Bits and bobs worth knowing.

☕ Daisy Green Parliament Hill Soft launch:  It's official Daisy Green Parliament Hill is now open. The café has been refurbished with new outdoor seating, long bar, new artwork. Kept Alberto's pasta vongole on the menu. Also doing coffee, pizza, brunch, milkshakes, wine, ice cream.

🛝 Colindale getting its first playground in Heybourne Park: Right now nearest playground is 15 minutes walk away. Barnet Council consulting on £400,000 playground with climbing nets, slides, swings, monkey bars, picnic areas for toddlers to teenagers. Have your say by 6 August, work starts spring 2027.

🏠 Islington has one of the lowest birth rates in the country and according to the BBC this is why: Families are leaving or not having children because of cost. Childcare costs £2,000-£3,000 a month. Renters spend 46% of income on rent. Median house price is 12 times the average salary. 16,794 households on social housing waiting list. London Assembly calling it an "existential challenge."

🍺 Six North London pubs named among UK's best by the Telegraph: Southampton Arms (Highgate Road), Black Lion (Kilburn High Road), The Axe (Stoke Newington), The Robin (Crouch Hill), Wenlock Arms and King Charles I (both Islington) all made the Telegraph's annual list of 650 best pubs in the UK.

Hidden microphones. Seven-minute recordings. A grand country house where German prisoners of war had no idea who was listening.

I recently got an early look inside Trent Park House of Secrets and discovered that its survival is also a story about local people refusing to let an important part of history disappear.

I spoke to the museum team and volunteers about what happened inside, what visitors might otherwise miss and whether it is worth a visit.

Wine Car Boot | 📍Coal Drops Yard, N1C | 25 July | (£)
It’s like a farmers' market but for wine. You’ll see independent wine shops and importers set up out of car boots at Coal Drops Yard, pouring their favourites for you to taste and buy. Free to walk in, then £20 gets you a glass, a tote and your first five tokens, and you drink at shop prices rather than bar prices, so a glass of decent rosé can be £2.50. Cider, beer and vermouth too, plus food and music. Dogs and kids welcome. 12pm to 8pm



Pick Your Own Flowers at GROW Farm | 📍GROW Farm, Totteridge Academy, N20 | 25 July | Free
Cut your own flowers on a working farm in Totteridge, fill a jar and take them home, from £4. One woman who went last year said she felt she was in a little bit of heaven, and would have enjoyed it even without the flowers, just walking round, sniffing, being among them. Sunflowers, cosmos, snapdragons, all grown without chemicals, and what you pay helps teach local young people to grow. Book a free place, 10am to 2pm.

Wembley Park Live | 📍Wembley Park, HA9 | 26 July | Free
You’ll see 8 acts across soul, funk, folk and pop, plus a Royal Philharmonic Orchestra string quartet, with street food and market stalls. Free, but you need to book in advance.

Islington Boot Fair | 📍Vittoria Primary School, N1 | 26 July | Free
New boot fair is opening in Islington, in the school playground on Treaty Street by the canal, and running every other Sunday from here on. Vintage clothes, books, records, homeware, toys, plants, tools and whatever else the sellers have turned out, from a family running it as a preloved and vintage market. Come early for the good stuff. 9am to 4pm.

Elmhurst Summer Garden Party | 📍The Elmhurst, N17 | 25 July | Free /(£)
Ska played on ukuleles, with kazoos, in a pub garden. The Ukulele Ska Collective do two sets of Prince Buster, The Specials and Toots and the Maytals, with vinyl DJs between them, an outdoor bar and food all day. Free in, but book ahead and you get two-for-one cocktails. 3pm to 10.30pm.

AG Fest 2026 | 📍Copthall Playing Fields, NW4 | 25 July | (£)
DJ AG, the street DJ whose live sets took off online, throws his first festival on Copthall Playing Fields in Barnet. Two stages running across genres from midday to 10pm, with food from around the world, a funfair, face painting and ice cream vans for the kids. Lyrics are kept clean so it works for all ages, the site is wheelchair accessible, and there's a free shuttle all day from the nearest tube. Family tickets need everyone to arrive together.

1-Hour Reading Rave | 📍Gasholder Park, N1C | 26 July | Free
It's called a rave but really it's an hour of strangers sitting in a park reading books with their phones off. Bring something to read and something to sit on, and stick around after to swap recommendations. Free, RSVP for a spot, 2pm to 3pm.



Wolves Lane Community Fun Day | 📍Wolves Lane Centre, N22 | 26 July | Free
Free family day at the Wolves Lane Centre, a working plant nursery under glass in Wood Green. Wander the site on a guided tour, buy plants grown there, and stay for live music, market stalls, games and food. Register for a free ticket. 12pm to 6pm.



The Great Enfield Vintage & Collectibles Fair | 📍St Stephen's Church Hall, EN1 | 25 July | (£)
Spend a quid to rummage through Victorian glass, vintage records, old perfume bottles, jewellery and cigarette cards, sold by the same local stallholders month after month. Fry-ups, soup and cake in the cafe all day, and a table to sit at if you come alone. £1 in, kids and dogs free. 9am to 3pm.

Grand Summer Fête | 📍Art Workers' Guild, WC1N | 25 July | Free
A summer fête where the games are made and run by real artists and designers, the Art Workers' Guild, going since 1884. Toy theatre, fortune telling, a photo studio and plenty to have a go at, in their Bloomsbury hall. Free, bring the family. 12pm to 5pm.

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.

Click below to see full weekend list.👇

Opening or launching something? Noticed a change in your neighbourhood? Got a local story, observation or point of view worth sharing? Reply to this email. A photo, link or a few lines is plenty.

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.