Hey Neighbour,
Is it coming home this weekend?
England v Norway, is on Saturday. Yes, the quarter-finals of the World Cup.
I may have missed the Mexico match on Monday (sleep got the better of me) but I won't miss this one.
If you're planning to watch it too, let me know. Where are you watching? Just hit reply and tell me.
-Maryam
Plan Your Weekend:
👀 Spotted
Round Up
Bits and bobs worth knowing.
🍾 Camden Council has just introduced strict new rules regarding drinking alcohol in public: Not an outright ban but officers can now ask you to stop drinking in public spaces if they think you're being antisocial. Refuse and it's a £100 fine.
🚌 Weekend bus travel capped at £1.75 from 25 July:TfL's new Weekend Hopper starts 25 July. Tap in once on a Saturday or Sunday and every bus or tram after that is free for the rest of the day. Runs every weekend until 31 August including bank holiday Monday.
🎸 Glastonbury's off this year so Wembley Park's doing its own free festival: On Sunday 26 July there's free music on Olympic Way under the stadium arch, 2:30pm to 7:30pm. Indie, soul, folk, R&B, string quartet from the Royal Philharmonic. Street food, craft beer, summer market. Free, all ages.
My North London Top Events
Somers Town Festival | 📍Charlton Street, NW1 | 11 July | Free
Free street festival on Charlton Street, headlined by P.P. Arnold, the soul singer behind The First Cut Is the Deepest and Angel of the Morning, who came up as an Ikette with Ike and Tina Turner and later sang with the Small Faces. Four stages of music, a South American dance parade, a hip hop stage, a funfair, Irish and Bangladeshi dancing, and Somers Town's own Greedy Soul and Shae O'Leary. Food stalls, a kids area and a museum trail. 12pm to 6.30pm.
Swipe Vintage Kilo Sale | 📍Broadwalk Shopping Centre, HA8 | 12 July | Free
They hand you a clear bag, you fill it from the rails, and they weigh it at the end: £20 a kilo, priced in 0.05kg steps so you only pay for what you take. Thousands of secondhand pieces from the 60s to the 00s, Adidas, Levi's, The North Face, Reebok, plus shoes at a fiver a pair and heavy things like leather jackets capped at £20. Entry is free but book a ticket so they know how many to expect.
Kaleidoscope Festival | 📍Alexandra Palace Park, N22 | 11 July | (£)
A one-day music and comedy festival in Alexandra Palace Park with views across London. Rudimental headline, with Groove Armada (DJ set), MJ Cole, Black Grape, Roni Size and The Amy Winehouse Band. Russell Kane leads the comedy. Multiple stages, immersive experiences under the Palace, and a family area. Gates open 1pm. Under 16s must be accompanied by an adult over 21.
Love's Labour's Lost | 📍Fortune Green, NW6 | 12 July | (£)
Shakespeare in the Squares stages one play in a different London garden square each summer, and this year they bring Love's Labour's Lost to Fortune Green for one evening only. It's Shakespeare's comedy of flirtation, foolishness and falling in love, directed by Toby Gordon, with Dame Judi Dench as the company's patron. Bring a picnic from 3.30pm, the play starts at 5pm sharp, and it finishes around 7pm with a brief interval in between. Seating is provided but unreserved.
Car Boot Sale at Clitterhouse Farm | 📍Clitterhouse Farm, NW2 | 12 July | Free
Car boot sale in the yard of a historic farm, where the money from every pitch goes towards fixing the roof of the Hayloft. Vintage finds, household bits, toys, books, clothes and whatever the neighbours have cleared out. Bring cash and a bag. 11am to 3pm, and trader pitches are limited if you fancy selling.
A Taste of Home: By Yiayia | 📍UNIT3, N15 | 12 July | (£)
Yiayia means grandmother, and the family behind UNIT3 have put theirs in the kitchen for the day, cooking the Cypriot meze she's cooked their whole lives. Tarama, spanakopita and koupebia to start, keftedes and sheftalia off the grill, galatoboureko and Cypriot coffee to finish. The rest of the family are helping, which they describe as the right balance of order and chaos. You'll meet her. £33.33 a head, with a vegetarian meze and other dietary needs sorted when you book.
JimmyC's Blues Picnic | 📍St Mary's Tower, N8 | 12 July | Free
Seventh year of the blues picnic held in memory of Jimmy Coletsis, and the sixth without him. Bring something to eat and settle in the grounds of St Mary's Tower for nine hours of it: Su Black, the Steve Cook Band and The Space Chickens through the afternoon, then The Bakelites, Joshua Blue and The Bear Pit Band after the open air mass at 4pm, which anyone can join. Tacos, pizza, an ice cream van, face painting and football for the kids. Free, 12pm to 9pm.
The One Kilburn Festival | 📍Kilburn Grange Park, NW6 | 11 July | Free
Free day in Kilburn Grange Park with live music from midday to six, food from local traders, craft stalls, and a bouncy castle and face painting for the kids. Bring a picnic and settle in. Every act on the bill comes from Kilburn itself, from the Music Mile, the ICMP and the Bridge Showcase, with Winnie Ama closing on electronic soul and The Arms Collective playing Motown and soul. Put on by the Friends of Kilburn Grange Park, everyone is welcome.
Clothes Swap | 📍Rosslyn Hall, NW3 | 11 July | (£)
Bring an item of clothing you no longer wear, swap it for tokens, then spend those tokens on something new to you. Rosslyn Hill Chapel runs its first clothes swap in Rosslyn Hall next door (the chapel itself is closed for building works), with refreshments and time to browse and chat across the afternoon. Runs 1.30pm to 4.30pm.
Grenadian Heritage Day | 📍Haringey Rhinos RFC, N22 | 11 July | (£)
Eighteenth year of Grenada's day in North London, held on a rugby pitch in Wood Green. Caribbean food, produce shipped over from the island, cultural performances, children's activities and sports events, ending with a Powder Mas finale. First prize in the raffle is a flight back to Grenada. Adults £12, children £6, under 5s free, family of four £30. 1pm to 8pm.
Source: Stardust Vinatge & Antique Fair
Stardust Vintage & Antique Fair | 📍St Mark's Church, NW1 | 11 July | (£)
Sixty-odd vintage and antique dealers set up inside St Mark's, a church in a canalside garden just past London Zoo, selling jewellery, records, posters, Art Deco glass, lighting and French bits. Tea and homemade cakes when your feet give out. 10am to 5pm.
Picnic in the Park | 📍Hartington Park, N17 | 11 July | Free
For a year, a group of locals have been making things out of paper together, and at 3pm they show it all off in the Paper Parade. Bring food to share and stay for the afternoon: live music from Pan Nation, a family wood workshop with Ariam, a bouncy castle, and shredding, pulp throwing and costumes for anyone who fancies joining in. Everything's free, 2pm to 6pm.
Open Day at OmVed Gardens | 📍OmVed Gardens, N6 | 12 July | Free
OmVed Gardens sits tucked behind Highgate village, a green space built on an old plant nursery, and they're opening it up for the day. Wander the gardens and the rooftop, find the sculptures, join a guided tour, and see the Artist of the Month exhibition. There's a workshop for the kids, and the kitchen is doing seasonal food and botanical drinks. Free to come in, with some activities charged separately. 11am to 3pm.
North London Symphony Orchestra: Wagner | 📍St James Muswell Hill, N10 | 11 July | (£)
Wagner's music is the vast, stormy end of opera, written for enormous forces, and North London's own orchestra is closing its season with an evening of it. They're not professionals, but they've brought in Rachel Nicholls, a soprano who sings these roles for a living, and Robert Max conducts. Hearing this music live usually means a night in a concert hall in town. This is a church in Muswell Hill, and tickets start at £5. Doors 6.45pm, music at 7.30pm.
Big Beat Playground | 📍Victoria Park, N3 | 11 July | (£)
Dance music festival you can bring the kids to. Big Beat Playground is locally run and built around families, and this year it moves outdoors to Victoria Park in Finchley Central.
De Beauvoir Jazz Festival | 📍De Beauvoir Town, N1 | 10 - 12 July | (£)
Three days of jazz across a little neighbourhood between Hackney and Islington. Shows at St Peter's Church, Hoxton Hall, Mildmay Club and the Vortex. Highlights include Ego Ella May (R&B and neo-soul singer, JAZZ FM Best Vocalist winner), Theon Cross (tuba player who blends jazz with dub, grime and sound-system culture) and Mercury Prize nominee Joe Webb on piano. Plus a New Orleans-inspired block party on the Saturday and a special Sunday show from Tuba Skinny, one of the great contemporary New Orleans bands.
Fore Street Summer Fair | 📍Florence Hayes Recreation Ground, N9 | 11 July | Free Florence Hayes Recreation Ground in Edmonton has had 18 months of work, and this free fair marks its reopening. The new play equipment was designed with local kids, including those with special educational needs and disabilities, so it's built for everyone to use. A DJ bus, a family scavenger hunt round the park, face painting, basketball skills and community stalls. 11am to 2pm.
Noel Park Festival | 📍Russell Park, N22 | 12 July | Free
Noel Park's own summer festival returns for a fourth year, held in Russell Park, the biggest green space on this historic Wood Green estate. There's a live music stage, community stalls, food, and an eco-village with activities for all ages. A free afternoon put on for the people who live in and around the estate, and anyone else who wants to come along. 12pm to 5pm.
Idler Festival | 📍Fenton House, NW3 | 10 - 12 July | (£)
Three days of talks, comedy and loafing in the garden of a 17th century Hampstead mansion. Prue Leith, Irvine Welsh, Rowan Williams and more, plus Chris Difford on the stories behind Squeeze songs and Esther Freud on writing her family as fiction. Orchard bar, mezze from Moro chefs, dancing lessons and plenty of time under the apple trees.
In the Footsteps of the Famous | 📍High Barnet, EN5 | 11 July | (£)
David Livingstone, J.M.W. Turner, and Spike Milligan all have connections to High Barnet. Paul Baker, a qualified City of London guide, leads a July walk covering 500 years of High Barnet's famous residents and visitors, royalty, Prime Ministers, and writers including Dickens, Trollope, and Pepys. Paul has lived in Barnet for 35 years and has been leading local walks for 20 years. My North London readers get an exclusive discount, just mention you're part of the neighbourhood when you book. £12 adults (usually £15), £3 under 12s (usually £5). Meet outside High Barnet tube station, 2.30pm, two hours. Book: [email protected] / 07506 761294.
🎊South Asian Heritage Celebrations
July is South Asian Heritage Month, here’s a few events I found.
Camden Mela | 📍Coram's Fields, WC1N | 12 July | Free
Mela means gathering, and this one has been bringing communities together in London since 1992. Live music and dance, food stalls, arts and crafts, funfair rides and family activities at Coram's Fields in Bloomsbury. Noon to 6pm.
South Asian Arts Fest | 📍Ducketts Common, N15 | 12 July | Free
Day of South Asian music, dance, fashion and visual art on Ducketts Common by Turnpike Lane, run by The Community Hub Haringey. Live performances and exhibitions across the afternoon, plus ethno crafts, immersive storytelling and children's theatre, so there's something for the kids too. Family friendly, free entry, 2pm to 8pm with doors at 1pm.
South Asian Heritage Month at The Garden Cinema | 📍The Garden Cinema, WC2B | 11 July | (£)
Eight South Asian films in a day for South Asian Heritage Month, from restored classics to new work. Highlights: the Sundance-winning Cactus Pears with a Q&A from its director, Bend It Like Beckham, and Bhutan's first ever feature with a live lute performance. 10.30am to 10pm.
👀 Spotted
Caught our eye, might catch yours
🎵 Did you know that every Sunday this month there's free live music in the gardens at Muswell Hill Methodist Church (N10)? Different performers each week: jazz, brass, ceilidh, shanties. Gardens open 2pm to 5pm, music from 3pm. Bring a picnic or grab refreshments there.
🎺 Speaking of live music this Sunday, the Symphonic Wind Orchestra of North London is playing at Parliament Hill Bandstand (NW5), 3pm to 5pm.
🎨 Everyday Sunshine in Stokey (N16) is hosting a summer art exhibition with around 50 local artists. For many of them it's the first time they've shown or sold their work. Pieces range from £60 to £3,500. On until 19th July.
📣 Haringey Collective is looking for storytellers as part of London Borough of Culture 2027. If you've challenged expectations, overcome barriers, or made a difference in your community, they want to hear from you.
🏛️ Trent Park Museum of Secrets opens 21st July. It tells two stories: the glamorous interwar parties hosted by Sir Philip Sassoon, and the secret wartime intelligence operation hidden below stairs. There's a new café too.
🔊 If you know, you know: Channel One Sound System is one of London's most legendary reggae and dub sound systems. They're doing a BBQ at Camden Courtyard on Saturday 11th July, 2pm. Caribbean food, hefty speakers. From £16.50. 23 Kentish Town Road, NW5.
🧵 Make and Mend Festival is back at Hornsey Town Hall on Saturday 17th October. If you're a maker, craftsperson or workshop leader and want a stall or to run a session, applications close midday Thursday 16th July.
Got a story or something you want your neighbours to know? Just hit reply.
What’s On This Weekend: 11-12 July 2026
Your guide to what’s happening in North London this week. Events marked with (£) require a ticket in advance.
Women Will Create: The Market | 📍Abney Public Hall, N16 | 11 - 12 July | Free Women Will Create has been running makers markets for women-led small businesses at Abney Public Hall in Stoke Newington since 2022. Founder Rebecca Dickson brings together brands across ceramics, jewellery, baked goods, candles, clothing and vintage, with the lineup changing each time. Free to get in, dog friendly.
DRINK! North London | 📍Ludo's, N22 | 11 July | (£)
Craft Beer City Break and Ludo's run a beer festival in Wood Green celebrating independent breweries from north of the river. Your £25 gets you seven half pints across breweries like Jiddler's Tipple, Muswell Hillbilly, Pressure Drop and Pretty Decent, a festival cup to reuse, and a beer journey ticket to get stamped as you work through them. Street food from Bolland & Crust, seating outside in the yard. Over 18s, from 3pm.
Zinespiration Club: Home Is Where The Heart Is | 📍Community Cafe, Pancras Square, N1C | 11 July | Free
Drop-in afternoon of making your own zine, a little self-published booklet, with Sassify Zine in King's Cross. This session teaches a fold that opens out like a room in a house, then asks you to fill it with what home means to you. Bring nothing, all the materials are there, and the idea is as much about meeting people and swapping stories as the making itself. All ages welcome, with a particular invitation to LGBTQ+ folks aged 16 to 28. 1pm to 4pm.
Southgate Children's Literature Festival | 📍Various venues, N14 | 11 July | (£)
Day of storytelling, theatre and workshops for children aged 12 and under, spread across five venues along Chase Side in Southgate, including St Andrew's Church, the Halo Theatre and the Southgate Club. Authors, illustrators and performers bring books to life, with hands-on sessions through the day. Started last year with National Lottery funding, and back for a second time. 11am to 5pm.
Community Orchard Picnic | 📍Broomfield Park, N13 | 12 July | Free
Broomfield Park has an orchard, and on Sunday you can picnic in it, under the apple trees, with live folk and blues from local musicians like BOXTY, The Stalwarts and Harriet Howarth. There's a tug of war too. Bring a blanket. Free, 1pm to 5pm.
🎟️ Heads up
Upcoming events you should consider booking in advance or planning ahead for. In and out of North London. Events marked with (£) require a ticket in advance.
Cars & Art Vol.10 | 📍Hexagon Classics, N2 | 18 July | (£)
A morning up close with the kind of classic cars and supercars most people only see in photos, parked inside the Hexagon Classics showroom in East Finchley. Coffee and wood-fired pizza on site, and the one rule is no revving and no wheelspins, so it stays civilised. 10am to 1pm.
Ice Heritage Weekend | 📍London Canal Museum, N1 | 25 - 26 July | (£)
Once a year the London Canal Museum opens the Victorian ice wells beneath the building, and this is the weekend. Norwegian ice was once shipped down the Regent's Canal and lowered into these wells, and on Sunday you can climb down into them with a guide, watch Victorian ice cream made without a freezer, and see rare archive film. Saturday is the family day, with storytelling, an ice trail and a hunt through old photos of the ice trade. Boat trips run both days. The Sunday descent is an adults' event, minimum age 12, and needs booking ahead.
Keats House After Hours | 📍Keats House, NW3 | 16 July | (£)
Keats House stays open late for one evening, so you can wander the Regency villa where John Keats wrote some of his best-known poetry, inspired in part by his love for Fanny Brawne, who lived there too. Admission includes the current exhibition, The Nightingale Suite. Drop in any time between 7pm and 8pm.
THANKS FOR READING!
While you're here:
Here's your guide to North London Summer Festivals & Fairs. Want to plan ahead? Your excuses to leave your house this July is right here too.
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