Hey Neighbour,
Reading your replies and feedback is one of my favourite things to do, and I'm not just saying that. After all, this newsletter isn't about me, it's about us. So if you ever want a chat or have some feedback or something to share, simply hit reply. I read every message.
This week I heard from Minh, who suggested including Hackney events. Technically speaking, geographically Hackney is North East (valid point, Minh), so it wouldn't be that much of a stretch or a bike ride. So it's something we should consider. I do have a segment called 'Is it worth leaving North London?' where I include events that are worth the tube fare, but maybe it's time to expand our horizons a bit.
So let's vote on it.
🗳️ Should My North London include events in Hackney?
— Maryam
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My North London Recommends
Everyman on the Canal | 📍Granary Square, King's Cross | 5-6 July | Free
There's something lovely about watching films by the canal as the sun sets behind King's Cross. This weekend they've got Pride specials - Kinky Boots and Wicked - plus live Wimbledon and that charming 2004 Wimbledon film. Bring a cushion for the steps, get there early for a good spot, It's free and finishes by 10pm.
Summer BBQ with Jazzy Sport DJs | 📍ESEA Community Centre | 6 July | 1-9pm | £25
Two ex-consultants turned chef and sommelier are throwing a BBQ with Japanese DJs Nina Yamada and Ayana Homma spinning vinyl. Eric does Viet-Canto food, Eric does natural wine, and the DJs bring everything from Afrobeat to reggae. It's at the ESEA Community Centre with money going to their programs. You can walk in anytime or buy tickets for food and drink included.
Hampstead Summer Festival Finale | 📍Heath Street | 6 July | Free
The Hampstead Summer Festival ends this weekend and they're going out with a bang. On Sunday they're shutting Heath Street to cars and filling it with 110 stalls, street food, live music, and a circus school.
Nocturnal Nature Walk | 📍Regent's Park | 8 July, 9:15pm | (£)
While everyone else leaves the park, you go in. Charlotte Cass guides you through Regent's Park at dusk hunting for bats, foxes, spiders, and toads as they come out to feed. You get bat detectors, torches, and expert knowledge about how these animals survive in darkness. Ages 8+, very limited spots, weather dependent.
Don’t gate keep the good stuff.
Got an event coming up or know someone who does?
Send it over here and it might just make the next edition.
What’s On This Weekend: 5th - 6th July 2025
Your guide to what’s happening in and out of North London this week. Events marked with (£) require a ticket in advance.
Saturday 5th
👨👩👧 Family Friendly
East Barnet Festival | 📍Oak Hill Park | 4-6 July | Free
Live music, craft and food stalls, plus activities for all ages. This festival features three days of performances, inflatables and games for kids, a choir concert (Sat), a dog show (Sat), and classic Cars in the Park (Sun).
Source: East Barnet Festival
YEBO! Southern Africa Festival | 📍Broomfield Bowl, Palmers Green | 3-10pm | (£)
South African festival in Palmers Green with live marimba music, braai food, and beers you can't get at Tesco. They're doing boerie rolls, peri peri steak, and traditional sweets alongside the usual festival setup.
Stable Yard Pottery Open Studio | 📍Stable Yard Pottery | 12-6pm | Free
A year ago Rosie Ruddock had the idea to turn an old stable into a pottery studio. Now she's got a whole community of local potters and they're throwing open the doors to celebrate. Go see what they've been making, buy some beautiful ceramics, have a drink in the sunshine.
🌙 Nightlife & Late Shows
The Martinez Brothers | 📍 KOKO, Camden | 10pm–late | (£)
Ibiza’s loss is Camden’s gain. The Martinez Brothers, Bronx-born house heavyweights and longtime Hï Ibiza residents — take over KOKO for one night only. Expect euphoric drops, funky basslines, and a stacked lineup including Ben Sterling, Lindsey Matthews, and Morgan. Yeah you could stay at home, Or you could be in the crowd when the bass drops and the whole room feels it. Just saying. ( Tickets are selling fast!)
Haven't Stopped Dancing Yet! | 📍Islington Assembly Hall | 5 July | 7:30pm
70s and 80s night at Islington Assembly Hall with soul, funk and disco. They do dance competitions, hand out free retro sweets, and apparently Time Out called it "Mamma Mia collides with Saturday Night Fever." 10% profits go to Cancer Research UK.
🎤 Live + Local
GLORYUSS | 📍The Finsbury | 7:30pm | 18+ | (£)
North London rapper GLORYUSS with support from singer-songwriter Zarina Kazi at The Finsbury. He blends UK garage with rap, she creates music that explores identity and cultural crossroads with influences from Amy Winehouse and Billie Eilish. Both are emerging artists worth catching before they get bigger.
Immersive Jam | 📍Loom Club | 5 July | 6pm | (£)
Musicians sitting in a circle with headphones, improvising live while you can either watch from the sidelines or step into the middle and feel the vibes up close. Run by Thousand Seasons Studio.
🏳️🌈 Pride in London
Pride in London | 📍Various locations | from 12pm | Free
Happy Pride! Pride in London is back for another year of celebration of queer history and awareness of ongoing issues faced by the community. The parade starts at Hyde Park Corner and goes straight through central London - Piccadilly, Trafalgar Square, ends at Whitehall.
Also… 🏳️🌈 Pride Up North
Some pride events I found in North London.
🎨 Camden Pride: Queer Arts & Craft Market | 📍St Giles Square, Denmark Street | 12-6pm | Free
Family-friendly Pride celebration with queer artists and makers selling their stuff on St Giles Square. There's a craft workshop where you help make a community art piece, plus SNOG has a frozen yogurt party bus parked up. Six hours of browsing, making things, and eating ice cream in the sun
💃 The Divine Pride Party | 📍The Divine | 5pm-4am | Free before 10pm
Tickets are going fast on this one. The Divine's biggest Pride party yet - drag shows, DJs until 4am, free entry before 10pm. Shows start 10:30pm, both floors open. Get there early for the dancefloor.
🎭 Wembley Park Pride 2025 | 📍Samovar Space, Wembley Park | Free
Pride under the Wembley Arch with a proper funny comedian (Mark Bittlestone - he's got the TikTok numbers and the Edinburgh reviews to prove it), drag performances, a DJ spinning everything from Britney to indie hits. It's free, runs 6:30-10pm.
Sunday 6th
👨👩👧 Family Friendly
Cally Festival | 📍Caledonian Road | 12 to 6pm | Free
One day. One road. Thousands of neighbours. Cally Festival is back and for one Sunday only, Caledonian Road turns into a full-blown community takeover. Expect live music, street food, art, performances, creative workshops, market stalls and more.
Myddleton Road Summer Festival | 📍Bounds Green | 12 to 6pm | Free
What started as one woman’s idea to bring life back to a quiet high street has grown into Bounds Green’s favourite summer festival. Now run by a local non-profit, this street party packs in handmade crafts, global street food, eco-friendly stalls, live music, kids' rides and a real neighbourly vibe. Go for the food. Stay for the neighbours.
Jazz on the Green | 📍Hadley Green | (£)
Open-air jazz concert on Hadley Green with four bands including the Lazy Rhythm Boys and an 8-piece called The Truants. Picnic-friendly afternoon with tea, coffee and ice cream available. Run by the local residents' association with proceeds going toward maintaining the green and ponds.
Golder's Hill Park Zoo Walk | 📍Golders Hill Park, Golder's Hill Park Deer Enclosure | 11am | (£)
Zoo manager Laura Botelho taking people around the zoo she runs. Two hours hearing about the animals, the zoo's history, and where it's heading. Starts at the deer enclosure. If you've walked past this place hundreds of times but never really looked, here's your chance to get the inside story from someone who actually knows what she's talking about.
🔥 Midweek Burners (July 8th )
🎶 Music
Finsbury Fest | 📍Finsbury Park | 5:30-9pm | Free
Local music festival in Finsbury Park on a Tuesday evening. Live acts, food stalls, and it's free with tickets available online. Family-friendly but under-18s need an adult with them.
🎟️ Heads up
Upcoming events you should consider booking in advance or planning ahead for. Events marked with (£) require a ticket in advance.
🎶 Sounds Around the City
De Beauvoir Jazz Festival | 📍De Beauvoir Town | 11-12 July | (£)
New jazz festival in De Beauvoir (that lovely bit between Islington and Dalston). They're turning the whole area into a music venue - pubs, churches, and street corners all hosting live jazz. Mix of established and emerging artists playing indoors and out. Lots of free stuff on Sunday, plus cheap tickets for locals. Worth a wander even if you're not massively into jazz.
Islington Festival of Music and Art | 📍Multiple venues | 11-20 July | (£)
Ten days of music and art across Islington - 43 performers, 15 concerts, everything from walking tours around Angel to harp-guided yoga. Started as garden concerts during lockdown and has grown into a borough-wide festival. There's musicals, swing classes, classical music - a bit of everything really. Individual events start from £20 or £170 for the full festival pass if you're planning to do loads.
Military Musical Spectacular | 📍Horse Guards Parade | 15-17 July | (£)
The full military band treatment on Horse Guards Parade - massed bands, state trumpeters, pipes and drums, the works. It's called "Heroes" and runs three nights at 7:30pm. The kind of precise, thunderous spectacle the Household Division does better than anyone. If you've never seen military bands at this level, it's worth experiencing once. Charity fundraiser.
🍷 For the Foodies
"100 Years of Rioja" Wine and Food Festival | 📍Hackney Bridge | 19-20 July | (£)
If you're into food and wine, this one's worth knowing about. Spain's Rioja region is turning 100, so they're throwing a big party at Hackney Bridge over the weekend. Fifty different wines to try, Jose Pizarro and Omar Allibhoy doing live cooking, masterclasses with Olly Smith, plus street food and music.
🎪 Big Days Out
Kaleidoscope Festival | 📍Alexandra Palace | Sat 12 July, 1 to 10.30pm | (£)
Kaleidoscope tickets are moving fast this year. Faithless headlining, plus Goldie, DJ Spoony, comedy, kids' stuff. You get Alexandra Palace and those London views. Check now or check later when they're gone.
Hyper Japan Festival | 📍Olympia Exhibition Centre | 18-20 July
Three days of Japanese culture at Olympia - manga, anime, J-pop, fashion, traditional stuff. Marketplace with gifts, games, decorations you can't find elsewhere. If you're into Japanese culture or just curious about it, this covers everything from the ancient to the current. Claims to be the UK's biggest Japanese festival and probably is.
Thanks for reading!
Now get out there and create new memories.
— Maryam