Hey Neighbour,
I decorated my Christmas tree last night and I have to admit, I impressed myself😂. No star this year, but hey, at least it's a real tree for once.
Do you have a real Christmas tree 🎄 or a fake one?
Merry Christmas, neighbour!!
So today's edition is a short one, just a few events and some New Year's Eve ideas.
Plan Your Weekend:
Round Up
Bits and bobs worth knowing.
🚇 Colindale station just got step-free access: New entrance with lift opened 22 Dec. Bigger ticket hall for the growing area. Toilets and bike parking still to come by mid-2026. Cost £30m.
🚗 Those Google self-driving cars are being tested in North London: Waymo's driverless taxis are in Brent, Islington, Haringey and Camden now but still have safety drivers. Testing 24/7 before launching passenger service in 2026. The Jaguars use cameras and sensors to navigate.
🎳 Rowans Tenpin Bowl in Finsbury Park ain't going anywhere: After Haringey's Draft Local Plan listed their site for potential housing, owners reassured customers they have no plans to close. Any redevelopment would be years away. Thanked community for the support. "See you on the lanes and dancefloor!"
🏥 Camden's new vision for Great Ormond Street published: Council's plan turns one traffic lane into green space with trees, planting, and seating areas. Video shows early ideas including testimonial from hospital patient. Full public consultation coming in 2026. Share feedback now to shape final plans.
☕ Heath café owners told to leave by January: City of London awarded four cafés to Daisy Green chain despite 20,000-signature campaign. Current operators told days before Christmas to leave by end January. New petition has 6,877 signatures calling for City to reverse decision. Alfonso D'Auria's family ran Parliament Hill Fields café for 40+ years. "Disgusted by the way we have been treated." Sign petition here.
My North London Top Events
The Sunrise Club | 📍Primrose Hill, NW3 | 27 Dec | Free
Watch the sun come up over London from the top of Primrose Hill, then walk to a cafe for coffee. Meet 7:45am, sunrise at 8:06am. Look for the Sunrise Club banners. Free, just turn up. They do this every couple of weeks and people keep coming back.
Mince Pie Canal Cruise | 📍London Canal Museum, N1 | 28-30 Dec | (£)
Canal boat through Islington Tunnel from London Canal Museum. You get a mince pie, cream and hot drink (tea, coffee or warm fruit drink) while cruising through a 960-yard Victorian tunnel built in 1820, then on to St Pancras and back. Takes about an hour. The guide talks about the tunnel's history - how it used to be worked by men lying on their backs pushing against the walls.
Neverland at Kenwood | 📍Kenwood House, NW3 | Until 3 Jan | (£)
Peter Pan light trail through Kenwood House grounds on Hampstead Heath. Walk through glowing London scenes (Big Ben, the Darlings' nursery), then into Neverland with the Lost Boys' hideout, Skull Rock, and Captain Hook's pirate ship. About an hour to walk through, street food and hot drinks at the end. Money goes to Great Ormond Street Hospital.
Source: @seizetheheath
The Magic of Christmas at London Zoo | 📍Regent's Park, NW1 | Until 4 Jan | (£)
Christmas activities at London Zoo running til 4 January. Find the hiding elves trail, elf storytelling, Christmas crafts, festive animal talks, spot Santa around the zoo feeding animals, post your letter to the North Pole in the magic postbox. Daily prize draw at 2pm. Food and festive drinks available. You get the regular zoo (8,500+ animals) plus all the Christmas extras. Runs every day til 4 January. Good for the days between Christmas and New Year when you need to get the kids out the house.
The Reggae Choir | 📍Jazz Cafe, NW1 | 28 Dec | (£)
Jazz Cafe House Choir doing reggae classics. Bob Marley, Toots & The Maytals, Dawn Penn, Jimmy Cliff, Gregory Isaacs, Sister Nancy. Roots, rocksteady, lovers rock, all done choir-style.
Hustle Wrestling: Ambition | 📍Mcqueen Theatre, N22 | 27 Dec | (£)
Live wrestling at the Mcqueen Theatre, five minutes from Wood Green tube. Doors 5:30pm, show 6pm. Bar open.
Camden Pop Handmade | 📍St Michael's Church, NW1 | 27 Dec | Free
Last Camden Pop Handmade market of 2025 at St Michael's Church on Camden Road. Handmade gifts, homeware, jewellery, art from independent makers.
🎟️ 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.
No Trousers Tube Ride | 📍Chinatown meeting point | 11 Jan | Free (+ Tube fare)
Ride the Tube in your underwear while pretending everything's completely normal. That's it. That's the event. Meet in Chinatown at 2:45pm on Sunday 11 January with your trousers on. Organisers split everyone into groups, you go into a station, take your trousers off, board a train and act like you're just commuting. Read the paper, check your phone, completely deadpan. Underwear required (no thongs or mankinis). Bring a bag for your trousers. Route kept secret so only people actually willing to do it turn up. Free, just show up.
Apple Yowling at the Ferry Boat Inn | 📍Ferry Boat Inn, N17 | 17 Jan | Free
Wassailing at the oldest apple orchard in Waltham Forest. This is a traditional ceremony where you sing at the apple trees, bang pots and pans to scare off bad spirits and wake the trees for spring, drink spiced cider. Bring pots and pans, and wear warm clothes.
🪩 YOU’RE NYE PLANS
Well at least what I found so far…
Big NYE Girly Pop Night | 📍Someday, N4 | 31 Dec | Free
Free New Year's Eve at Someday in Finsbury Park. Pop anthems all night - Charli XCX, Chappell Roan, Sabrina Carpenter, Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Dua Lipa, Ariana Grande, Rihanna, the lot.
New Year's Eve Ceilidh | 📍Cecil Sharp House, NW1 | 31 Dec | (£)
Scottish ceilidh dancing at Cecil Sharp House on New Year's Eve. Live band, caller who teaches you every dance as you go. You pair up and swap partners throughout - come solo or with friends, doesn't matter. It's energetic group dancing to live folk music. No experience needed, the caller talks everyone through it. Bar open, sword dancing display mid-evening.
Horse Meat Disco NYE | 📍EartH, N16 | 31 Dec | (£)
Horse Meat Disco playing all night at EartH in Stoke Newington for New Year's Eve. The whole crew doing an extended set til 4am.
Ecstatic Dance London NYE | 📍Near Tufnell Park, NW5 | 31 Dec | (£)
Sober New Year's Eve celebration with Ecstatic Dance London. Dancing to funk, disco and deep house til 1am. Cacao ceremony at the start, midnight countdown. The ticket includes cacao, teas, chai, snacks and fruit. Dress up if you want, dance barefoot or in soft shoes.
Angel Comedy NYE Show | 📍The Bill Murray, N1 | 31 Dec | (£)
Angel Comedy doing a New Year's Eve show at The Bill Murray. Lineup to be announced. They run shows every night with comics who've gone on to Live at the Apollo, Mock the Week, Netflix.
New Year's Eve at One Eighty One | 📍181 Holloway Road, N7 | 31 Dec | (£)
New Year's Eve at One Eighty One bar on Holloway Road. Tickets include a welcome drink and bubbly at midnight. They're capping it at 70 people so it stays intimate rather than rammed.
Lucky Nugget's Wacky Wild West NYE Party | 📍Jam in a Jar, N8 | 31 Dec | (£)
Jam in a Jar transformed into a full Wild West saloon for New Year's Eve. Sheriff's office entrance, saloon bar, actors in character all night, live rock bands, Western-themed cocktails. Everyone gets 5 gold coins to spend on free drinks or bet on games around the venue. There's a maze at the back with live actors and mini games where you can win or lose your coins. Barn smoking area, rowdy atmosphere.
New Year's Eve Ball | 📍The Owl, N7 | 31 Dec | Free
Free New Year's Eve at The Owl on Holloway Road. Indie, electro, dance - Arctic Monkeys, Blondie, Charli XCX, The Cure, Depeche Mode, Joy Division, Justice, LCD Soundsystem, New Order, The Strokes, Talking Heads. 9pm til 3am.
THANKS FOR READING!
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