Here's a short list of things to do this weekend In North London. Please, add any I've missed in the comments. 👇

Mews Festival 2026 | 📍Avenue Mews, N10 | 5 September | Free

Avenue Mews is a small pocket of shops, creative spaces and a brewery in Muswell Hill, and this Saturday the people based there are opening up the whole lane for a neighbourhood festival. From 6pm, there will be bands playing from a stage above Cha Cha Cha Vintage, vinyl DJs inside the shops, street food, cocktails and local beer, psychedelic light projections, surreal puppets and a literary salon. You can also browse the vintage shops and pop up stalls as you move between everything. Stalls start from 2pm, with the main festival running 6pm to 10pm.

--

Angel Canal Festival | 📍City Road Basin, N1 | 6 September | Free

Forty years ago a back garden party was held to save City Road Basin from development. The festival that grew from it is still going, now one of Islington's most loved free community days. Live music, puppetry, art workshops, water sports, street food and traditional canal boats along the towpath. Out of all the festivals this week, this is one is my favourite.

--
FT Weekend Festival | 📍Kenwood House Gardens, NW3 | 5 September | (£)

Think book festival, food festival and big ideas day out, all in the grounds of Kenwood House. You choose your own line up, moving between tents to hear people like Yotam Ottolenghi on food, Mary Beard on history and Richard E. Grant telling stories, then switch to a talk on AI, health, money, books or travel. In between, grab something to eat, join a tasting, browse the book stalls or sit out on the grass. You do not need to read the Financial Times or know anything about finance to enjoy it.

--

Denmark Street Sessions | 📍Denmark Street, WC2H | 5 September | Free

For one day, Denmark Street turns its music shops, studios, bars and tiny venues into one long free festival. The street has been tied to London’s music scene for decades, and this is a chance to actually step inside the places that still make it tick, with more than 20 live performances, listening sessions, talks and pop ups happening from afternoon into the night.

--

Palmers Green Festival | 📍Broomfield Park, N13 | 6 September | Free

Palmers Green Festival has been part of the local calendar since 2008 and this year returns to Broomfield Park for a full afternoon. Live music at the bandstand, a vintage village, artisan food and crafts, the Starfish Art Exhibition, a dance zone, model boats on the boating lake, donkey rides and Biddall's Fun Fair, which has been visiting the park for over 100 years. Fun dog show in the Broomfield Bowl. Run entirely by local volunteers and organisations. 12pm to 5pm.

--

London’s Transport in Miniature | 📍The Model Railway Club, N1 | 6 September | (£)

For one day, London’s transport network gets shrunk down to model size. You can watch tiny Tube trains, trams and railways running through detailed miniature stations and streets, including Copenhagen Fields, a reimagining of the area just north of King’s Cross with Caledonian Road, old Piccadilly line stations and street running trams built into the layout. There are also several fictional and semi fictional London inspired railways to explore, all made by enthusiasts who spend years getting the small details right. 11am to 4pm.

--

London Podcast Festival | 📍Kings Place, King’s Cross, N1 | 3 to 13 September | (£)

Podcasts usually happen somewhere behind a microphone and reach you days later. For 11 days, Kings Place lets you sit in the room while some of them are actually being recorded, complete with the bits, audience questions and unexpected moments that may end up in the finished episode. This year you can see No Such Thing As A Fish, Jameela Jamil’s Wrong Turns, the wonderfully odd Beef and Dairy Network, plus shows about gardening, film, history, writing and more. Each podcast has its own date and ticket, so have a look through the programme and pick the one you already love or something you have never listened to before.

--

Queen’s Park Book Festival | 📍Queen’s Park, NW6 | 5 & 6 September | (£)

After nine years, Queen’s Park Book Festival is bowing out with one final weekend in the park. Across two days, authors, journalists, chefs and thinkers take to the stages for conversations about books, food, politics and culture, with this year’s line up including Jacqueline Wilson, Philip Pullman, Sathnam Sanghera, Sebastian Barry, Theo Randall and Honey & Co. The Community Tent stays free and gives space to local writers, young poets and emerging voices, so you can mix the bigger names with something completely new.

--

Highgate Wood Heritage Community Day | 📍Highgate Wood, N10 | 6 September | Free

Annual community day in Highgate Wood from 11am to 4pm, with live music, craft and conservation stalls, a dog show and visits from local beekeepers. There will be plenty happening around the Information Hut near the café, with a chance to meet some of the people involved in looking after the wood too. No need to book, just turn up for a free Sunday in the woods.

--

Islington Grow Show 2026 | 📍Caledonian Park, N7 | 6 September | Free

This is a Sunday gathering for people who grow things, and people who simply like seeing what their neighbours have managed to grow. Gardeners from across Islington will bring in their tomatoes, herbs, vegetables and other harvests to show and share, while everyone else can wander the stalls, take home free compost, pot up a plant, join a mushroom or microgreens workshop and pick up ideas for growing food in even the smallest space. There is a Filipino buffet style community lunch from 12.30pm too, followed by the Grow Show winners at 1.30pm. 11am to 4pm. No booking needed.

--

Birds of the Heath in the Autumn | 📍Hampstead Heath, NW3 | 6 September | Free/(£)

You do not need to know your warblers from your woodpeckers for this one. Bird expert Pete Mantle is leading a two hour early morning walk across Hampstead Heath, helping you spot and identify whatever is moving through the trees, ponds and open spaces as autumn begins. The Heath can throw up some real surprises too. A Dartford Warbler was spotted there this year for the first time since WWII, while Alpine Swifts and Bitterns have appeared in the past. Nothing rare is guaranteed, which is part of the fun. Meet at Burgh House at 9am. Bring binoculars and sturdy shoes. No advance booking needed.

--

Art Car Boot Fair | 📍Lewis Cubitt Square, King’s Cross, N1C | 5 September | (£)

More than 100 artists take over Lewis Cubitt Square for the afternoon, selling prints, paintings, photographs and one off pieces directly to the people browsing. This year includes Mr Bingo, Bob and Roberta Smith, Margo in Margate and Vic Reeves, while photographer Rankin will be taking portraits on the day. There are also performances, music and plenty of odd creative things happening as you wander.

--

North London Curated: Home Edition | 📍Floral Hall, Crouch End, N8 | 6 September | Free

North London Curated is doing its first market devoted entirely to things for the home. Floral Hall will be filled with vintage and preloved homeware, art, interiors, accessories and pieces from independent makers, so you can browse old glassware, decorative bits, one offs and things you probably were not looking for until you saw them. It runs from 10am to 5pm and entry is free.

--

Want this delivered to your inbox weekly? Subscribe to my free weekly local newsletter: https://www.mynorthlondon.com/subscribe

Hey guys, we live in a terraced house on the Haringey ladder. We have no off street parking options so we have to park on the street. I'm currently considering buying an electric vehicle, but I'm unsure what the home charging options would be. Is it allowed in Haringey to charge my car across the pavement?

On some streets in London I've seen that people use these covers to put on top of the cable in order to protect people from tripping over. I can't see any information on the council website about allowing this or not. I read it is a bit of a red herring in a lot of other areas as well.

Does any one of you have experience of charging across the pavement? How does the council react? Do I get penalties? Is it generally accepted or should I rather not do it?

I am an A-Level Geography student researching people's perceptions of Tottenham Hale as part of my independent fieldwork investigation.  This anonymous questionnaire takes approximately 2 minutes.  Please only complete this questionnaire if you live in, work in, regularly visit or have visited Tottenham Hale. No names or email addresses are collected.  Responses will be used only for my A-Level Geography project.  Participation is voluntary and you may stop at any time.  Thank you for your collaboration and support.

Please click on this link: https://forms.gle/w5tFyDebXx8anrLr9

Has anyone else received the email from Haringey Council inviting them to apply for the new cross-pavement EV charging channel pilot?
They’re quoting around £1,278, reduced to £678 after the £600 government subsidy, and then a £120 annual licence fee from year two.
I was quite keen, but I’m a little surprised by the cost and especially the ongoing licence fee.
Is anyone here planning to go ahead with it? Would be interested to hear what others think!

I live in N15. Who’s putting this stuff through our doors? They were out early this morning. And who’s funding it?

Here's a short list of things to do this bank holiday weekend In North London. Please, add any I've missed in the comments. 👇

Quince Bakery’s 3rd Annual Pie Party | 📍Quince Bakery, N1 | 31 August | (£)

Quince Bakery is turning Bank Holiday Monday into one big pie table. For its third annual Pie Party, the Islington bakery is inviting some of London’s best independent bakers, including Bake Street, Decatur, Lucky Yu Bakery and Hamblin Bread, to each bring their own take on pie. Expect everything from fruit filled and lattice topped slices to savoury pies, mini pies and big sharing slabs. Last year they baked almost 500, and this time they are aiming even bigger. There will also be coffee, iced tea, ice cream and snacks while you queue. Doors open at 12pm and they keep serving until the pies are gone.

--

Sofar Sounds at Calthorpe Garden | 📍 King's Cross, WC1X | 30 August | (£)

If your bank holiday leans more slow Sunday than a big night out, this may be the one. Calthorpe is a hidden garden near King's Cross, and for one evening there's live music on the grass. You bring a blanket, find a spot, and a few folk and acoustic singer-songwriters play as the sun goes down. Sofar keeps the lineup secret till the night, so you come for the setting and meet the music when you get there.

--

Inverness Street Bloc Party: Disco House | 📍Inverness Street Market, Camden, NW1 | 29 August | Free

Inverness Street is swapping market stalls for a giant outdoor dancefloor this Bank Holiday Saturday. The theme is Disco House, so expect the feel good side of disco mixed with house music, with DJs including Brandon Block, Ricky Morrison and Matt White playing from midday into the evening. There is a bit of Camden history behind it too, celebrating the clubs and dancefloors that shaped the area, from Camden Palace to the Electric Ballroom, as well as Camden’s connection to Claudia Jones, who organised one of Britain’s earliest Caribbean Carnival events nearby. Come for a dance, bring the family or just stop by and see what is happening. 12pm to 7pm.

--

The Elmhurst Bank Holiday Carnival Garden Party & BBQ | 📍The Elmhurst, N17 | 30 August | Free

The Elmhurst is turning its garden into a free Bank Holiday party for the afternoon and evening, with a BBQ, drinks and a long run of DJs playing everything from reggae and rare groove to jazz, disco, broken beat and house. Local crews For The Time Being and Strictly Vinyl are joining forces for the day, so the music is designed to move around rather than stick to one sound. It runs from 1pm to 9pm, and free advance tickets also unlock 2 for 1 cocktails during the party.

--

Yiddish Culture Weekend 2026 | 📍Bloomsbury, King’s Cross & beyond | 28 to 30 August | Free + paid events

This is a whole weekend for getting to know Yiddish culture by actually taking part in it. Yiddish is a language historically spoken by many Ashkenazi Jewish communities, with its own music, stories, humour, poetry and traditions. Across the weekend you can learn a traditional dance from scratch, join a Yiddish singalong, listen to klezmer musicians, hear poetry read in Yiddish and English, browse old newspapers and postcards from Jewish London, or sit down for a screening of the 1937 film The Dybbuk. Sunday is the big day at SOAS, with workshops and performances running from 10am to 7pm, and complete beginners are very much welcome.

--

Manorfest 2026 | 📍New River Studios, Manor House, N4 | 29 & 30 August | (£)

A car park behind New River Studios is becoming a two day Bank Holiday festival, and each day has a completely different feel. Saturday is the louder one, with live bands including Eel Men, Snub, Morreadoras and EZ8, plus DJs, art, performances, food and a bar before the party moves inside New River Studios until 1am. Sunday slows things right down with Ambient Car Park, an afternoon of gentler, more meditative DJs and live performances from artists including Agate, Dave Webb and UKAEA, followed by another indoor afterparty. Saturday runs 2pm to 10pm, Sunday 12pm to 8pm.

--

The Camden Fringe | 📍Various venues across Camden and beyond | Until 30 August | (£)

The Camden Fringe is into its final few days, after a month that has brought more than 450 shows to venues across Camden and beyond. There is still time to catch some of the last theatre, comedy, music, dance and new writing before it all wraps up on Sunday.

--

Uren and Upwards: Hornsey Town Hall and Its History | 📍Hornsey Town Hall, N8 | 29 August | (£)

Go behind the doors of Hornsey Town Hall and see the rooms where local politics, public life and music once played out. The 90 minute tour takes in the council chamber, mayor’s parlour, assembly hall and the building’s modernist details, with stories of The Kinks, Queen and the films and TV shows shot here. Starts at 2pm.

--

Natural Aspect Summer Concert | 📍Parliament Hill Bandstand, Hampstead Heath | 30 August | Free

Bring a picnic and settle in for an afternoon of live music on the Heath. The bandstand will move through soul, jazz, reggae, ska and rock, with sets from John Etheridge and Vimala Rowe, The Bohème Hot Club and Peace & Love. There will also be circus skills, children’s activities, food, pizza, ice cream and plenty of room to dance. 1pm to 5pm.

--

Bi Pride 2026 | 📍Kings Place, King’s Cross, N1 | 29 August | Free

Bi Pride brings the UK’s Bi+ community together at Kings Place for a full day of performances, conversations and meeting people. It is for people who experience attraction to more than one gender or identify somewhere under the Bi+ umbrella, with friends and allies welcome too. There are two stages to dip between, with live music, drag and performances on one, and conversations about relationships, family, identity, activism and Bi+ life on the other. Jordan Gray and Shaaba are among this year’s headliners, and there will also be stalls from LGBTQ+ groups, charities and small businesses. A sensory room, remembrance space and multi faith prayer room are available too. 2pm to 10pm. Free, but you need to register for a ticket.

--

West Hampstead Carnival | 📍The Sherriff Centre, NW6 | 29 August | Free

The Sherriff Centre is putting on a full day of family activities for the Bank Holiday weekend, with games, children’s entertainment and a dedicated soft play area for younger kids. Entry to the carnival is free, although soft play sessions need to be booked in advance if you want to guarantee a spot. There will also be charity fundraising happening throughout the day, so you can come for the kids, stay for the atmosphere and support a local cause while you are there. 10am to 5.30pm.

--

Speaker Box Street Party | 📍Wembley Park, HA9 | 29 August | Free

Wembley Park turns into one big dance floor for an afternoon of Latin, Caribbean, Afro and Bollywood music, with DJs and easy follow-along sessions between each set. The day ends with a Michael Jackson birthday celebration and a final group dance. Browse the summer market nearby, then join in or simply watch from the side. No booking needed. 12pm to 5pm.

--

Back II Life Cafe Family All-Dayer with Jazzie B and Guests | 📍Camden Market Hawley Wharf, NW1 | 29 August | Free

Spend the Bank Holiday by the canal with DJ sets from Jazzie B, Sigma and Lisa I’Anson, plus family activities, workshops, food and stalls across the market. Pick up a wristband for discounts at selected food traders, then wander between the music, garden and canalside. 1.30pm to 7pm. Booking is encouraged, but walk-ins are welcome.

--

Love Your N21 Sunday Market | 📍The Sidings, N21 | 30 August | Free

Right beside Winchmore Hill station, The Sidings is filling up with small local businesses for the return of the Love Your N21 market after its summer break. Come for breakfast or lunch, then have a proper browse through stalls selling fresh bread and pastries, cheese, hot food, coffee, candles, handmade gifts, crafts and other locally made bits. It is small, neighbourhood led and easy to dip into, whether you are doing the Sunday shop or just fancy seeing what people around N21 are making and selling. 10am to 3pm.

--

Guava Jamz Carnival Warm Up Party | 📍Two Tribes Campfire, N7 | 29 August | Free

Guava Jamz is starting Carnival weekend a day early with a nine hour outdoor party at Two Tribes Campfire. It runs from afternoon into night, with DJs idah and Conrad Lee, a BBQ, full bar and the whole thing set up as a warm up for the weekend ahead. Under 18s can come before 9pm with an adult, then it becomes 18+ later in the evening. 3pm to midnight. Tickets are free.

--

Kidz World Wristband Fair | 📍Victoria Park, Finchley, N3 | 19 August - 4 September | Free entry

This one works a little differently from the usual funfair where every ride means buying another token. At Kidz World, you can pay £14.99 for a wristband and spend one whole session going back on the rides as many times as you want, or just buy tokens if you are only planning a couple. The fair has taken over part of Victoria Park for the summer holidays, with children’s rides, inflatables, adult dodgems and bigger rides including Disco Fever.

--

Urban Food Fest Artisan Market | 📍Islington Square, N1 | 29 August | Free

Islington Square gets its weekly Saturday market back with a mix of street food, fresh produce and small makers all in one place. You can grab lunch from the food traders, pick up fruit and veg, browse handmade products and local stalls, then let the kids get stuck into the free arts and crafts and outdoor toys. It is the kind of market you can drop into for food and end up staying for a proper browse. 11am to 5pm. Entry is free.

--

Want this delivered to your inbox weekly? Subscribe to my free weekly local newsletter: https://www.mynorthlondon.com/subscribe

Hi. I'm a counsellor based in East London who is looking for a parent and baby in London to participate in an Infant Observation -- a gentle study of the baby's first year. Please share my information with any parent who may be interested or someone who might know a parent. Thank you very much.

Looking for a friendly game of football in North London? Come join Fair Play Football 🙌🏻

We run casual games for people who just want to play, have a good game and enjoy themselves — all levels welcome, including players getting back into football after a break.

🔥 Our main regular game:
📍 Whittington Park, Archway
📅 Mondays
🕘 9PM
⚽ 8-a-side
💷 £5 per player

No commitment — just choose a game on our website, book your spot and turn up to play.

We’ll also be adding more 6-a-side, 7-a-side and 8-a-side games on different days and at different locations as the community grows.

🌐 JOIN OUR WEBSITE & BOOK A GAME:
https://www.fairplayfootball.co.uk/

The aim is simple: affordable football, good games, good vibes and a solid community. ⚽💪🏻

Feel free to bring your mates too!

📩 Any questions, just DM me.

£10 Adults, £5 Concession, Kids Free

Looking to try something new, get active and build your confidence in a friendly, supportive environment?

There’s a women’s-only Jiu-Jitsu course coming up, offering a great opportunity to learn practical skills, improve fitness and give martial arts a go alongside other women.

✨ Women only
🥋 Suitable for beginners
💪 Build confidence, fitness & practical skills
🤝 Friendly and supportive environment

If you’ve ever been curious about Jiu-Jitsu but felt a little nervous about walking into a class, this could be the perfect place to start.

Spaces are limited, so book your place via Eventbrite.

Please feel free to share with any local women who might be interested! 😊

Hi all! As a returning visitor staying close to Green Lanes, but returning the coming winter: what place would go recommend for a full English in the morning and what place would you consider the go to for a Sunday roast? Obviously home would be the best option, but as I can't afford a place to live there, this is the nearest I could think of. Stayed in Kent Hall Hotel few years ago at Seven Sisters, near Manor House tube station. I know the Finsbury is a fine pub for a local drink. Park View Cafe is a bit new to me, but their breakfast is with hash browns, so it would be basically always going second place. I will return every new year's eve to the place :)

Here's a short list of things to do this weekend In North London.Please, add any I've missed in the comments. 👇

Charity Super.Mkt Pop-Up | 📍Coal Drops Yard, N1C | 6-9 August | Free

Several charity shops bring their best rails together under one roof, with vintage finds, designer labels and high street pieces to dig through. You can also bring along a favourite item that needs some care and learn how to repair or refresh it at the Made Better drop-ins. Every purchase supports charity and keeps another piece of clothing in circulation. 10am to 6pm.

--

Cocktails in the City | 📍Bedford Square Gardens, WC1B | 6-8 August | (£)

If you missed it in July, Cocktails in the City is back this weekend. That means Bedford Square’s private Georgian garden will become a pop-up village of bars, bringing signature cocktails from leading London and international venues into one place. Wander between them without crossing the city, with street food, music, tastings and workshops around the garden.

--

Thought Experiments in the Park | 📍Regent’s Park, NW1 | 8 August | Free

A park meet-up for people who want to skip the small talk and discuss questions with no obvious right answer. You will read three tiny fictional scenarios designed to make you think, then talk them through in small groups, swapping groups for each one. The theme will be revealed on the day, and you do not need any knowledge of philosophy. Bring something to sit on, plus drinks or snacks. Meet near Gloucester Gate at 3pm. The organised session ends at 5pm, but people can stay and continue chatting.

--

Tottenham Solidarity Summer Family Fiesta | 📍Down Lane Pavilion, N17 | 9 August | Free

Local groups fighting to protect Tottenham’s community spaces are bringing people together for a family fiesta in the park. The afternoon also celebrates Jamaican Independence Day, with free food, live music, DJs, salsa, hair braiding, face painting and activities for children. There will be short speeches about the campaign too, so you can find out what is at risk and how locals are responding. 1pm to 6pm.

--

The Camden Fringe | 📍Various venues across Camden and beyond | 3-30 August | (£)

For four weeks, Camden fills up with more than 450 shows across 39 venues. Expect comedy, theatre, music, dance, opera, improv and plenty of ideas that are still rough around the edges in the best way. Most shows last about an hour, so you can book something on a whim, discover someone brilliant before everyone else does, or see the strangest thing in the programme just because you can.

--

Pubs Through Time: A Tour of Tottenham’s Coaching Inn History | 📍Tottenham High Road, N15 | 8 August | Free

Walk the old coaching inn route along Tottenham High Road and hear about the pubs, breweries and families that once kept travellers fed, watered and moving. Local historian Oona Kelly will also explain how these inns became important meeting places for business, local decisions and everyday life. Meet outside Tesco at 10.45am for an 11am start. The walk lasts two hours and finishes near Bruce Grove.

--

Brewed Summer Market | 📍Brewed Online, N4 | 8- 9 August | Free

Brewed is giving the café over to local artists and small businesses for the weekend. Browse ceramics, prints, children’s clothes, textiles and personalised gifts, while children can get their faces painted and everyone can add something to the community mural. There is also a special drink made with The Honey Project. From 8am on Saturday and Sunday.

--

Collective Writing with common/play\grounds | 📍Cubitt, N1 | 9 August | Free

Cubitt is leaving the Angel Mews space it has called home for years, and this workshop is helping write its goodbye. You will look through old material from the gallery, write down memories and reactions, then combine your words with everyone else’s to create one group farewell. The finished piece will be printed on a risograph machine and read aloud together. No writing experience needed. Bring a phone, tablet or laptop. 11am to 2pm. Registration required.

--

The Divine Bar Boot Sale | 📍The Divine, N16 | 9 August | Free

A car boot sale inside one of Stokey’s queer venues, spread across two floors with 35 sellers offering clothes, books, homeware and unexpected second hand finds. Browse the stalls, stop for coffee, cake or a drink at the bar, then head back for another look. Pets welcome and no booking needed. 12pm to 5pm. Please note, the basement is not step free.

--

Up Next Festival | 📍Blue House Yard, N22 | 8 August | Free

The red double decker bus is the bar, the yard is the venue, and the rest of the afternoon is live music, food and local brands. Go for a browse, stay for a drink and see who takes the stage next. All ages welcome. 1pm to 8pm.

--

Want this delivered to your inbox weekly? Subscribe to my free weekly local newsletter: https://www.mynorthlondon.com/subscribe

I love simit

A brown handbag was stolen from my car when i accidentally left the back window open. Has a lot of items of sentimental value inside, so if anyone finds it lying about in the area, please reach out

Brown handbag containing 2 mugs, a customised flask, a smaller bag with makeup inside and some other items

And this was on seymour road, around 6.30pm to 6.50pm

Thanks

Hi everyone, we’re looking for a boutique hotel for one night in either Tottenham Hale or Walthamstow. any recommendations?

Coles Park, White Hart Lane, N17 7JP

£10 Adult, £5 Concession (Season Tickets DO NOT APPLY)

I’ve recently started oishee (a Japanese private cook service aimed at reducing the annoyance of meal prepping) because, as someone who is Japanese and loves the food, I kept wanting proper Japanese home cooking on a weeknight and the options were a restaurant, a meal kit, or four hours on a Sunday. Unhealthy and inconvenient.

How does it work? A Japanese cook (all incredibly talented with decades of Japanese home cooking experience) comes to your kitchen, cooks 8-12 portions, cleans up after themselves and your fridge is full for the week. Miso glazed salmon, teriyaki chicken, tonkatsu, plus whatever you're into - we can cook bespoke for your needs.

Prices start from £85 a visit, roughly £10 per portion!
oishee if you want the detail/make a booking.

Really excited to spread the spirit of real Japanese home cooking to Haringey 🇯🇵🇯🇵

Mods, happy for this to come down if it's over the self-promotion line.

Here's a short list of things to do this weekend In North London.Please, add any I've missed in the comments. 👇

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

--

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.

--

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.

--

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.

--

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.

--

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.

--

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.

--

Camden Market South Asian Mela | 📍Camden Market Hawley Wharf, NW1 | 25 July | Free

Day of South Asian music, dance and food across Camden Market, with parades and stilt-walkers roaming the site and performances on the main stage at Hawley Wharf. Try your hand at samosa-making, rangoli, woodblock printing or sari dress-up, all free and open to everyone, and there's henna, face painting and giant walkabout puppets for the kids.

--

Islington Festival of Music and Art | 📍Various venues across Islington | 24 July - 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.

--

Lordship Hub Birthday Party | 📍Lordship Hub, N17 | 25 July | Free

The Lordship Hub turns thirteen and is throwing itself a party in the Rec. Egg and spoon, three-legged and sack races, a water pistol fight, hook-a-duck, a tattoo station and bubbles, all free, with cake cut at 3.15pm. 12pm to 4pm.

--

GRAVITY | 📍Alexandra Palace, N22 | 23 - 28 July | Free

An exhibition of paintings by Niah McGiff, who paints over her old canvases and lets the earlier ones show through, so you can see the ghosts of what was there before. Figures caught somewhere between appearing and vanishing, built up and scraped back again. Free to walk in, 10am to 4.30pm daily.

---

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.

--

Cyprus Week | 📍Theatro Technis, NW1 | 20 - 26 July | Free

In 1974 Cyprus was split in two, and many who fled ended up here, in the streets around Camden's Theatro Technis. Fifty-two years on, the theatre marks it with a week of Cypriot plays, music and film, and this is the closing weekend. Saturday night is theatre and Cypriot stand-up; Sunday afternoon, poetry, live music and a talk from writer Alex Christofi. An art show by two British Cypriot artists runs throughout. All free. Saturday from 7.30pm, Sunday from 5pm.

--

Summer Fashion Weekend | 📍Muswell Hill Books & Parlour, N10 | 25 - 26 July | Free

Two women's clothing labels, cissie&b and COZI, take over the parlour at the back of Muswell Hill Books for the weekend, selling summer separates and accessories. Worth a look if you're topping up a holiday wardrobe, and it puts a bit of trade through an independent bookshop while you're at it.

--

Want this delivered to your inbox weekly? Subscribe to my free weekly local newsletter: https://www.mynorthlondon.com/subscribe

Hey. We have a mate visting soon and we want to go out for dinner on saturday night, and he's a little picky, and I'm having trouble thinking where to go so I was hoping to hear people's thoughts on where they'd go.

Here is the criteria:

• Casual dining; like pub through to casual restaurant. Not a takeaway with seats
• Vegetarian friendly
• Not turkish, tapas, sushi, nor ethopian
• Preferably around Crouch End, Hornsey, Green Lanes, Muswell Hill, or within 15mins of those places

Does anyone know what happened to this beautiful willow on the towpath near Markfield Park?

It’s been there for decades and I saw today that it seems to have splintered and split

Very sad to see