Theater/Music/Dance

Ride the Tube to Oxford Circus / Piccadilly Circus for some free authentic rhythm and blues. Ain't Nothin' But . . . the Blues Bar has free admission to its club Sunday-Wednesday, Thursday (before 9:30 p.m.), and Friday-Saturday (before 8:30 p.m.). Check out the "blues jams" on Sundays, and the open mic sessions on Saturday afternoons.

The Guildhall School of Music and Drama has a wide range of free music concerts available to the public. From percussion and jazz groups to chamber music and opera ensembles, the extensive list of events is sure to please any budget traveler.

Parisian chic meets country at Jerusalem on Rathbone Place. Downstairs is a dark, gothic pub where music pumps nightly, and comes complete with a "Dress-Up Booth" with costumes for themed nights. Admission is free on Thursdays, when DJs spin from 9 p.m., and on Fridays and Saturdays before 10 p.m.

The Scoop is an 800-seat sunken amphitheater at More London that hosts free theater, concerts, and film screenings in the summer.

St Martin-in-the-Fields, a church (with English- and Chinese-speaking congregations) in Trafalgar Square, has free lunchtime concerts (doors open at 12:30 p.m.) featuring a variety of local classical music performers (Beethoven Piano Society of Europe, Royal College of Music, guitar trios, and saxophone quartets). Perfect for a relaxing, rainy afternoon. Donations are accepted.

Theatre Royal offers free nightly entertainment in its Theatre Royal Bar. Take the train to Stratford Station and enjoy comedy nights every Monday (8 p.m.) and the last Sunday of the month, poetry readings on the first and third Sundays (7:30 p.m.), and live music every night of the week—all for free.