Hey Neighbour,
A warm welcome to our new neighbours, glad you're here 🙂
I put together a mini guide to what's actually open in North London on Christmas Day. You might find it useful, or know someone who will. My hope is that this list grows. North London's kinda big, so I know there's stuff I've missed. Let me know if there's anything missing or something you'd like me to add.
In the meantime...
Plan Your Weekend:
Round Up
Bits and bobs worth knowing.
🎭 Camden Odeon being knocked down for student flats and cultural space: The historic cinema closes spring 2026, then gets demolished except for its Art Deco Parkway facade. Site becoming 244 student studios, 49 affordable homes, and performance venue in the old Mecca Bingo building. Shops and restaurants going in too.
🪦 Highgate Cemetery staying open between Christmas and New Year: The Victorian cemetery will be open through the holiday period. Includes West Cemetery (Egyptian Avenue, Victorian architecture) and East Cemetery (Karl Marx's grave). £10 adults, £5 kids.
🏛️ Ally Pally's getting a rooftop walk: Opens in Feb, you're harnessed up and walk to the Angel statue. Should have decent views since the palace sits on a hill. Apparently tickets are £33 but they make you buy a £7.50 phone pouch, so really £40. Same company that does the Spurs stadium walk.
🚲 Islington could ban Lime and Forest bikes: Council issued "last warning" over bikes blocking pavements, riders running red lights, and overflowing parking bays. Already removed 200 bikes. Hounslow's the only borough that's banned them so far. Kensington seized 1,000 near Harrods last week.
🎓 Queen Elizabeth's School in Barnet ranked best state school in Britain: New league table out - QE came top, Latymer School in Edmonton 6th, St Michael's in Finchley 8th. All selective grammar schools with entrance exams. QE gets 3,500 applicants for 192 places.
🪩 Drumsheds in Tottenham ranked 72nd best nightclub in world: The old IKEA building turned 15,000-capacity club is the only North London venue in the top 100.
🚇 Northern line closing at 10pm weeknights from January: King's Cross to Elephant & Castle shut Mon-Thu after 10pm, 12 Jan to end May, for track replacement work. Affects Angel, Old Street, Moorgate, Bank, London Bridge, Borough. Runs normally at weekends.
My North London Top Events
The Magic Circle Christmas Show | 📍12 Stephenson Way, NW1 | 19-29 Dec | (£)
The Magic Circle opened their HQ in Euston for Christmas shows. Before the show starts, you can look around their museum (Houdini's handcuffs, King Charles's cups and balls), watch close-up magic, try the Bunco Booth gambling game, and take photos in the Zig Zag Illusion. Then upstairs to their small theatre for professional magicians doing sleight of hand, mind-reading, and illusions. Past shows have included levitating audience members and bottomless whisky bottles. Multiple showtimes across 19-29 December. Tickets from £14. It's one of the few times they open to the public all year.
Hampstead Heath Christmas Hike | 📍Hampstead Heath Station, NW3 | 21 Dec | Free
Christmas hike around Hampstead Heath organised by Alex Mytton. Meet at Hampstead Heath Overground at 12:30pm, walk til about 3pm, then head to The Duke Of Hamilton pub afterwards if you fancy it. Bring warm clothes, suitable shoes, and water. Dogs are welcome. The pub bit is optional, they'll be sitting outside (covered and heated) and you can order food if you want. Let the Alex know if you're eating so they can tell the pub numbers.
Angel Comedy Christmas Food Drive | 📍The Bill Murray, N1 | 20 Dec | Free
Angel Comedy doing their annual food drive for Hackney Foodbank at The Bill Murray. Drop off donations from 2pm, mulled wine, caroling, special guests. Santa's apparently coming too. Bring what you can from the foodbank's needs list: tinned goods (corned beef, soup, tomatoes, fruit, mackerel), UHT milk, pasta, rice, cereal, tea, coffee, toiletries, sanitary products, baby supplies, laundry stuff. Free entry for the daytime food drive (2-6pm). There are also six fundraiser comedy shows across the next three evenings (21-23 Dec) but those are separate ticketed events.
Source: Hackney Flea Market
Thriftmas | 📍Abney Public Hall, N16 | 20-21 Dec | Free
The people behind Hackney Flea Market are doing their first festive thrift market in Stoke Newington. Over 60 independent traders selling vintage clothes, jewellery, ceramic art, nail art, temp tattoos + more. It's across two days at Abney Hall, and everything's budget-friendly.
Hampstead Arts Festival | 📍Various venues, NW3 | 19-21 Dec | (£)
Weekend of live music across Hampstead. Chamber music, jazz, Bach at brunch in Keats House, late night jazz at Rosslyn Hill Chapel. Free family concert on Saturday morning called Sir Scallywag and the Battle of Stinky Bottom. Gemma Rosefield and Benjamin Nabarro are running it with musicians from Ensemble 360. Mix of Bach, Beethoven and newer composers like Zoë Rahman. Tickets vary by concert.
Highgate Wood Winter Guided Walk | 📍Highgate Wood, N10 | 20 Dec | Free
Guided walk through Highgate Wood. Wildlife spotting, tree identification, woodland history. Lasts about 1 to 1.5 hours. Meet at the information hut by the cafe at 11:30am. Free. Wrap up warm and you'll learn about the ancient woodland while walking through it in winter.
Source: Traditional Marbling Ceramic Baubles Workshop @gracefrogley
Shōtengai Pan-Asian Christmas Market | 📍Coal Drops Yard, N1C | 18-21 Dec | Free
The Japanese street market is back at Coal Drops Yard and this time it's with a Christmas twist. Stalls selling pan-Asian homeware, food, gifts from independent traders. Modelled on Shōtengai markets in Japan.
Ceramic Bauble Marbling | 📍Camden Arts Projects, NW5 | Sun 21 Dec | (£)
A hands on festive workshop where you’ll marble three large ceramic baubles in your own colours, then take them home the same day ready for the tree. It’s plastic free, calming, and you leave with something that looks genuinely special.
City Daze Walking Club | 📍Tottenham Marshes, N17 | 20 Dec | Free
Walking club around Tottenham Marshes. Meet at Tottenham Hale station main exit at noon, walk til 2pm, then hang out afterwards if you want. Founded by Zoe Mallett and mindfulness practitioner Rose. It's about slowing down, exploring green spaces in London, and meeting people.
Sing Christmas with Crouch End Festival Chorus | 📍St Michael's Church, N6 | 20 Dec | (£)
Crouch End Festival Chorus doing their annual Christmas concert at St Michael's Church in Highgate. Music from Karl Jenkins's Stella Natalis album, traditional carols and festive songs. Audience singalong encouraged. Two performances: 4pm matinee or 7:30pm evening. About 80 minutes, no interval. Under-40s get 40% off (40 seats per show), students and under-18s £5. Tickets £5-22 plus booking fee.
🎟️ Heads up
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.
✈️Adventure Travel Show | 📍Business Design Centre, N1 | 10-11 Jan | (£)
Adventure Travel Show returns to Islington with over 100 travel specialists, tour operators and speakers. Simon Reeve headlining the main stage, plus explorers and adventurers sharing their stories across four free-to-visit theatres. UK adventures through to jungles, mountains, rivers, deserts across every continent. Arctic cruises, gravel bike trips, wildlife excursions, cultural experiences. Your ticket also gets you into the Gravel & Adventure Bike Expo.
🎉London New Year's Day Parade | 📍Piccadilly to Westminster | 1 Jan | Free
New Year's Day parade through central London. Starts at the Ritz on Piccadilly at 1pm, goes down Regent Street, along Pall Mall past Trafalgar Square, down Whitehall to Westminster. Finishes about 4:30pm. Performers include Heather Small, Sam Ryder, tribute acts (George Michael, Elton John, Spice Girls, ABBA), Carnaval Del Pueblo, Pearly Kings and Queens, Hamleys bus, American high school bands and cheerleaders. Free to watch from the streets. Paid grandstand seats on Piccadilly (£75, mostly sold out) or Whitehall VIP (£185). Half a million to a million people usually line the route, so get there early for a good spot.
🪴Islington Gardeners Talk & Seed Giveaway | 📍St Mary's Church, N1 | 14 Jan | Free
Islington Gardeners doing their winter event at St Mary's Church on Upper Street. Illustrated talk with John Little (Grass Roof Company) about sustainable gardening, insect habitats, biodiversity in public spaces. Plus seed giveaway and their AGM. John's done 400+ biodiverse green roofs, 18 years managing grounds on a Hackney estate, and questions a lot of standard gardening practices. Bring seeds to swap if you've got them. Wine and nibbles provided.
What’s On This Weekend: 20-21 December 2025
Your guide to what’s happening in North London this week. Events marked with (£) require a ticket in advance.
🛍️Community & Markets
Wood Green Winter Market | 📍Lymington Avenue, N22 | 20 Dec | Free
Last weekend at Wood Green's winter market on Lymington Avenue near Lidl. Handmade crafts, gifts, food, artisan goods from local traders. Free to browse, runs 11am-5pm. Easy to combine with a bit of Lidl shopping.
Hoxton Christmas Night Market | 📍Holy Trinity Church Hall, N1 | 21-23 Dec | Free
Three-day Christmas market at Holy Trinity Church Hall in Hoxton. Stalls selling gifts, food, drinks. Raffles with prizes, games and activities for kids, mulled wine and mince pies. Carol singing on Sunday 20 December.
🎄 Carols & Concerts
Christmas Candlelight Concert | 📍St John the Baptist Church, EN5 | 20 Dec | (£)
Lumos doing candlelit Christmas concerts at St John the Baptist Church in Chipping Barnet. String trio playing Christmas songs and film soundtracks: Home Alone, Love Actually, The Holiday, The Nutcracker, Fairytale of New York, All I Want For Christmas, Last Christmas, The Snowman. Two sittings: 7-8pm (doors 6:15pm) or 9-10pm (doors 8:30pm). Seating is tiered zones (Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze) and first come first served within your zone. 8+ only. Part of the ticket goes to charity.
Barnet Choral Society Christmas Concert | 📍St John the Evangelist, N11 | 20 Dec | (£)
Barnet Choral Society doing their Christmas concert at St John the Evangelist in Friern Barnet. Festive songs with audience participation. Collection at the end for North London Hospice.
Source: Candlelight Experiences @lumos.experiences
🎧 Music Nights & Live Sets
Tim Edey's Celtic Christmas | 📍Kings Place, N1 | 20 Dec | (£)
Folk guitarist Tim Edey doing Christmas music at Kings Place. The Wexford Carol, The Galician Carol, Ding Dong Merrily on High, The Snowman, Fairytale of New York. Two hours with an interval, doors 7:30pm. He's won BBC Folk Musician of the Year twice and plays seasonal music from different traditions.
A Vinyl Diggers Social | 📍The Elmhurst, N17 | 20 Dec | Free
Saturday night vinyl session at The Elmhurst on Lordship Lane. Mark Professor from Mighty Ruler Sound System doing a 4-hour set. Disco, funk, reggae, soul, pop classics, all on vinyl. Free entry. 2-for-1 cocktails if you get free advance tickets on Dice. DJs bring vinyl to sell and chat with people throughout the night. Food and drinks available, table football and board games in the back. Runs 7:30pm til midnight.
THANKS FOR READING!
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