A diverse range of free events spanning history, art, science, fitness and community activities is being offered across the UK this month, providing accessible entertainment to combat post-holiday blues.
St Albans Museum + Gallery is hosting the Inns and Alehouses exhibition, featuring nearly 100 historic pubs through photographs and Victorian memorabilia that spotlight the city’s drinking culture history.
In Brighton, the Sussex Baby Lab is running a study on babies’ attraction to natural patterns for infants aged zero to 12 months, with participants receiving a sensory baby book and certificate. The study continues through February 1.
Somerset House in London is presenting Creating Patterns by artist Harold Offeh, which captures roller skaters’ movements responding to emotional prompts on large-scale prints.
Several events are scheduled for January 10. Gymshark66 in Solihull will stage the Gymshark Lift Club event, tied to the global GS66 2026 fitness challenge, offering free training sessions, challenges and discounts for those pursuing New Year fitness resolutions.
Sheffield’s Fan Zone for the European Figure Skating Championships begins the same day, providing free public ice skating and family activities alongside entertainment. The Scottish Storytelling Centre in Edinburgh Old Town will also host students reading novel extracts and discussing writing processes on January 10, with donations recommended though no one turned away.
On January 11, Highbury Orchard in Birmingham holds a Winter Wassail event centred on blessing trees, featuring poetry readings, singing and hot spiced apple juice. London’s No Trousers Tube Ride is scheduled for the same date, allowing participants to travel the Underground in humorous, spontaneous fashion.
Burton at Bideford in Devon is displaying 26 lithographs by Joan Miró celebrating Robert Desnos’ poetry until January 18. Gosport Museum and Art Gallery features The Magic of Middle Earth exhibition, with Tolkien-inspired paintings and Lego sets, running through January 24.
The University of Salford’s New Adelphi Exhibition Gallery is showing Mediated Realities, addressing global issues through reworked media imagery, until January 30.
