Hey Neighbour,
June's nearly over but North London's not slowing down. Here's what you can look forward to this weekend.
Lets get into it.
— Maryam
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My North London Recommends
Thailand Showcase: Cultural Weekend 📍Lewis Cubitt Square, King's Cross | Fri 27 – Sun 29 June | FREE
The Royal Thai Embassy is bringing a slice of Thailand to King's Cross for one weekend. From street food, outdoor cinema, traditional performances, and cultural demos across Lewis Cubitt Square + more.
You'll find five different areas:
🍜 Culinary experiences with street food vendors and cooking demos,
🎬 Outdoor cinema showing Thai films (plus some Thai actor appearances),
✈️ Travel displays with interactive booths and flight giveaways,
🧵 Arts and crafts featuring sustainable fashion and traditional games,
💃 Live performances with classical dance and music running all weekend.
Source: Kingscross.co.uk
🎪 In Full Swing
These festivals are already in motion.
🧭 Local Culture
Highgate Festival | 📍Various venues | FREE & (£)
Local art, music, and talks in tucked-away venues all across Highgate.
🎶 Fri 27 — The Archway Lightnin’ Mountain Boys bring their bluegrass vibes to Pond Square
🎉 Sat 28 — Jacksons Lane is throwing a 50th birthday bash, with events all day
🎭 All week — Live performances and art shows are running at The Red Hedgehog
🖼️ Exhibitions — Pop by BOTH Gallery for a menopause-themed show, or visit the George Eliot tribute at Highgate Cemetery
There’s also a tea & quiz fundraiser from the Harington Scheme, and a cheeky SHOUT! sing-along upstairs at The Gatehouse.
👨👩👧 Family Friendly
Hampstead Summer Festival | 📍Keats House & Heath Street | 22 June – 6 July | FREE & (£)
Two weeks of art, theatre, garden parties and one big street fair to close things out. If you haven’t checked it out yet, there’s still plenty coming up.
🧚♀️ Family Garden Party — Sun 29 June, 2–5pm | FREE
Expect face painting, rhyme-time, mystical fairies, birds of prey, and of course, tea and cake.
Source: Hampstead Summer Festival
Coming up next week:
🎭 Vanity Fair (Open-Air Theatre) — Fri 5 July | (£)
Catch a family-friendly outdoor performance of Vanity Fair. You can bring a picnic or grab something tasty on site. The setting? Leafy and relaxed — just how summer should be.
🎉 Big Fair Day — Sun 6 July, 12–5pm | FREE
Heath Street will be pedestrian-only for the day — with 100+ stalls, street food, live music, and circus school sessions. Save the date, this is the big finale.
Also….
👗 Sustainable Fashion
🧵 (re)weaving Amazonia: A Sustainable Fashion Exhibition | 📍Renewal & Regeneration Hub, Coal Drops Yard | 25–29 June | 11am–6pm | FREE
A slow fashion exhibition spotlighting 30+ Brazilian designers, artisans, and Indigenous collaborations — all weaving nature, culture, and sustainability into ready-to-wear, accessories, and jewellery. Expect Amazon-sourced materials, bold new designers, and a rare glimpse into fashion as regeneration. Part of London Climate Action Week, and walking distance from Granary Square.
Bonus: On Fri 27 June, there’s a special evening social with after-hours access to the space — ideal for climate-curious creatives or anyone who needs a softer end to the week.
Source: Fashion United Uk
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What’s On This Weekend: 27th - 29th June 2025
Your guide to what’s happening in and out of North London this week. Events marked with (£) require a ticket in advance.
Friday 27th
🖼️ Art / Culture
The Herds Are Coming | 📍Camden | Free
Life-size puppet animals are walking 20,000km from the Congo Basin to the Arctic Circle and Camden is on the map. This massive public art project blends protest, storytelling and puppetry to spark urgent conversations about climate and conservation.
Source: The Herds Instagram Page
🎶 Music & Nightlife
The Street Jams 001 | 📍Secret location | 5-10pm | 18+ | Free but ticket needed
Three collectives (Mezzo's Corner, Rhythm Yard, Five Points) are doing monthly street jams this summer. First one's hosted by Mezzo's Corner. Live performances, DJs, cyphers, plus drinks from Jubel. Bring instruments, USBs, whatever. ( No guarantee it will be in north london).
Saturday 28th
👨👩👧 Family Friendly
Jacksons Lane’s 50th Birthday: Day of Celebration | 📍Jacksons Lane, Highgate | 11am–4pm | FREE
From circus parades to storytelling trails, this all-day bash celebrates 50 years of Jacksons Lane with pop-up performances, family workshops, live music, and community stages. Explore exhibitions, hear voices from the past in the listening studio, and tuck into BBQ and crafts all afternoon.
🌞 Day Out
Enfield Gin & Rum Festival | 📍Pymmes Mews, N13 | 11am to 11pm | Free
Twelve hours of gin, rum and good company, all made right here in the UK. Distillers from London, Scotland, Wales and Cornwall will be pouring their best – including seaweed gin and something called "King of Prussia" rum (no idea who he is, but we’ll try anything once, right?). Expect handmade cocktails, street food, and probably a few tipsy strangers asking what you're drinking.
🎭 Cabaret / Performance
Jacksons Lane 50th Birthday Cabaret | 📍Jacksons Lane, Highgate | 7:30pm | (£)
Hosted by Kaveh Rahnama, this joyful cabaret mixes circus, comedy, dance and live music from past and present Jacksons Lane artists. Prosecco on arrival.
🖼️ Art / Culture
East Finchley Open Studios | 📍East Finchley + Muswell Hill | 11am–6pm | Free
Peek inside the homes of 14 local artists across East Finchley and Muswell Hill during this beloved open studios weekend. Start at All Saints Church for a group show, then follow the trail to explore and buy handcrafted pieces directly from the makers.
🌈 Queer History
Queerstory Musical | 📍Fenton House, Hampstead | 6:30pm | (£)
Musical about queer history you never learned in school, from Marlene Dietrich to drag queens, Shakespeare to RuPaul. Mercury and Professor Maxim tell stories of LGBTQIA+ people who fought for today's freedoms.
😂 Comedy
Stand Up for The Loss Foundation Comedy Night | 📍Union Chapel, Islington | Doors open @ 6.30pm | (£)
10th anniversary charity comedy show with Tom Deacon, Paul Foot, Lucy Porter, Nabil Abdulrashid and more. Union Chapel's a stunning venue for live comedy. Supporting The Loss Foundation with ticket sales and raffle prizes.
Resistance Comedy | 📍Dugdale Arts Centre, Enfield | Doors open @ 6pm | (£)
Enfield’s big comedy night is back with a stacked lineup — including Kazeem Jamal, Raj Poojara, Nicole Harris, Blank Peng, and more. Expect sharp punchlines, big energy, and a fully licensed bar to fuel the night.
🎤 Social Mixer
London Vegan Mixer 📍Karamel, Wood Green | 7pm | FREE
Vegan social night at Karamel with live music until 9pm, then karaoke takes over. The venue's got fully vegan food and drinks, plus they're letting everyone in for free so worth buying something to support them. All welcome, just RSVP first.
Sunday 29th
👨👩👧 Family Friendly
Parliament Hill Kite Festival | 📍Parliament Hill Fields | 12–4pm | Free
Kites, music and fresh air on the Heath. Bring your own or just watch the sky fill with colour at this annual favourite. No booking needed, just turn up and enjoy the views.
🧭 Local History
Caledonian Clock Tower Tour |📍Islington | Tickets available
Climb 178 spiral steps up a historic clock tower for panoramic London views. You'll hear tales of the old Caledonian Market and see the original turret mechanism in action. Note: Narrow stairs + ladders mean it’s not for the faint-hearted (or claustrophobic).
🎺 Live Music
London Metropolitan Brass Band | 📍Alexandra Park (The Grove) | 2–4pm | Free
Catch this brass band playing live in the park. Bring a picnic or grab something from the café. Some chairs provided or just chill on the grass under the trees (weather permitting).
🎵 Live Arts
Summer Poetry Evening |📍St Martin’s Church, Kensal Rise | 7pm | (£)
A warm summer night of poetry and live music in a stunning church setting. Featuring Tamsin Greig, Paterson Joseph and more, with proceeds supporting Talitha Arts' therapeutic workshops.
🐕 Community / Pets
Love Your N21 Dog Show | 📍The Sidings, Winchmore Hill | (£)
Local market with dog show attached. Market runs 10am-3pm, dog show kicks off 11:30am. Dog treats and food stalls plus the usual market stuff. Categories include saggiest tail and best junior handler.
👨👩👧 Family Friendly
North London Youth Orchestra Summer Concert 📍Free Church, Hampstead Garden Suburb | Doors open at 4.30pm | (£)
Hear young local talent perform English classics like Vaughan Williams and Elgar.
Source: northlondonyouthorchestra.org
🔥 Midweek Burners (June 30th – 3rd July)
🎷 Live Music
Emergence: Mark Kavuma & Guests | 📍The Cockpit NW8 | Mon 30th June | 8pm | (£)
Trumpet player. Bandleader. Powerhouse. Mark Kavuma is one of the most exciting names in UK jazz right now. His soulful tone and genre-shifting live sets have made him a standout on London’s nu-jazz scene and a mentor to the next wave through Tomorrow’s Warriors and Jazz Jamaica.
Also performing:
🎸 Jamie Pye — rich, story-led compositions on guitar
🎻 John Edwards — fearless, boundary-pushing double bass
🎷 Live Music
Lana Del Rey: The String Sessions | 📍Samovar Space, Wembley Park | July 1st | 7–8pm | Free
Lana Del Rey's biggest hits reimagined by a full string orchestra, right under the Wembley Stadium arch. The City String Ensemble will be playing cinematic versions of Video Games, West Coast, Born to Die, and her brand new single Henry, Come On. It's a one-night-only thing happening just days before Lana herself plays two sold-out shows at the stadium. Free entry but book on Eventbrite to be safe, or rock up early and hope for the best.
🎾 Sport / Screenings
Wimbledon Screenings | 📍Camden Market Hawley Wharf | 1-13 July | FREE
Watch Wimbledon finals on a big screen at Camden Market. Deckchairs available (first come first served), plus all the market food and drink stalls. Good atmosphere for watching with a crowd instead of at home. Runs throughout the tournament, drop in whenever.
Thanks for reading!
Now get out there and create new memories.
— Maryam