, gigs, clubs, film screenings, festivals ... We'll mention some in LUPe, on facebook, in the blog, and we put up some posters on the notice boards, but that's only the very tip of the iceberg.

http://www.lates.org/- a Londonwide program to increase participation in the cultural life of London by opening up galleries etc in the evenings, often with special events. The website itself I find less helpful to navigate, but useful as a jump point to which of venues are involved, eg the V&A, National Portrait Gallery and the Museum of London's monthly 'late' events.

Check regularly for events in:


Equally, there are lots of sources for free lectures and book readings, and it's worth signing up to their mailing lists to get the most up-to-date information eg:


Free and cheap clubs for sports and social activities - see http://delicious.com/ndlonlib/bundle:Social (and remember – running is free)


Cinema
– most big cinemas are expensive, but check out the Prince Charles Cinema for second run, arthouse, and cult film with tickets from just £1 - if you think you might be a regular visitor, check out their £10 membership deal.

Less budget, but also of interest, the BFI complex on the south bank and their IMAX cinema are worth keeping an eye on.

For DVDs to watch at home, try the LUP library (free) or either of the public library networks (£1.50 to £3 borrowing fees) If your laptop won't play Region 2 dvds, you can borrow a player from Kris or Ric.

Clubs:

Clubs are generally cheaper with a flyer, in the appropriate costume, and/or before pub closing time.

If you hear of a club night you're interested in, sign up to their myspace / mailing list / facebook to keep the fliers flowing. See also listings and flyers in the free magazines, especially the ones distributed around Camden.

This may not be what you want to hear, but the single easiest way to save money going out? - drink less. Tapwater is free. Watch out for expensive softs, though - a pint of cola is more expensive than a pint of beer in some venues.

(Safety note - Do not try and save money with unlicensed mincabs – that is, any mini cab you haven't booked, either on the phone or at the cab office. It is not worth the risk, even if you're in a group. Night busses are covered by your Oyster card, and, especially within zones 1 and 2, a black cab split with friends isn’t too expensive.)

Theatre / Opera / Dance

The best value theatre ticket of all are free - see Cornelius' post on 'A Night Less Ordinary'

There are two other official routes to discount tickets - the Tkts booth in Leicester Square, and student standby tickets from the venues. Check individual venue websites for details, but student standby tickets usually available the day-of. (The National Theatre complex has it's own system for young people - the National Theatre Entry Pass - which does let you book in advance - well worth the free registration!)

Lastminute.com can be good for ‘splurge’ tickets to big shows at a reasonable price.

Check for offers in Time Out, as well newspapers. Both the Metro and the Evening Standard (both free papers) quite often have good reader offers.

You can also get good booking discounts from the venues, particularly if you book for 2 events at the same time. You can get decent non-restricted view seats that way at Sadler's Wells for £8, Lindbury Studio for £9 etc.

Another dance venue, The Place, does something called a 'return' which means you pay £15 instead of £12, and get a voucher to come back and see any other performance you like for free within six months.


Gigs.

See gig listings in Time Out or online, or browse magazines and websites pertinent to your preferred genres, and sign up to bands’ mailing lists / facebook pages / etc to hear about shows first.

Keep an eye out for free instore gigs – the landscape is ever changing, thanks to the credit crunch taking down Zavvi,Tower Records and most of the Fopp shops, but contenders include:

  • HMV
  • Fopp on Earlham Street (fighting back against the crunch!)
  • Sister Ray, on Berrick Street
  • Rough Trade


Check out Proud Camden, too - free music on Sat and Sun, affordable music in the evenings the rest of the week, photography gallery by day!

As well as the freebies, there are lots of £6 -£10 gigs going on in the city every day. Venues that are generally in that price band include,(but are not limited to):



Show sold out? I’ve had good experiences with using Scarlet Mist to find face-value tickets - but as with ebay or craigslist, take the usual precautions both for your personal safety and to avoid getting scammed."

- Miss Alice and Kris

* Photo #1 by Cantoreck,Photo #2 by gviciano,Photo #3 by vivoandando,Photo #4 by Nicolas Hoizey,Photo #5 by sarflondondunc, Photo #6 by mic_n_2_sugars all used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

Labels: , , , posted on Thursday, September 02, 2010

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