For some the four-day weekend means solemn contemplation, for others family reunions and for many, the opportunity for a very long sesh. Yet ambitions beyond that don’t have to stay low due to worries over money. Here’s the best of London’s free events, exhibitions and parties that should be on your radar over the Easter weekend.
Strictly Vinyl Free Easter Thursday Special
A good local boozer that turns a bit dancey? Please. These are the sorts of slightly pubby, slightly clubby nights that don’t seem to kick around as much as they once did. At the Horatio on Holloway Road, it’s free entry and two-for-one cocktails with a DJ until midnight focusing on soul, funk, R&B and disco. Pro tip: eat at Sambal Shiok (sambalshiok.co.uk) opposite before dancing the night away.
Horatia Pub, April 6; thehoratia.co.uk
The Dysfunctional Easter Sunday
From 11pm on Sunday until 6am Monday, Dysfunctional take over the heady club Lightbox in Vauxhall. This under-the-arches haunt is always packed and free tickets are still available for the main Sunday night bash — just create a free account on Resident Advisor. DJs Art E Fact, Essence and Sophie Lorena are all in the line up set to take you into Monday morning.
Lightbox, April 9; ra.co
The Passion of Jesus
For those looking to celebrate the true meaning of Easter, Trafalgar Square is hosting its annual free performance; The Passion of Jesus. Performed this year from noon until five by the Wintershall players, expect this event to be very busy as it usually draws a considerable crowd.
Trafalgar Square, April 7; london.gov.uk
Easter Sunday at Trapeze
Trapeze Bar in Great Eastern Street hosts a near-daily club night and this weekend it’s going all out with a slew of celebrations. Sunday night, though, is definitely one for us cheapskates. Open until 2.30am and closing out the Easter-themed weekend, this free-to-attend event — with entry before 11pm — will feature resident DJs and plenty of Easter-related revelry.
Trapeze Bar, April 9; trapezebar.co.uk
Rites of Passage
Visitors arriving at Gagosian’s large Britannia Street venue will be welcomed with black neon text that reads I AM HERE BECAUSE YOU WERE THERE. This work, called Ode to David Lammy MP, is by Elsa James, one of 19 contemporary artists who feature in the show and who share a history of migration. The exhibition explores the act of movement and the status of post-colonial black identity, with several artists inspired by the Windrush generation.
Gagosian Britannia Street, to April 29; gagosian.com
Pilvi Takala: On Discomfort
Finnish artist Pilvi Takala uses her work to explore, and gently push, the boundaries of behaviour and social norms. She uses video, performance and installation, and a “softly disruptive” attitude, which prompts often humorous and sometimes threatening responses in those around her. This show in south London follows her working covertly as a security guard at one of Finland’s largest shopping malls for six months.
Goldsmiths CCA, to June 4; goldsmithscca.art
The Ugly Duchess
Quinten Massys’s 1513 portrait is one of the best-known faces in the National Gallery. Dubbed “The Ugly Duchess”, this magnificent lady is the centrepiece of an exhibition looking at beauty and satire during the Renaissance. Finally reuniting her with her companion An Old Man — lent from a private collection — this small show explores the picture as a pioneering new form and attitudes to older women (yes, not much has changed). It also includes some fine sketches by Leonardo da Vinci.
National Gallery, to June 11; nationalgallery.org.uk
A Hard Man is Good to Find!
This bold exhibition journeys through six decades of queer photography of the male physique. Including work by Cecil Beaton, Basil Clavering, Ajamu X and many more it celebrates the clandestine visual culture of male bodies, which emerged after the Second World War during a time when making and distributing such images was a criminal offence. There is no age restriction on the show but the website points out it includes nudity and sexually suggestive scenes.
Photographer’s Gallery, to June 11; thephotographersgallery.org.uk
Yinka Ilori: Parables for Happiness
Need something to amaze the kids and cheer you up at the same time? Look no further than this display by designer and architect Yinka Ilori. With 100 objects ranging from artworks to textiles and photographs, all in a riot of colour.
Design Museum, to June 25; designmuseum.org
The Paradisical Pictures
This week marked the opening of The Paradisical Pictures at the Gilbert & George Centre, the national treasures’ new public space off Brick Lane. It is described on the website as if the pre-Raphaelite artists of the mid-19th century “had envisioned science fiction”. An intriguing sales pitch.
Gilbert & George Centre, ongoing; gilbertandgeorgecentre.org
W1 Curates x Cozomo de’ Medici presents BEEPLE
Befuddled by NFTs and digital art? Come to Oxford Street to see the European debut of one of the most famous artists in the medium: Beeple, with animations, introspective films and previously unseen work. Beeple (AKA Michael Joseph Winkelman), rose to fame in 2021 when his NFT called Everydays: The First 5000 Days was bought for $69.3 million at Christies.
