Things to do in Covent Garden this week

Updated Thursday 15 October. 45 listings, checked this morning.

Covent Garden is the heart of theatreland, with the Royal Opera House, the piazza and its street performers, and the shops and side streets around Seven Dials and Neal’s Yard.

It’s one of the busiest parts of town, and tickets for the big shows are rarely cheap. The cheaper side is in the free exhibitions, talks and smaller venues nearby, all listed here within about a kilometre of the piazza.

Free this week near Covent Garden

Thu 15 Oct, 14:00Free

WC2N · 4 min from Embankment

Heritage in Frame 衣映千年-中国影视与舞台服饰展

Royal Society of Arts

Social & meetupsvia Luma

Thu 15 Oct, 17:00Free

WC2E · 4 min from Covent Garden

Throwback Thursday

STEREO Covent Garden

Nightlifevia DICE

Fri 16 Oct, All dayFree

SW1Y · 5 min from Charing Cross

Founders Launchpad London Pitch Event

116 Pall Mall - Institute of Directors

Talks & classesvia Allevents

Tue 20 Oct, All dayFree

WC1B · 6 min from Goodge Street

Volume 7: Seeds and Structures Launch

Architectural Association

Othervia Eventbrite

Tue 20 Oct, 18:00Free

WC2R · 2 min from Temple

Everyday Tang - On What We Can Learn From a Dynasty

King's Building, Anatomy Museum, KIN 623

Art & culturevia King's College London

Fri 16 Oct, All dayFree

WC2H · 2 min from Covent Garden

Fruit Bowl Fridays

The Crown & Anchor

LGBTQ+

Social & meetupsvia OutSavvy

Thu 15 Oct, 20:30Free

WC2H · 1 min from Tottenham Court Road

Private Funktion with Eman Pav

Moonrays

Nightlifevia DICE

Sun 18 Oct, All dayFree or pay what you can

WC2H · 2 min from Leicester Square

Queer Voices - creative workshop series - movement, voice, writing, music

Charing Cross Library

LGBTQ+

Talks & classesvia OutSavvy

Sat 17 Oct, 19:00Free

WC2R · 5 min from Embankment

Help distribute hot food and drink to rough sleepers on the Strand

Zimbabwe House

Social & meetupsvia GoodGym

Fri 16 Oct, 17:00Free

WC2E · 4 min from Covent Garden

Jukebox Friday

STEREO Covent Garden

Nightlifevia DICE

Mon 19 Oct, All dayFree

WC2R · 2 min from Temple

Centre of European Law 52nd Annual Lecture

King's College London

Talks & classesvia Eventbrite

Sun 18 Oct, All dayFree

W1D · 3 min from Tottenham Court Road

The Sapphic Sunday Gameshow @ She Soho

She Soho

LGBTQ+

Social & meetupsvia OutSavvy

Fri 16 Oct, 19:00Free

W1D · 3 min from Tottenham Court Road

Coven Presents: Feral Fridays

COVEN HEADQUARTERS

Nightlifevia DICE

Mon 19 Oct, All dayFree

WC2N · 3 min from Charing Cross

Making fragile panels last: On the artisanal cultivation of anticipation in painting

National Gallery

Talks & classesvia National Gallery

Tue 20 Oct, 16:30Free

SE1 · 5 min from Waterloo

Southbank Centre: Weekly Arts Club

Southbank Centre

Social & meetupsvia Southwark Presents

Mon 19 Oct, 13:00Free

WC2R · 2 min from Temple

Chinese Business in the UK: What’s Changing?

King's Building, KIN 227

Talks & classesvia King's College London

Mon 19 Oct, 15:30Free

WC2R · 2 min from Temple

China and a Multipolar World Order

King's Building, KIN 227

Talks & classesvia King's College London

Mon 19 Oct, 19:00Free

WC2B · 5 min from Temple

China Week Opening Keynote & Reception - BRICS, the G20 and China

Bush House, Bush House 8th floor

Talks & classesvia King's College London

£10 or less this week

Thu 15 Oct, 11:00£8.50

WC2B · 3 min from Holborn

Sense and Sensibility

The Garden Cinema

Filmvia The Garden Cinema

Thu 15 Oct, 14:30£8.50

WC2B · 3 min from Holborn

Extra Geography

The Garden Cinema

Audio described

Filmvia The Garden Cinema

Thu 15 Oct, 18:30From £7.18

WC1R · 5 min from Holborn

The Peaceful Crystallographer - and Other Songs

Conway Hall

Live musicvia DICE

Thu 15 Oct, 19:00From £6.18

W1D · 3 min from Tottenham Court Road

Shewolf: Lovecat, Hasznat, Lcn, Jayla

COVEN HEADQUARTERS

Nightlifevia DICE

Thu 15 Oct, 19:15£4.50

W1D · 3 min from Tottenham Court Road

Thursday Night Comedy

Soho Comedy House

Comedyvia DICE

Thu 15 Oct, 19:15£10

SW1Y · 2 min from Piccadilly Circus

How to Be a Strong Woman in One Hour - Comedy Show

The Coach House

Comedyvia DICE

Thu 15 Oct, 19:30From £8.10

WC2N · 3 min from Charing Cross

Baroque Classics by Candlelight

St Martin-in-the-Fields

Live musicvia St Martin-in-the-Fields

Thu 15 Oct, 21:00£6.18

WC2H · 1 min from Leicester Square

Zombienation Metal/Nu-Metal/Metalcore Club 9pm-3am

Zoo Bar & Club

Nightlifevia DICE

Thu 15 Oct, 23:00£5.15

W1T · 4 min from Tottenham Court Road

ECHO - Modern Hits / Throwbacks / Fresh Edits

The Roxy

Nightlifevia DICE

Fri 16 Oct, All dayFrom £10

WC2N · 3 min from Charing Cross

The Renoir Girls: Book talk with Catherine Ostler and Christopher Riopelle

National Gallery

Talks & classesvia National Gallery

Fri 16 Oct, 19:00From £10

WC2N · 3 min from Charing Cross

The English Concert: Handel's Scipione

St Martin-in-the-Fields

Live musicvia St Martin-in-the-Fields

Sat 17 Oct, 15:30£1

WC2B · 4 min from Covent Garden

Saturday Stand Up Comedy Afternoon Show

Top Secret Comedy Club, Drury Lane

Comedyvia Top Secret Comedy Club

Sat 17 Oct, 16:00£1

WC2B · 6 min from Covent Garden

Saturday Stand Up 4pm Show

Top Secret Comedy Club, Kingsway

Comedyvia Top Secret Comedy Club

Sun 18 Oct, 15:00From £7.18

WC1R · 5 min from Holborn

Creating Beyond the Mainstream

Conway Hall

Talks & classesvia DICE

Wed 21 Oct, 19:00£10

WC1A · 4 min from Holborn

Róisín Tapponi & Amelia Abraham: Scene City

London Review Bookshop

Talks & classesvia London Review Bookshop

Places to go

Until 1 NovFree

WC2R · 3 min from Temple

There Are No Honest Poems About Dead Women: Jemma Desai

Somerset House

Art & culturevia Somerset House

DailyFree

WC2E · 3 min from Covent Garden

Covent Garden Apple Market

Markets

DailyFrom £29.50 weekdays, from £54.50 at weekends

WC1A · 4 min from Holborn

Sandbox VR Covent Garden

Treat

Social & meetupsvia Attractions

Until 31 OctFree

WC2A · 6 min from Holborn

The Operating Theatre: 250 Years of Surgery in Hospitals

Hunterian Museum

Art & culturevia Hunterian Museum

DailyFree

WC2H · 3 min from Covent Garden

Seven Dials Market

Markets

DailyFrom £47 per person

W1D · 2 min from Piccadilly Circus

The Crystal Maze LIVE Experience

Treat

Social & meetupsvia Attractions

Until 29 NovFree

WC2R · 3 min from Temple

Jenkin van Zyl: Enclosure

Somerset House

Art & culturevia Somerset House

DailySocial Darts from £10 per person

WC1A · 5 min from Tottenham Court Road

Flight Club Bloomsbury

Social & meetupsvia Attractions

Until 17 JanFree

WC2A · 3 min from Holborn

Michael Landy: Future Ruins

Sir John Soane's Museum

Art & culturevia Sir John Soane's Museum

DailyFrom £8 per person

W1F · 3 min from Piccadilly Circus

Clays Soho

Social & meetupsvia Attractions

DailyBundles from £27.50 per person

W1D · 5 min from Tottenham Court Road

Boom Battle Bar Oxford Street

Treat

Social & meetupsvia Attractions

Until 7 FebFree

WC2N · 3 min from Charing Cross

Yinka Shonibare and Thomas Gainsborough: A Conversation

National Gallery

Art & culturevia National Gallery

See more on What’s on

Getting there

A lot of these are near Holborn, Tottenham Court Road, Covent Garden, Temple and Charing Cross. Every listing shows its nearest station and the walk from it, and the event page works out your journey there and home from any postcode.

Covent Garden station gets very crowded and is only a short walk from Leicester Square and Holborn, so walking from either is often quicker.

The main stations are Covent Garden, Leicester Square, Holborn and Charing Cross.

Things to do in Covent Garden this week

Free this week near Covent Garden

Heritage in Frame 衣映千年-中国影视与舞台服饰展

Throwback Thursday

Founders Launchpad London Pitch Event

Volume 7: Seeds and Structures Launch

Everyday Tang - On What We Can Learn From a Dynasty

Fruit Bowl Fridays

Private Funktion with Eman Pav

Queer Voices - creative workshop series - movement, voice, writing, music

Help distribute hot food and drink to rough sleepers on the Strand

Jukebox Friday

Centre of European Law 52nd Annual Lecture

The Sapphic Sunday Gameshow @ She Soho

Coven Presents: Feral Fridays

Making fragile panels last: On the artisanal cultivation of anticipation in painting

Southbank Centre: Weekly Arts Club

Chinese Business in the UK: What’s Changing?

China and a Multipolar World Order

China Week Opening Keynote & Reception - BRICS, the G20 and China

£10 or less this week

Sense and Sensibility

Extra Geography

The Peaceful Crystallographer - and Other Songs

Shewolf: Lovecat, Hasznat, Lcn, Jayla

Thursday Night Comedy

How to Be a Strong Woman in One Hour - Comedy Show

Baroque Classics by Candlelight

Zombienation Metal/Nu-Metal/Metalcore Club 9pm-3am

ECHO - Modern Hits / Throwbacks / Fresh Edits

The Renoir Girls: Book talk with Catherine Ostler and Christopher Riopelle

The English Concert: Handel's Scipione

Saturday Stand Up Comedy Afternoon Show

Saturday Stand Up 4pm Show

Creating Beyond the Mainstream

Róisín Tapponi & Amelia Abraham: Scene City

Places to go

There Are No Honest Poems About Dead Women: Jemma Desai

Covent Garden Apple Market

Sandbox VR Covent Garden

The Operating Theatre: 250 Years of Surgery in Hospitals

Seven Dials Market

The Crystal Maze LIVE Experience

Jenkin van Zyl: Enclosure

Flight Club Bloomsbury

Michael Landy: Future Ruins

Clays Soho

Boom Battle Bar Oxford Street

Yinka Shonibare and Thomas Gainsborough: A Conversation

Getting there

Other areas

More ways to go out for less