The City of London will be the venue for a host of events and activities throughout the summer and beyond many/most of which may be attended free of charge.  Listed below are some of the highlights – with links to learn more about the individual events.

Last year’s City of London Beerfest in the Guildhall Yard

Guildhall Yard Lunch Market
22 June 2017, 12noon – 2.30pm
For future dates please check the website
Guildhall Yard, EC2V 5AE
https://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/things-to-do/visit-the-city/whats-on/Pages/guildhall-yard.aspx

Guildhall Yard hosts a regular lunch market with more than 20 stalls serving up mouth-watering dishes from around the world. Feast on some proper Greek wraps, Jamaican jerk chicken, cracking Korean dumplings and more. If you have time, and room, for dessert, there are also plenty of sweet treats, including gourmet brownies and decadent doughnuts. So ditch the packed lunch, leave the office and get out into the fresh air.

Great Parchment Book on rare display
until 10 August 2017, Mon – Sat 10am – 5pm, Sun 12-4pm
FREE ADMISSION
City of London Heritage Gallery, Guildhall Art Gallery, EC2V 5AE
https://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/THINGS-TO-DO/VISIT-THE-CITY/ATTRACTIONS/GUILDHALL-GALLERIES/Pages/Heritage-Gallery.aspx

The ‘Domesday Book of the Ulster Plantation’, the Great Parchment Book compiled in 1639 documents the land and contracts the City of London and its Livery Companies managed in Northern Ireland following the deliberate settlement of Protestants in Ulster by James I. A highly significant historical source, it was inscribed to the UK register of the UNESCO Memory of the World in June 2016.

Illegible for over 200 years after being damaged by a fire at Guildhall in 1786, the book is on rare display in the City of London Heritage Gallery following an extensive restoration project.

#LondonTrending
until 28 August 2017, Mon – Sat 10am – 5pm, Sun 12-4pm
FREE ADMISSION
Guildhall Art Gallery, EC2V 5AE
https://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/things-to-do/visit-the-city/attractions/guildhall-galleries/Pages/londontrending.aspx

​From the mid-20th century through to the early 00s, London was at the heart of a cultural explosion.

Collaborations between groups of artists based in the capital heralded era-defining work and propelled London to the centre of the art world. From the radical Independent Group, challenging the dominant modernist culture, to the Young British Artists employing shock tactics and adopting new processes – their work shaped the creative landscape.

Featuring some of the 20th century’s most innovative art from Damien Hirst, Richard Hamilton and Peter Blake among others, Guildhall Art Gallery’s exhibition #LondonTrending documents the rise of London’s artists through a display of limited edition prints on loan from British Land.

Echoes Across the Century
until 16 July 2017, Mon – Sat 10am – 5pm, Sun 12-4pm
FREE ADMISSION
Guildhall Art Gallery, EC2V 5AE
https://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/things-to-do/visit-the-city/attractions/guildhall-galleries/Pages/echoes-across-the-century.aspx

Join a lunchtime talk with artist Jane Churchill as she looks at personal stories from World War I. This exhibition explores the emotions felt as those involved grappled with separation from loved ones and kept the country moving. Afterwards, immerse yourself in this multisensory journey that explores heritage, memory and loss in this exhibition that is part museum, part archive of dreams.

Londinium
27 July – 31 October 2017
City-wide events, many free of charge
https://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/things-to-do/visit-the-city/whats-on/Pages/londinium.aspx

The Romans are Coming…

Celebrating the Roman foundations of the City of London, Londinium will unearth some of the City’s long lost stories and its deepest buried secrets. Featuring new arts commissions from Boy Blue Entertainment and Wiretapper, the much anticipated opening of the London Mithraeum, a new play on the warrior queen, Boudica, at Shakespeare’s Globe, and Gladiator Games on the site of London’s amphitheatre, Londinium promises to uncover the Romans hidden in our basements. The season will also feature a wide variety of events, including exhibitions, walks, talks, tours and lectures, all in the place where London began.

Look out for further details from mid-June, sign up to our mailing list to keep up to date. http://eepurl.com/cL4nfL

Books and Publishing in the City
until 31 August 2017, Mon-Fri 9.30am-5pm; Wed until 7.30pm. Open alternate Saturdays.
FREE
Guildhall Library, Aldermanbury EC2V 7HH
https://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/things-to-do/guildhall-library/events-exhibitions/Pages/books-and-publishing-in-the-city.aspx

Artist-in-residence Simon Gregor explores the theme of books and publishing in the City of London. From the newspapers of Fleet Street to the publishing houses around St Paul’s, the City has a long association with print and publishing. This photography exhibition combines images of streets, buildings, and individual documents, and with a particular focus on Stationers’ Hall, it accompanies the exhibition Stationers not Stationary.

Art Night
1 – 2 July 2017, 6pm until late
FREE Multiple locations across the City.
Visit the website for details. https://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/things-to-do/visit-the-city/whats-on/Pages/Art-Night-2017.aspx

This free festival of contemporary arts in extraordinary spaces explores London’s history, culture and architecture. Art Night 2017 will see the East End transformed with art, performance, and music by some of the world’s leading artists curated by independent curator and writer Fatoş Üstek. Enjoy events in the Bascule Chamber at Tower Bridge, the Masonic Temple at Andaz Liverpool Street and Exchange Square, Broadgate.

City Beerfest
6 July 2017, 12.30pm-9pm FREE (drink tokens available for purchase, check website for details) Guildhall Yard EC2V 5AE
https://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/things-to-do/visit-the-city/whats-on/Pages/City-Beer-Festival.aspx

City Beerfest, now in its fifth year, returns to Guildhall Yard for another round. More than a dozen of Britain’s most popular breweries gather together to serve up a selection of beers, along with live music on stage throughout the day. This year’s line-up promises to be better than ever before.

Sculpture in the City
From 28 June 2017, open air art
FREE
Various locations around the City
https://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/things-to-do/visit-the-city/art-architecture/sculpture-in-the-city/Pages/introduction-to-sculpture-in-the-city.aspx

The annual free public art programme is back. Explore the urban sculpture park, featuring cutting-edge works by internationally renowned artists including Georg Baselitz, Gavin Turk and Damien Hirst, set amongst architectural landmarks including the Gherkin.

Stationers not Stationary
1 June – 31 August 2017, Mon-Fri 9.30am-5pm; Wed until 7.30pm. Open alternate Saturdays.
FREE
Guildhall Library, Aldermanbury EC2V 7HH
https://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/things-to-do/guildhall-library/events-exhibitions/Pages/stationers-and-newspaper-makers.aspx

The Worshipful Company of Stationers and Newspaper Makers’ have been at the forefront of printing and publishing for 600 years. Discover how and why the Stationers’ Company remains relevant to those in the content and communications industries, in a world of global internet access and instant communication.

Song in the City
5, 12, 19, 26 June 2017, 1.10pm-1.55pm
FREE
The Hall, St Botolph without Bishopsgate EC2M 3TL
www.songinthecity.org

Join in this series of free Monday lunchtime concerts that takes classical music out of its comfort zone. Programing concerts around inventive and often challenging themes, Song in the City brings together talented singers and pianists. Regular collaborations with performers from other artistic disciplines also take place.

A Smarter City
until 16 December 2017, Mon-Sat 10am-5pm (City model exhibition Fri-Sat only)
FREE
The City Centre, 80 Basinghall Street EC2V 5AG
www.thecitycentre.london

To create a City that is competitive, open, interconnected and intelligent, the City must embrace new technologies. The City Centre’s latest exhibition displays shortlisted entries to the ideas competition – A Smarter City. Exhibited alongside the architectural model of the Square Mile, there will also be an overview of global smart city projects.