Free things to do in London this week

Covent Garden’s Royal Opera House is one of London’s most iconic performance venues, pulling in crowds of more than 600,000 each year. But while tickets for its world-leading programme of operas and ballets tend to cost a pretty penny – top-price tickets for its biggest shows can set you back upwards of £250 – that’s not the case for its Live at Lunch performances. Taking place on select Friday lunchtimes throughout the year in the Opera House’s magnificent glass conservatory, the free performances feature a surprise line-up of performers from the Royal Ballet and Royal Opera, alongside a range of guest artists. There’s no need to book; simply turn up nice and promptly on the scheduled date and pick up an entry token on arrival. At around 45 minutes long, you can squeeze one in during your lunch hour if you work nearby, which sounds way more interesting than mindlessly scrolling through Facebook while you wolf down a meal deal at your desk. The Time Out office is just around the corner, so you might even spot an editor or two in the wild. See you there!

For the latest in Goldsmiths CCA’s commissioning series ‘Episodes’, South Korean artist Eunjo Lee showcases her dystopian-filled digital work. Following a narrative centred around figures in the middle ground between human and matter, who sacrifice their bodies to become pure light, the pieces in this exhibition explore themes including the liminal space of acts of creation and the never-ending cycles of life and death.

The Big Egg Hunt returns to the streets of London this Easter, with over 100 decorated large-scale eggs to be found in neighbourhoods across the city. Collect the eggs by ticking them off in the free app to win prizes. If there’s one egg in particular that really takes your fancy, you can bid to take it home for good in a silent auction, with all money raised going to support Elephant Family’s conservation work in South Asia.

Sure, you could go hunting for delicious Easter eggs in the picturesque gardens of London, or you could take on a more urban challenge and take your search to a densely populated shopping area. Kick off your journey at the SoLo Craft Fair before venturing around Brixton Village with your club sheet in hand, solving riddles and busting challenges that will guide you through some of London’s best independent shops. Once you’re done, head back to SoLo Craft Fair and claim your prize – an Easter decoration for the kiddies or a tote bag for the grown ups.

Ghanaian painter Amoako Boafo has had a meteoric rise in the art world over the past couple of years – thanks, in part, to his eyebrow-raising commission of three portraits which were sent into space on Jeff Bezos’s rocket ship in 2021. Tech bros aside, Boafo is interested in subverting Western views of Africa and the diaspora through his brightly coloured oil and paper transfer paintings, and is becoming recognised for his portraits and figurative works. In some pieces, the figures elegantly recline, in others, they sit contemplatively, always with their eyes transfixed on the viewer. Inspired by Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani’s novel, I Do Not Come to You by Chance, this exhibition at Gagosian will be Boafo’s first solo show in the UK.

The famous and historic London rowing contest between the UK’s oldest two universities returns for its 170th edition on Sunday April 13, when crews from Oxford and Cambridge go head-to-head in eight-oared rowing boats across the Thames. Beginning in 1829 for chaps and 1927 for ladies, the annual fixture now attracts around 250,000 spectators to south-west London every year. The four-and-a-quarter mile course runs along the Thames from Putney Bridge to Mortlake and takes around 16 to 18 minutes (Cambridge holds the course record of 16 minutes 19 seconds, set in 1998). The women’s race is usually up first, followed by the men’s race an hour later. Spectators can watch the BBC’s coverage of the race large screens at two riverside Fan Zones in Hammersmith and Fulham, where they’ll also find covered seating, street food vendors, bars and toilet facilities. Putney Bridge, Hammersmith and Kew Gardens tube stations will all be in use on the day, as will Putney, Barnes Bridge, Mortlake or Chiswick rail stations, while Putney Embankment, Thames Bank, Hammersmith Bridge and Barnes Bridge will be closed to vehicles for much of the day.