Camden on a budget: free things, cheap eats and cheap gigs

Short version: Camden Market is free to walk around, Saturday afternoons in August bring free bands to the Stables, and the pub back rooms of Parkway and Malden Road do gigs for £5 to £10, or nothing. Here is how to string it together.

Free things, starting with the market

Entry to Camden Market, including the Stables and Hawley Wharf, costs nothing. The address is Camden Lock Place, NW1 8AF. Hours are given as 10:00 to 19:00 on the market's visit page, while its FAQ says most traders open 10:00 to 18:00, so aim for the middle of the day and you will be fine. Closed only on Christmas Day.

Today, Saturday 8 August, is a show day for Camden Crescendo, a free event at the Stables Amphitheatre. Live bands, artists and DJs play on Saturdays 1, 8, 15 and 22 August, with local up-and-comers and surprise headliners still to be announced. Check the market's event page for set times before you go.

Thursdays until 27 August bring the North Yard Night Markets: traders in North Yard and the Stables stay open until 21:00, and a free booked ticket gets you a free glass of prosecco at Epicurus, Ester, Pick & Cheese or Meat The Vegans.

While you are in the Stables, the Amy Winehouse statue (unveiled 2014) is free to visit. The Pratt Street murals are free to see too.

The canal and the hill

• Regent’s Canal: the Canal and River Trust describes a two-mile walk from Little Venice to Camden Lock. Nearest stations are Warwick Avenue and Camden Road. You pass Crocker’s Folly pub and skirt Regent’s Park. Trivia for the pub quiz: “Camden Lock” is technically Hampstead Road Lock.
• Primrose Hill viewpoint: NW8 7ED, nearest Tube Chalk Farm, open 24 hours. Skyline views and picnics.

Camden Today also lists Hampstead Heath, Kenwood House and Kentish Town City Farm as free. Kenwood asks for a free ticket booked in advance.

Cheap eats

Prices move, so check before you sit down. These are the places the guides keep coming back to.

• Andy’s Taverna, 23 Pratt Street, NW1: open since 1967 according to Hot Dinners, and also listed by The Infatuation. Classic Greek food: order the skewered souvlaki, dolmades or moussaka, and take a seat in the white-walled courtyard if the sun is out. It sits at the quieter Mornington Crescent end of Camden Town.
• O Tino, 1 Plender Street, NW1: listed by both Thatsup in its affordable restaurants guide and The Infatuation.

For a quick bite in the market itself, Thatsup lists Camden Market as a cheap-eats stop and London Cheapo says new vendors keep turning up in the market hall. Walk the stalls and pick whatever has a queue of people who look like they know.

Gigs under a tenner

The best money-saving move in Camden is skipping the big rooms. The Roundhouse is a wonderful building but a recent listing there ran to £34 plus fees, so it is not your budget night. Go small instead.

• Dublin Castle, 94 Parkway: a pub with live music in a separate back room, with gigs Wednesday to Sunday according to Wikipedia. Tickts says pub gigs here and at Fiddler’s Elbow can be £5 to £10, or free. London Cheapo calls it cheap and friendly, with old band posters on the walls.
• Fiddler’s Elbow, Malden Road: hosting bands since the early 1980s, scruffy and no-frills in Tickts’ words. Visit London says local talent plays on the first Tuesday of every month.
• The Elephant’s Head, Camden High Street: Visit London names it among the small venues, and a student writer in Felix says it hosts free gigs most nights. Very loud, so bring earplugs.

Visit London adds that small venues often sell tickets on the door and that free gigs are common on weeknights. The Jazz Cafe is a stretch: some under-the-radar gigs start from £5, but Tickts puts typical prices at £15 to £25.

A cheap night that is not a gig

The Lock Tavern’s Tuesday quiz is £2 to enter, with a chance to win a £50 bar tab, according to DesignMyNight.

A cheap day, in order

• Morning: canal walk towards Camden Lock.
• Afternoon: Stables for Camden Crescendo, then wander the market.
• Evening: Greek dinner on Pratt Street, then a back-room gig on Parkway.
• Pre-bed: Primrose Hill if you still have legs.

Details: Camden Crescendo, Visit London on Camden Town, Tickts on live music.