Free things to do

Experience free installations, commissions and events.

From tours to exhibitions, there's something free for all in our public spaces. Browse upcoming events below.

Across the Centre

Concrete and Clay: Archiving the Barbican

Event

Art & design Tours & public spaces

Concrete and Clay: Archiving the Barbican

Free

Tue 27 Aug –Tue 31 Dec 2024

This free installation invites visitors to orient themselves in the buildings and their complex, fascinating histories in an exciting new display at the heart of the Barbican’s Foyers.

Photo of concrete flytower surrounded by trees and plants in the Barbican Conservatory

Event

Tours & public spaces

Visit the Conservatory

Free

Fri 13 –Sun 29 Sep 2024

Visit the second biggest Conservatory in London and explore our hidden tropical oasis.

a painting of a woman by Pamela Phatsimo Sunstrum

Event

Art & design

Pamela Phatsimo Sunstrum: It will end in tears

Free

Wed 18 Sep 2024 –Sun 5 Jan 2025

In her first solo exhibition at a major UK institution, Pamela Phatsimo Sunstrum fills The Curve with theatrical installations, building an imagined world in which to display her paintings.

Event

Art & design

Unravelling Ancestral Threads: Workshop

Past event

Sun 28 Apr 2024, 13:00

NOW FULLY BOOKED

This workshop is a celebration of the beauty, resilience, and cultural heritage of natural indigo dyeing.

ibrahim mahama installation on the barbican lakeside facade

Event

Art & design Tours & public spaces

Ibrahim Mahama: Purple Hibiscus

Past event

Wed 10 Apr –Wed 17 Jul 2024

A new artwork by Ibrahim Mahama transformed our Lakeside Terrace, enveloping the building’s iconic concrete walls with approximately 2000 square metres of bespoke woven cloth.

Event

Tours & public spaces

Squish Space

Past event

Sun 31 Mar 2024

The Squish Space journey has come to a close.

14. Soufiane Ababri installation view, 2024, The Curve © Eva Herzog and Barbican Art Gallery

Event

Art & design

Soufiane Ababri

Past event

Wed 13 Mar –Sun 30 Jun 2024

Moroccan artist Soufiane Ababri’s commission, Their mouths were full of bumblebees but it was me who was pollinated, explored questions of desire, queerness, and diaspora.

Event

Talks & events Theatre & dance Tours & public spaces

Tsunagu/Connect: The Exhibition

Past event

Thu 15 Feb –Tue 2 Apr 2024

Discover this free foyer exhibition informed by over 30 interviews with Japanese women who moved to the UK since 1945. Get an insider's view of what life was like for these fearless pioneers.

An artwork by a member of the Printmakers Council

Event

Library

Surface Challenge by the Printmakers Council

Past event

Fri 2 –Mon 26 Feb 2024

Founded in 1965 the Printmakers Council aims to promote the art of printmaking and the work of contemporary printmakers nationally.

Event

Library

From the Caribbean to Coventry: Plotting the Rise of 2Tone

Past event

Fri 12 Jan –Mon 1 Jul 2024

An exhibition for the fans by the fans going some way to explain not just what 2Tone is but why and how we got there.

Event

Art & design Talks & events Tours & public spaces

What Is Happening Inside?

Past event

Wed 27 Sep –Sun 15 Oct 2023

What Is Happening Inside? is a development programme in which young people produced sound pieces that engaged with what happens inside institutions and considered how communities can take control.

Installation view Barbican Art Gallery 14 September 2023 – 11 February 2024 © Eva Herzog / Barbican Art Gallery

Event

Art & design

Julianknxx: Chorus in Rememory of Flight

Past event

Thu 14 Sep 2023 –Sun 11 Feb 2024

Poet, artist and filmmaker Julianknxx explores themes of inheritance, loss and belonging as he crosses the boundaries between written word, music and visual art.

Event

Art & design Tours & public spaces

Ranjani Shettar: Cloud songs on the horizon

Past event

Sun 10 Sep 2023 –Sun 14 Jul 2024

Our Conservatory hosts a spectacular new site-specific commission by Indian sculptor Ranjani Shettar.

Event

Tours & public spaces

Welcome Tour

Past event

Thu 24 Aug –Sat 9 Sep 2023

Discover the Barbican Centre on one of our free 20 minute tours.

Event

Talks & events Tours & public spaces

Squish Space SEN/D Open Session

Past event

Fri 28 Jul 2023, 10:00

An open Squish Space workshop exclusive to Special Education Needs/Disabled children and their parents/carers.

Image of 5 people standing at Barbican Lakeside

Event

Art & design Talks & events Tours & public spaces

Young Changemakers: The Lift Off

Past event

Thu 20 Jul –Fri 22 Sep 2023

The Young Changemakers pilot Programme was initiated to put young people at the heart of decision-making processes at the Barbican.

What Do We Become title image black background with yellow text

Event

Talks & events Tours & public spaces

What Do We Become

Past event

Fri 14 Apr –Sun 7 May 2023

What Do We Become is an exhibition expanding ideas of identity, home, and belonging.

Group of participants at a workshop around a table

Event

Swimming In These Waters: Shifting Power In The Current Cult

Past event

Fri 24 Feb 2023, 14:00

Navigating the current cultural landscape can often leave us feeling adrift – treading water in an industry that has traditionally leaned heavily on established structures and hierarchies.