🦊 Things to do this weekend in North London Jan 3-4

Bits and bobs worth knowing.

☕ Heath café operators launch legal challenge as petition hits 11k in two weeks: Patrick Matthews, current Lido operator, started new petition calling for City of London to pause Daisy Green takeover and re-run tender process. Now preparing legal challenge with GoFundMe for supporters to contribute. Petition got 11,000 signatures in under two weeks. Matthews: "The committee said 20,000 signatures on old petition were out of date. Results over nine days in dead of winter speak for themselves." Current operators out by 31 Jan. Highgate Wood decision still pending.

⚽ Arsenal host Women's Champions Cup semi-final at Emirates on 28 Jan: The Gunners take on Morocco's AS FAR in the first-ever FIFA Women's Champions Cup. Other semi sees US champions Gotham FC face Brazil's Corinthians at Brentford. Winners meet in final 1 Feb. Historic tournament bringing world-class women's football to London. Get your tickets here.



🎬 Odeon Camden's last screenings before closing 26 Feb after 90 years: The nearly 90-year-old cinema shows its final films on 26 Feb before demolition for student housing and shops. Cinema's been on Parkway since 1937, became an Odeon in 1997. Art Deco frontage will be kept. Site becoming Camden Xchange with 244 student flats, 49 affordable homes, and performance venue in old Bingo hall. Last chance to see a film there. Go see a movie there while you still can.

🚶 Walk past Tower Bridge, Big Ben and London Eye on 24-25 Jan for charity: Choose 5km family route, 10km, half or full marathon along the Thames. Takes in London's landmarks with rest stops, snacks and hot food. Medal at finish. Start and finish at The Oval. Walk for a charity or yourself. Families welcome, under-21s discounted. Register early for best price.



🍺 Licence review launched for World's End pub in Finsbury Park: Islington Council reviewing the 150-year-old World's End pub licence after complaint from "interested party." Concerns raised: crime/disorder, public safety, and public nuisance. Anyone can comment (for or against) until 15 Jan. Email [email protected] or submit online. Council decides after reviewing all responses.

The Gingerbread City | 📍Coal Drops Yard, N1C | Until 4 Jan | (£)
It’s your last chance to see the Museum of Architecture's gingerbread exhibition at Coal Drops Yard. Leading architects building future cities from gingerbread and sweets - this year's theme is The Playful City. Think train stations doubling as skate parks, schools with slides between classrooms, buildings with rooftop gardens and candy-coloured climbing walls. Every structure is a one-off edible creation.

Voices of Resistance Exhibition | 📍The Postal Museum, WC1X | Ends 5 Jan | (£)
Last weekend to see this exhibition about enslaved people whose labour powered 19th-century postal ships between the UK and Caribbean. Letters between plantation owners reveal lives and resistance of enslaved people. Film about Caribbean coal workers on St. Thomas who refuelled the ships.

Festive Skate @ Ally Pally | 📍Alexandra Palace, N22 | Until 5 Jan | (£)
Last weekend for the ice rink at Alexandra Palace. Skate under the Christmas tree with lights and festive music, falling snow. 90-minute sessions.Mulled wine, Baileys hot chocolate and mince pies in the cafe. 3+ years old, spectators need tickets if supervising under-16s.

Free Comedy | 📍Brewhouse & Kitchen, N5 | Jan 4 | Free
Free stand-up comedy every Sunday at Brewhouse & Kitchen Highbury. Comedians from TV, Edinburgh Fringe, international circuit. Regular performers include Peter Jones, Mike Rice, Evaldas Karosas, Shalaka Kurup. Doors 5:30pm, show 6-7:30pm. Free entry, limited seating so get there early.

2 Stories - Ali Woods & Nathan Cassidy | 📍Camden Comedy Club, NW1 | 3 Jan | (£)
Two comedians, one story each. Ali Woods (viral comedy, Comedy Central) and Nathan Cassidy (Amazon Prime specials, million-download podcast). They each tell one full story - raw, funny, unfiltered. Deeper than standard stand-up sets.

For the 64% of you who had a Christmas tree this year, here's a quick guide on where exactly you can dispose of it in your borough.

But first a few things to note:
Waste collection days often change over the festive period, so check with your borough before you haul that tree outside. Councils only accept the tree itself (no pots, no soil, no decorations, and only real ones. Artificial trees need to go to the tip). You'll likely need to chop it into smaller pieces too, especially for garden waste bin collection. And please don't just dump it on the street ( you know who you are 👀).



Barnet

Leave your tree at the boundary of your property on Saturday 10 or Saturday 17 January by 6am (early risers only). Cut it in half and strip off any decorations or they won't take it.

Brent

An impressive 22 drop-off points are opening between 26 December and 5 January. Check the website for a full list and map, plus details of staffed drop-off points on Saturdays 10 and 17 January.

Camden

A number of recycling points are opening across the borough from 2-11 January, from local squares to car parks to garden centres (Camden residents only). Find yours on the Christmas Tree Recycling Point Map. Heads up: the City of London isn't collecting trees on Hampstead Heath this year. Garden waste subscribers can chop and pop it in their usual bin, or take it to Regis Road Reuse and Recycling Centre.

Enfield

Garden waste subscribers can put the tree out on your normal collection day (chop it to under 6ft or it won't be taken). Otherwise, take it to Barrowell Green Recycling Centre or Edmonton Eco Park. The park drop-off points aren't running this year. And once again, North London Hospice is doing their Christmas tree collection for selected Enfield postcodes if you'd rather donate.

Haringey

Food and garden waste crews will collect your tree for free. Chop it into pieces under 1m, leave it out with your bin on your normal day. If you're in a flat with communal bins, leave it with those before the end of January. Interestingly, the council website specifically asks you not to shove your tree down the communal rubbish chute, which tells you everything you need to know. Otherwise, take it to the Recycling Centre in Wood Green, or one of five park drop-off sites (open 26 December to 12 January).

Islington

If you've got door-to-door recycling, they'll collect your tree on your normal day between 5-16 January. Or take it to your local Reuse and Recycling Centre, or one of nine collection points around the borough.

Art fair at Alexandra Palace with 75+ galleries. Paintings, sculpture, ceramics, photography, glass. Prices from £100 to £30,000. Emerging artists and established names like Hockney, Picasso, Chagall. Workshops and artist demos running throughout. Food and drink available. Under-16s free, free return visits all weekend on your ticket. Private view Thursday 29 Jan 5:30-9pm with wine. Public days Friday to Sunday.

Five-course January dinner from chef Robert Chappell at The Good Mews. Fresh pasta, homemade bread, seasonal produce from farms that work with nature. Over 30 types of plants across the menu, plus responsibly sourced meat.

On 23 January 1909, two Latvian robbers fled a payroll heist at a rubber factory on Chesnut Road. What followed was a 2-hour chase through Tottenham to Epping Forest with 400+ bullets fired, several people killed, many injured. Local historian Oona Kelly walks the route they took, telling the story and its impact during a time when Eastern European immigrants faced hostility after the 1905 Aliens Act. Under 2 hours, Tottenham High Road to Tottenham Marshes. Meet 10:45am corner of Chesnut Road by Tottenham Police Station. Wear decent shoes.

Help RSPB track bird populations. If you've got a garden or outside space, spend an hour between 23-25 January counting birds that visit. No garden? Your local park works too. Count any birds that land, note what you see (even if it's nothing), then report to RSPB. They use the data to spot patterns and species in danger. Why winter? Birds need us most when it's cold. There more likely to visit gardens for food and shelter, easier to count. This one weekend Creates a snapshot they can compare year on year. Free, any time of day works. Do it solo or with your neighbours. Report online at RSPB website.

Learn to taste coffee properly at Ensemble. Three different coffees, you'll learn what to look for - aroma, how it feels in your mouth, why some taste better than others, what you actually like and why. For anyone who drinks coffee and wants to understand it better. Baristas and coffee nerds welcome too. 90 minutes, limited spaces.

London's big art fair returns to the Business Design Centre. 120+ galleries from the UK and internationally selling modern and contemporary art - everything from affordable prints to major works. Browse and buy paintings, sculptures, photography, editions. Work ranges from established names (Warhol, Hockney, Tracey Emin) to emerging artists. National Trust exhibiting 20th-century modern art from their collection. Talks and tours throughout. Preview 20 January, public days 21-25 January.

Snowdrop sale at Myddelton House Gardens. Nurseries selling snowdrops including rare varieties, then walk the eight-acre gardens to see thousands in bloom. First flowers of late winter. Gates open 8:30am for keen buyers, sale 10am-12:30pm. £6.50 entry. Former home of Edward Augustus Bowles, famous Victorian botanist. Heritage kitchen garden and grounds to explore.

Cold water swim at Parliament Hill Lido with Chilly Dippers community, raising money for Suicide&Co who provide free counselling for people bereaved by suicide. All levels welcome, swim at your own pace. £10 donation to Suicide&Co (book in advance), plus £5 lido entry on the day. Changing facilities and showers available. Every £30 raised funds one counselling session. 11am-1pm, 10 January. Bring towel, warm clothes for after.