Hey Neighbour,
There’s so many things to do in North London this weekend. Here’s the full list.
— Maryam Bitege
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Your guide to what’s happening in North London this week. Events marked with (£) require a ticket in advance.
Castlehaven 40Fest | 📍Castlehaven Community Park, NW1 | 1 August | Free
Castlehaven is turning 40 and throwing a birthday party in the park. There will be live music, food, creative activities and things for children, with everyone invited whether you have known Castlehaven for years or have never been before. Go for a wander, stay for the music and help mark four decades in Camden. 12pm to 5pm.
Les Mots sont des Murs / Words Are Walls / Palabras son Paredes | 📍Cubitt, N1 | 1 August | Free
What happens when the same idea moves between languages and no single translation feels quite right? You will work in a group with old texts from Cubitt’s archive, translating, rewriting and playing with how meaning changes between languages. Seán Elder, Sam Castro and Anahí Saravia Herrera will guide you through each exercise, and what the group creates will be turned into a free poster, text or zine. 2pm to 4.30pm. RSVP required.
Tender Riot: Queer Makers Market | 📍The Common Press, N16 | 2 August | Pay what you can
The Common Press is holding its first queer makers market, with prints, zines, jewellery, badges, homeware and self-published books from LGBTQ+ artists and small businesses. Browse from 12pm to 5pm, then stay for the DJ set and social from 6pm. Entry is pay what you can.
Roundhouse Comedy Festival | 📍Roundhouse, NW1 | 1 to 18 August | (£)
Eighteen days of stand up, live podcasts and big names taking over the Roundhouse. Joe Lycett, Katherine Ryan, Ed Gamble, Sara Pascoe and Sam Campbell are among the headliners, alongside newer acts and solo shows from Kristen Schaal and Jack Rooke. Hundreds of tickets are available for £5 if you are 30 or under, making this a good time to take a chance on someone you have never seen before.
The Flower Factory x Robert Hunter: Ceramics & Ikebana | 📍The Flower Factory, N1 | Until 2 August | Free
Ceramicist Robert Hunter is holding his first London pop-up, and the flowers are part of the work. His handmade bowls, tableware and larger vessels will be paired with ikebana arrangements created around their shape, colour and texture, so each piece changes once the flowers are added. Drop in over the weekend, or come at 11am on Saturday for a free ikebana demonstration. Preview Friday 6pm to 8pm, Saturday 11am to 5pm and Sunday 11am to 3pm.
Kilburn High Road Festival | 📍Kilburn High Road, NW6 | 31 July - 15 August | Free
Sixteen days of free performances, music and exhibitions along Kilburn High Road, made by and for the people who live here. Highlights include Passages, a promenade walk drawing on 95 real stories of Kilburn nights out; Reel Kilburn, an evening of local film history; and the Kilburn House Band playing live at Kilburn Market. Presented by Kiln Theatre.
Tuff Nutterz | 📍Priory Park, N8 | Until 3 August | (£)
This is not your typical bouncy castle tucked into the corner of the park. This is a 300 metre inflatable course with 30 obstacles is taking over Priory Park. It has huge slides, climbing walls, hanging rails and balance balls to get across. Each session gives you one hour and 45 minutes on the course, and adults can have a go too. Under fives need an adult with them, while ages five and over can take it on alone. Tickets from £15. Grip socks required.
Community Orchard Picnic | 📍Broomfield Park, N13 | 2 August | Free
Pack a picnic and sit among the apple trees while local musicians play folk, blues and mellow summer tunes. That Blue Patch, The Reprobates, Oscar Schaffer and Harriet Howarth are on the bill, with refreshments and a tug of war too. This is the rescheduled date after the earlier picnic was postponed. 1pm to 5pm.
The Clocktower Festival | 📍Caledonian Park, N7 | 2 August | Free
Free community festival in Caledonian Park, under the Victorian clock tower the park's known for. Opera singer Mary Bevan sings with a string quartet in the woodland amphitheatre, and there's a bouncy castle, a climbing wall, a dog zone, food stalls and live music. 12pm to 6pm.
Indo-Japanese Supper Club | 📍Cool Carrot, N6 | 2 August | (£)
Two chefs, best friends, cook a five-course meal that folds their two childhood cuisines into one: Japanese and Indian on the same plate. Watermelon with tamarind chutney, cold somen noodles, tiger prawns in coconut and turmeric with hoppers, then a rasmalai made with mochi. You eat at long shared tables, so you turn up not knowing anyone and leave having eaten with strangers. From 6pm.
Secrets of The Simpsons | 📍Upstairs at The Gatehouse, Highgate, N6 | 2 August | (£)
How do you write thousands of jokes, win four Emmys and somehow keep predicting the future? Mike Reiss, who spent 36 years writing for The Simpsons, shares stories from inside the writers’ room, reveals how the jokes are built and explains what really went into some of the show’s most loved years. There is also a Q&A, so come armed with the Springfield question you have always wanted answered. 7pm to 9pm.
Regent’s Roots Festival | 📍Outside Old Diorama Arts Centre, NW1 | 1 August | Free
Regent’s Park Estate takes over the streets for an afternoon of live music, dance, local stalls, arts, play and a big parade celebrating South Asian Heritage Month. Food starts from 1pm, with performances and community activities running throughout the afternoon. 1pm to 6pm.
LNHS Floral Foray | 📍Hampstead Heath | 2 August | Free
This is not a general wildflower walk. Naturalist Liz Andrew will help you search for some of the Heath’s more unusual plants, using records from the Millennial Flora database to see what can still be found today. Meet at the Flagstaff by Whitestone Pond at 10.30am, bring lunch, and expect to be out until around 3pm. All welcome.
Enfield Art Circle Exhibition | 📍Capel Manor Gardens, Enfield | 1 to 16 August | (£)
See what Enfield’s local artists have been painting, drawing and creating at this annual exhibition inside Capel Manor Gardens. Framed works will be on display and available to buy, so you may leave with a new favourite for the wall. Entry is included with garden admission and no booking is needed. Open 10am to 5pm, with last entry at 4pm.
Big Summer Black Marketplace Popup | 📍St Michael’s Church, NW1 | 1 August | Free
More than 50 Black-owned businesses come together for a day of fashion, jewellery, skincare, books, art and food from across the African and Caribbean diaspora. Browse new brands, pick up something you will not find on the high street, then stop for Trini doubles, jerk, jollof or something sweet. 12pm to 6pm. Free ticket required.
ZSL 200th Anniversary History Tour: Pop Culture | 📍London Zoo, NW1 | 2 & 22 August | Free tour, zoo admission required
See London Zoo through the books and films it has inspired, from Winnie the Pooh to Harry Potter. A zoo guide will share stories about the animals, people and architecture that have appeared in popular culture across its 200 year history. Tours start at 11.30am and last around an hour. Book the tour in advance and purchase zoo entry separately.
krankbrother | 📍Finsbury Park, N4 | 1, 2, 7, 8 & 9 August | (£)
Krankbrother brings five days of electronic music to Finsbury Park, turning the outdoor space into a full scale dance floor. Known for pairing carefully chosen DJs with ambitious production, these are big summer parties made for long afternoons outside and dancing well into the evening. Each date is ticketed.
Islington Festival of Music and Art | 📍Various venues across Islington | Until 2 August | (£)
This started as garden concerts during lockdown in 2020 and has since grown into a ten-day festival across Islington. Yoga with a harp, swing dancing at the Angel piazza, Sidney Bechet-inspired jazz, and Edward Elgar meets Oscar Wilde. The theme this year is music inspired by literature, from Shakespeare to Tolstoy and Dante to Wilde. Intimate venues throughout the borough including Little Angel Theatre, Old Sessions House and Christ Church Highbury.
Atunda: Slow Fashion Pop-Up | 📍5 Church Street, Marylebone, NW8 | 1 August | Free
For the days when your usual wardrobe will not do. Eight independent fashion labels are taking over a Marylebone shop with bold pieces made to be noticed, from Y’wande and Templa8te to Flaunt Archive and Gem Bar Lagos. No ticket needed. Drop in between 12pm and 6pm
Short Film Night | 📍The Others, N16 | 2 August | (£)
A mixed bag of short films designed to make you laugh, think and wonder what you just watched. Doors open at 6pm for music and drinks, with the films starting at 7pm and time to chat afterwards. Arrive early for one of the limited sofas and bring cash for the bar. Adults only.