Reach 4,700+ engaged North Londoners. Partner with My North London.
Hey Neighbour,
There’s so many things to do in North London this weekend. Here’s the full list.
— Maryam
Someone thought you'd like this? They're right. Join 4,700+ neighbours here.
⏳Still On
Catch them while you can.
Regent's Park Music Festival | 📍Regent's Park, NW1 | Until 20 September | Free
Every Sunday all summer, there's a free band playing in Regent's Park. Jazz, brass, steel and concert bands, with swing dancing on five Sundays and jazz on selected Saturdays. Now in its tenth year.
Pop Up Summer Proms | 📍Waterlow Park, N6 | 23 August | Free
Waterlow Park’s free Sunday concerts continue this week with The Monoversals, a local Camden band bringing blues and reggae to the North Shelter. Grab one of the chairs provided, or bring your own spot to sit, and spend an hour listening in the park near the Sir Sydney Waterlow statue. 2.30pm to around 3.30pm.
Coggers Family Fun Fair | 📍Friary Park, N20 | Until 23 August | Free entry
Coggers family fun fair comes to an end this weekend with children’s rides, family attractions, bigger thrill rides, games, prizes and all the usual funfair food. Entry is free, then you pay for rides with tokens, starting at £1.20 each or £10 for 10.
King’s Cross Summer Sounds | 📍Coal Drops Yard, N1C | 13 to 23 August | Free
There’s so much to do at King’s Cross Summer Sounds, including the Motown Gospel Choir performing more than 20 classic hits, and Parade: The Giant Wheel, a striking outdoor procession built around a 12 foot wheel powered by five dancers, live music and a large community cast. The wider festival is still running too, with free performances across Coal Drops Yard until 23 August.
The Camden Fringe | 📍Various venues across Camden and beyond | Until 30 August | (£)
Camden Fringe is still going, with more than 450 shows spread across 39 venues. This week includes Kabbarli: An Irishwoman in the Desert, a 50 minute one woman world premiere based on the true story of an Irish woman who arrived in Australia in 1883 and became involved in the lives of First Nations people, and Gammelstad, a new coming of age play set in 1860s northern Sweden about a brother and sister trying to find their own way through a difficult family life. Both are world premieres, with plenty more theatre, comedy, music, dance and new writing still running across the Fringe.
St Giles’ Book Fair | 📍St Giles’ Cripplegate, EC2Y | Until 1 September | Free
If you like rummaging through second hand books, this is one of only four chances a year to catch St Giles’ Book Fair. Long tables of used books fill the church, so you can browse properly, pick up something unexpected and come back another day if one visit is not enough. No booking needed. Open daily from 11am to 6.30pm.
Your guide to what’s happening in North London this week. Events marked with (£) require a ticket in advance.
Guided Bird Walk | 📍Walthamstow Wetlands, N17 | 23 August | (£)
Learn how to spot and identify the birds living around Walthamstow Wetlands on this beginner-friendly walk with the London Wildlife Trust. The route lasts around 90 minutes, with tips along the way and a few binoculars available to borrow. Sightings are never guaranteed, but that is part of the fun. Adults and ages 11+ with an adult.
Margarita Journey | 📍Starts at Sorbito, N16 | 22 August | (£)
Spend the afternoon hopping between three bars, with a margarita in each and tequila or mezcal samples along the way. A host will lead the walk, share a little local and drinks history, and take you into a mix of hidden spots and neighbourhood favourites. Expect three margaritas, three spirit tastings and plenty of time to settle in between stops. 2pm to 4.30pm.
Hackney Flea Market | 📍Abney Public Hall, N16 | 22 to 23 August | Free
Forty vintage traders take over Abney Public Hall with furniture, records, old clothes, French homeware, lamps, textiles and plenty of things you were not looking for until you saw them. It is free to enter, dog friendly and right by the cafés, pubs and independent shops of Stoke Newington Church Street. Open 10am to 5pm both days.
CIRCLES: Pre-Carnival Rooftop Fete | 📍Bubba Oasis, Islington, N1 | 23 August | (£)
Carnival starts early on the roof at Bubba Oasis. CIRCLES is putting on its only Carnival day fete of the year, with Dancehall, Reggae and Soca at the centre, plus Afrobeats, Amapiano, R&B, Hip Hop and UK Funky mixed in across the evening. The dress theme is “rep your country”, with a prize for the best dressed, and there will also be giveaways and a few surprises on the night. DJs include LOGIK, Ethan Porte and YEMIOLASH. 5pm to 11pm, last entry 7pm. Ages 25+. Tickets start from free.
London Gaming Market | 📍Royal National Hotel, WC1H | 23 August | (£)
Go looking for the game you were obsessed with as a child, or the console you wish you had kept, or something wonderfully unnecessary for the shelf. Traders fill the hotel with retro games, consoles, rare imports, artwork and gaming memorabilia. Entry gets cheaper through the day, from £9 at 10.30am to £4 after 3pm, when it is usually calmer. Under fives go free, and under 16s are free with a paying adult after 3pm. Open until 4.30pm.
Hidden Green Trail | 📍Finsbury Park Station, N4 | 23 August | (£)
Follow an old railway line through some of North London’s greenest corners, from the Parkland Walk and Highgate Wood to the views at Alexandra Palace. The 9 to 10km route takes around three hours, with breaks for photos, and finishes in Hornsey at a Victorian pub for anyone who fancies a drink. Meet at 2pm for a 2.10pm start.
UKCardExpo | 📍The Compton School, North Finchley, N12 | 23 August | (£)
Whether you already have folders full of Pokémon, Yu Gi Oh or other trading cards, or you are just curious about why people collect them, this new North Finchley show is an easy way in. Browse tables of cards, watch people buy, sell and swap, hunt for rare finds or bring your own collection and see what it is worth to other fans. 11am to 4pm, with free and paid entry options. Under 14s must come with an adult and there are 100+ free parking spaces.
Paint Party at The Bohemia | 📍The Bohemia, N12 | 22 August | (£)
You start the afternoon with a blank canvas and a welcome shot, then Lyla and Tia guide you through a painting step by step, even if you have not picked up a brush since school. While you paint, DJ Ramos is on the decks and Rosie joins on live sax, before the tables give way to more of a day party. All materials are included and you take your painting home. 2pm to 6pm. Tickets £35.
Petals & Pilates | 📍The ARC Cafe, N1 | 23 August | (£)
This is three Sunday plans rolled into one. You start with a guided Pilates class, sit down to brunch, then learn how to arrange your own bunch of flowers to take home. The £55 ticket covers the class, all your flowers and materials, a brunch buffet, a coffee, matcha or smoothie, plus a goodie bag at the end. No flower arranging experience needed. 11am to 2pm.
Flower Bouquet Picnic | 📍Regent’s Park, NW1 | 22 August | (£)
A picnic with something to do besides just sitting on the grass. You will spend the morning making your own flower bouquet, then eat, chat and get to know other women in Regent’s Park. It is aimed at anyone who fancies a slower, more creative way to meet people, and you do not need to know anything about flower arranging to join in. Meet by Holme Green Bandstand from 11.30am to 2pm.
Fenton House & Pergola Gardens Walk | 📍Hampstead, NW3 | 22 August | (£)
Ever wanted to have a proper look around Fenton House? This Saturday walk starts inside the 17th century National Trust home, where you can explore its ceramics, historic musical instruments and needlework, before heading over to the Pergola Gardens for a wander and some optional sketching. You do not need to be into architecture or drawing to join. Meet outside Hampstead Tube at 10.30am. The walk finishes around 1pm, with the option to bring a picnic for Golders Hill Park afterwards. Fenton House entry is £14, or free for National Trust members.
Hampstead Heath Nature Walk & Swim | 📍World Peace Garden, NW3 | 23 August | (£)
A slow Sunday afternoon on Hampstead Heath with a walk, a swim and a picnic built into the same plan. You will meet near Hampstead Heath station, walk together through the Heath to Kenwood Ladies Pond, then those who fancy it can swim before the group settles down for some simple art making, food and conversation afterwards. You can come alone, and you can also skip the swim and just join the walk, art and picnic. Meet at 2.30pm, finishing around 6pm. If you want to swim, you need to separately book the 3.45pm Kenwood Ladies Pond slot when tickets are released one week before.
The Great Fire | 📍Trinity Square Gardens, EC3N | 22 Aug | (£)
Jonnie, the man behind Bowl of Chalk, has been leading London walks for more than 15 years, but this one is unusual even for him. It is the only themed walk he currently runs and, he says, possibly the only one he ever will. You will follow the Great Fire of 1666 from what was happening in London before the flames began, through the four days that destroyed nearly 14,000 homes and 87 churches, hearing how it started, why it spread, how Londoners reacted and what happened afterwards. Jonnie also digs into some of the darker and stranger details that tend to be left out of the school version. Bowl of Chalk has previously been named by Time Out as one of London’s best walking tours.
Life Drawing at Mori Homemade | 📍Mori Homemade, N1 | 22 August | (£)
Wanted to try life drawing but felt like you needed to know what you were doing first? This Saturday morning session is designed for beginners as much as regular sketchers. You will spend 90 minutes drawing from a live model, with all the materials provided, while having a coffee or matcha and meeting other people around the table. You can bring your own sketchbook if you prefer, but you do not need any previous art experience. 10.30am to 12pm, with doors from 10.20am.
Soul City: Day & Night Party | 📍Camden, NW1 | 22 August | (£)
One party, two Camden venues and 12 hours of music. Soul City starts the afternoon outside at Campfire, the courtyard at Two Tribes Brewery, where its DJs play house and dancefloor favourites through the afternoon and into sunset. At 10.30pm, the party moves around the corner to Jazz Cafe, where the same crowd carries on indoors until 3am. You can do the whole thing from day to night, or skip the outdoor part and just join the late session. Day and night tickets start from £10, with night only tickets from £5. 18+.
Marionettes: An Exhibition Celebrating String Puppets | 📍Little Angel Workshop, N1 | 22 August to 6 September | Free
Little Angel Theatre is turning 65, and instead of just looking back at old productions, it is opening up a collection of the string puppets that helped shape its history. You will see marionettes, the puppets controlled by strings from above, made by British makers across six decades, from founders John and Lyndie Wright to artists working today. The exhibition also looks at why the craft has become so rare, with fewer than five people in Britain currently making a living carving marionettes. Free to visit, but you need to book a timed slot.
Drink, Death & Debauchery Walking Tour | 📍Tottenham Court Road to Bloomsbury | 23 August | (£)
London in the 1700s was a very different city. Gin was so cheap that half a pint could cost a penny, and the craze around it became tangled up with poverty, crime and some of the city’s darkest stories. Historian and guide Bridget Chandler leads this two hour walk through St Giles, Seven Dials and Covent Garden, stopping at places connected to Gin Lane, gallows, plague pits and prostitution.
Wonderful Wildlife Weekends | 📍Camley Street Natural Park, N1C | 23 August | Free
Right in the middle of King’s Cross is a little nature park with a pond full of things most of us would normally walk straight past. This family session gets children down to the water with nets to see what they can actually find living in it, before heading around the park to lift logs and look for beetles, bugs and other minibeasts hiding underneath. It is hands on rather than a guided talk, and you can simply drop in and join. Meet at the pond dipping platform.
Pop Up Summer Proms: Duo Tânwen | 📍Waterlow Park, N6 | 16 August | Free
Waterlow Park’s free Sunday concerts continue this week with The Monoversals, a local Camden band bringing blues and reggae to the North Shelter. Grab one of the chairs provided, or bring your own spot to sit, and spend an hour listening in the park near the Sir Sydney Waterlow statue. 2.30pm to around 3.30pm.
Mad Dog Bites at Parliament Hill Bandstand | 📍Parliament Hill, NW5 | 23 August | Free
Parliament Hill’s bandstand gets a rock soundtrack this Sunday. Mad Dog Bites are taking over for two hours of live music, so bring a rug, something cold to drink and claim a spot on the grass around the bandstand. It is part of the City of London’s free Sunday concert series on the Heath. 3pm to 5pm.
Tower Gardens Pavilion Summer Fiesta | 📍Tower Gardens Park Pavilion, N17 | 23 August | Free
Tower Gardens has a new shared community space, and this Sunday they are throwing a fiesta to introduce it properly. Expect food, music, face painting, piñatas and family activities around the pavilion, with the afternoon designed as an easy way to see the new space and meet some of the people using it. It is being organised as part of Tottenham Solidarity Summer, with Wards Corner and Tottenham Family Fight Back involved. 1pm to 6pm.
Inflatable Family Fun Days | 📍Old Grammarians Rugby Club, N21 | 21-25 August | (£)
For five days, the rugby club is basically becoming a giant pop up inflatable playground. Kids aged 2 to 12 get three hours to bounce their way through huge slides, bouncy castles and obstacle courses as many times as they like, all covered by the £10 entry. There is also a free Minion meet and greet, while bumper cars, trampolines, hook a duck and food are available separately. Adults watching from the sidelines get in free. Choose a 10.30am or 2pm session, no booking needed, and parking is free.
Hampstead Photo Walk | 📍Hampstead, NW3 | 23 August | (£)
A photo walk is exactly what it sounds like: you wander somewhere interesting with a camera, stop when something catches your eye and shoot as you go. This one spends two hours around Hampstead and finishes during golden hour, when the evening light is at its softest. The first two walks sold out, with more than 70 people joining the waitlist, so this is the third and final Hampstead date before the group moves elsewhere in September. Bring a film camera, digital camera or just your phone. All levels welcome. Limited to 25 people to keep it small and social. 5.30pm to 7.30pm, with the exact meeting point sent 24 hours before.