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Hey Neighbour,
There’s so many things to do in North London this weekend. Here’s the full list.
— Maryam
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Your guide to what’s happening in North London this week. Events marked with (£) require a ticket in advance.
Muswell Hill Creatives Autumn Makers Fair | 📍St James Square, N10 | 26 September | Free
Muswell Hill Creatives is back after its summer break, with 21 independent artists, designers and makers setting up in St James Square for the day. The stalls are all about things people have actually designed or made themselves, with art, clothing, homewares, accessories and more from members of the local creative collective and a few guest makers.
The Mayor of Enfield’s Charity Dog Show | 📍Bury Lodge Park, N9 | 27 September | (£)
Got a dog who thinks they’re the star of the neighbourhood? Bring them down to Bury Lodge Park and put it to the test. Dogs can enter different show categories, including one where the Mayor picks the dog they’d most like to take home, or have a go at the agility course. Local vets Hello Vet will be there too, with refreshments for humans and plenty of prizes up for grabs. 1pm to 4pm. £5 gets your dog into two show categories, with additional categories £1 each. Agility is £5.
Duck Pond Artisan Market | 📍Lauderdale House, N6 | 27 September | Free
Duck Pond Market is back inside Lauderdale House, the 15th century house sitting at the edge of Waterlow Park. Rooms fill with independent artists, makers and small businesses selling ceramics, art, vintage pieces, homeware, clothing, gifts and food, so you get to wander around the old house while having a rummage through the stalls. Dogs on leads are welcome.
Kimberly Akimbo | 📍Hampstead Theatre, NW3 | Until 7 November | (£)
Kimberly is nearly 16, but because of a rare genetic condition she looks decades older. She has just moved town, barely knows anyone, and is trying to squeeze as much life as possible into the time she has, which means first love, new friends and, somehow, getting pulled into a heist by her ex-con aunt. The musical won five Tony Awards in 2023, including Best Musical, and this is its European premiere, with Maria Friedman starring as Kimberly. Saturday 19 September has performances at 2.30pm and 7.30pm.
Queer Britain Museum | 📍Granary Square, N1C | Until 23 December | Pay what you can
Queer Britain is the UK’s national LGBTQ+ museum, tucked just behind King’s Cross in Granary Square. Its galleries bring together objects, photographs, print and personal stories from LGBTQ+ life and history, with displays changing throughout the year. If you visit this autumn, you’ll find From Exclusion to Inclusion, telling the stories of LGBTQ+ veterans who were dismissed from the armed forces when they were banned from serving, alongside Trans is Human until 29 November. From 21 October there’s also a film and installation built around A Gay Song, an LGBTQ+ protest song first recorded on vinyl in 1972 and re-recorded by the original band more than 50 years later. Open Wednesday to Sunday, 12pm to 6pm. Pay what you can, with £10 suggested or £5 if you’re under 30.
Lucinda’s Magpie Sale | 📍Cherry Tree Woods Cafe, N2 | 26 September | Free
Lucinda’s preloved clothing sale is back at Cherry Tree Woods Cafe for an autumn rummage through clothes, shoes and accessories. Some locals say her collection is seriously good, but I’ll let you decide.
Black Marketplace Popup | 📍St Michael’s Church, NW1 | 26 September | Free
St Michael’s Church is going to look very different on Saturday. More than 50 Black-owned businesses are moving in for the day, with tables of African and Caribbean fashion, handmade jewellery, books, art, homeware, natural beauty products and some more unexpected things, including 3D-printed and embroidered pieces. There’ll be African and Caribbean food cooking too, with live music and performances happening around the market. It’s the biggest one-day popup Black Marketplace UK has put on so far. Doors open at 11am. Free, but book a ticket.
Illustration + Print Show | 📍Abney Hall, N16 | 26- 27 September | Free
Bring an old T-shirt and you could leave with someone’s artwork printed across it. N4 Makers Market is gathering more than 70 illustrators, printmakers and designers inside Abney Hall for two days devoted to things people have drawn, printed and made. There’ll be original prints and illustrations alongside zines, comics, ceramics, jewellery and artist books, but you can get involved too: sit for a live portrait, pick out a temporary tattoo or bring your own clothes along for live screen printing. 11am to 5pm both days. Free entry and dogs are welcome.
5 Mistakes That Changed History | 📍artsdepot, N12 | 26 September | (£)
Most mistakes are forgotten. But every so often, someone gets something wrong and accidentally changes what happens next. Historian and comedian Paul Coulter has picked five of those moments and turns them into a 90-minute comedy show, telling the stories of the people involved, what they messed up and the surprisingly big consequences that followed. So you get a history lesson without it feeling much like a history lesson. The show has sold out at the Edinburgh Fringe three years running and is now coming to artsdepot. 7.30pm.
Spoiler Warning: Shonen September | 📍Meltdown London, N7 | 26 September | (£)
For one night, this North London gaming bar becomes a party for people who love the action and adventure side of Japanese anime. This month’s theme is shonen, the category that includes shows such as Naruto, Dragon Ball and One Piece. For more than four hours, the DJs play the theme songs and music from these shows while people dance, request their favourites and turn up dressed as characters they love. You don’t have to dress up, but anyone who comes in shonen cosplay gets an extra drink token. There’s also a special cocktail menu for the night. 8.30pm to 1am. £12 on the door, with no entry or re-entry after 11.30pm.
Morris Minor & BMC 1100 Day | 📍Whitewebbs Museum of Transport, EN2 | 27 September | (£)
Remember the small, rounded British cars you see in old films, with big headlights and a bonnet that looks a little like a face? That’s a Morris Minor, and on Sunday a whole convoy of them is gathering at Whitewebbs Museum of Transport. They’ll be joined by BMC 1100s, another family car that was once a common sight on British roads, for what the museum says is one of its busiest meet-ups of the year. You can wander among the cars, see the different colours and versions people have kept going over the decades, and explore the museum inside the old Enfield pumping station while you’re there.
Flamenco Night with Mario Ruiz | 📍Jamboree, N1 | 26 September | (£)
Learn a little flamenco, watch the professionals take over, then have another go yourself. The night starts with Mexican-born, Seville-based dancer Mario Ruiz teaching a relaxed group class where complete beginners can learn a short flamenco dance. No experience or special shoes needed. Then at 8.15pm, Mario performs with a live singer, guitarist and percussionist. After the show, there’s no formal ending. The musicians keep playing and the floor opens up for anyone who wants to dance, sing, play along or just sit back and watch it all unfold. Class from 6pm, show from 8.15pm and the jam carries on until 12.30am. Tickets from £11.50.
A Day on Art Deco | 📍Highgate Literary & Scientific Institution, N6 | 26 September | (£)
Once you start noticing Art Deco around London, you realise how much of it is hiding in plain sight. The Highgate Literary & Scientific Institution looks at the style through the buildings many of us pass every day, from old factories to Tube stations, before travelling further afield to some of the world’s great Art Deco buildings. There’s also a session on Marion Dorn, the textile designer whose rugs and fabrics helped bring the style into interiors. Pamela Campbell-Johnston leads the day from 10.30am to 3.30pm. £55 for non-members, £45 for members and £30 concessions.
Journalling Picnic in the Park | 📍Regent’s Park, NW1 | 26 September | Free
This is rather lovely. London Journal Club is getting a group together on the grass in Regent’s Park to spend the afternoon journalling, swapping stickers and craft bits, sharing snacks and meeting new people. You don’t need to be someone who journals every day either. Bring an empty notebook if you’re completely new, or finally use all those stickers, washi tape and pretty bits of paper you’ve been saving if you’re not. They’ll be near the bandstand from 12pm to 4pm. Bring something to sit on and whatever you’d like to eat, drink or share.
Queer Britain Museum | 📍Granary Square, N1C | Until 23 December | Pay what you can
Queer Britain is the UK’s national LGBTQ+ museum, tucked just behind King’s Cross in Granary Square. Its galleries bring together objects, photographs, print and personal stories from LGBTQ+ life and history, with displays changing throughout the year. If you visit this autumn, you’ll find From Exclusion to Inclusion, telling the stories of LGBTQ+ veterans who were dismissed from the armed forces when they were banned from serving, alongside Trans is Human until 29 November. From 21 October there’s also a film and installation built around A Gay Song, an LGBTQ+ protest song first recorded on vinyl in 1972 and re-recorded by the original band more than 50 years later. Open Wednesday to Sunday, 12pm to 6pm. Pay what you can, with £10 suggested or £5 if you’re under 30.
Great Hampstead Bark Off | 📍Parliament Hill, NW5 | 27 September | (£)
The Great Hampstead Bark Off is back, with dogs and their humans gathering on Parliament Hill for an afternoon of very unserious competition. There’s Golden Oldie for the grey muzzles, Mr and Miss Hampstead Heath, Best Rescue, Best International Rescue and, perhaps the most important test of all, Waggiest Tail. Celebrity judges pick the winners, with Best in Show rounding things off at 3pm. Registration opens at 10.45am and the first category starts at 11.30am. £5 to enter your dog.
Crates Hip-Hop Sale | 📍One Eighty One, N7 | 26 September | Free
One Eighty One are back with another Crates Hip-Hop Sale, filling the Holloway Road spot with records, sneakers, clothing and hip-hop memorabilia for the day. Some of the collectors and sellers coming down include Rodney P, Spin Doctor, Rap & Soul Mailorder and Liberation Records, with DJs playing vinyl while everyone digs through the crates and rails. Brick Lane Beigels will be there too, alongside coffee, beers and cocktails.
Tufnell Park Yard Sale | 📍Tufnell Park streets, N19 | 27 September | Free
Around 80 houses in Tufnell Park are joining in with the neighbourhood’s annual yard sale, now in its 15th year. People set up outside their own homes with books, clothes, toys, bric-a-brac and household bits, so you basically walk the neighbourhood and rummage from doorstep to doorstep. Some houses sell homemade cakes and drinks, some play music, and some raise money for charity. It all happens across the streets between Holloway Road, Campdale Road and Tufnell Park Road from 2pm to 5pm.
Heathbound | 📍Burgh House, Hampstead, NW3 |Until 27 September | Free
Seventeen artists have each made work inspired by Hampstead Heath, from paintings and embroidery to tiny sculptures and other handmade pieces. The exhibition brings all of those different versions of the Heath together inside Burgh House, including work by Lauren Child, Rob Ryan and local artist Lisa Swerling, who organised the show.
Enfield Poets Literary Festival | 📍Forty Hall, EN2 | 26 & 27 September | Various
For one weekend, Forty Hall fills with people reading, writing, performing and talking about books and poetry. There are more than 30 sessions across the two days, from open mics, poetry readings and writing workshops to making your own book, trying a quill pen, hearing about Jane Austen at Christmas and even writing poetry about dogs. There are sessions for children too, plus live music and talks about Enfield’s cultural history. Each event has its own time and booking.
Chewing Gum Man Open House | 📍Muswell Hill, N10 | 25–27 September | Free
You may have walked over Ben Wilson’s art without realising it. For years, the Muswell Hill artist has been turning flattened pieces of chewing gum stuck to London pavements into tiny paintings. This weekend, he’s doing something rather lovely and opening his own home to strangers. Come through the side entrance on Colney Hatch Lane and you can wander around his garden, workshop and studio, where you’ll find his paintings, carvings, prints and sculptures alongside work by illustrator Freya Cumming. 12pm to 6pm each day, with Ben keeping the doors open until 10pm on Friday.
Source: Great Hampstead Bark off
Love Your N21 Sunday Market | 📍The Sidings, Winchmore Hill, N21 | 27 September | Free
The little Sunday market beside Winchmore Hill station is back for September, with independent traders from around the area setting up for the day. There’ll be street food alongside stalls selling art, jewellery, homeware, accessories and other bits from small businesses. Easy to drop into if you’re already around Winchmore Hill, with everything gathered at The Sidings right next to the station.
Classic Car Boot Sale | 📍King’s Cross, N1C | 26 & 27 September | (£)
Classic cars, old vans and vintage scooters roll into King’s Cross for the weekend, with traders setting up around them selling clothes, homeware, records and other secondhand finds. There are more than 100 vintage fashion traders this time, plus Charity Super.Mkt bringing together charity shops for an even bigger rummage. People tend to dress for the occasion too, so half the fun is seeing what turns up, both on the rails and in the car park. Vinyl DJs, street food and the old Routemaster Bus Bar will be there across both days.
Harvest Festival | 📍Community Plant Nursery, N7 | 26 September | Free
The Community Plant Nursery on the Andover Estate is celebrating everything that has been grown there this year, and everyone’s invited round. There’ll be a shared harvest meal and live music, plus apple pressing. And apparently Kentish Town Vegbox are having conker battles and workshops where you can make a bug hotel, learn about composting and save seeds to grow again next year. You can also have a wander around the nursery and its Woodland Garden and meet some of the neighbours involved in growing it. 11am to 3pm.
Tree & Fungi Walk | 📍Highgate Wood, N10 | 26 September | Free
Highgate Wood is heading into autumn, which means mushrooms are starting to appear and the trees are beginning to change. The people who look after the wood are leading a slow walk through it, pointing out the different trees and fungi growing there and helping you notice some of the things you might normally walk straight past. No booking needed. Meet at the information hut next to the café at 11.30am.
Calthorpe Flea Market | 📍Calthorpe Community Garden, King’s Cross, WC1X | 27 September | Free to browse
Calthorpe Community Garden is filling up with tables of second-hand clothes, books, home bits and whatever else local people are ready to pass on. Come for a rummage, or clear out a couple of bags yourself and take a stall. Browsing is free, while seller pitches are £15. Sellers can set up from 9.30am, with the market wrapping up by 2.30pm.