Almost a year ago I sent the first issue of My North London because I had questions and got tired of waiting for answers. So I built something instead. What I didn't expect is what this year would do for me.

When someone replies and tells me they discovered a café they'd walked past for years. Or that they left the house on a Sunday because of an event I shared. Or even that they got married over the weekend. That hits different. Makes me feel like I'm being a real neighbour.

You being here has helped me more than you know. I've lived in North London for about 20 years and I thought I knew this place. But then I started building this with you, going out, meeting people, finding the stories. It almost feels like i’m discovering North London for the first time. That's because of you.

So let’s all celebrate what we have here neighbours. On the 21st May Friday Knights are hosting our first birthday bash and I want to see you there.

Grab your spot here.

One year in. And we're just getting started.

Bits and bobs worth knowing.

🍔 First 100 people get free burgers at Camden Market Saturday: STAX Burgers opening at Camden Market (Italian Alley, the Stables bit). First 100 people through the door get free burger. They've also got a prize wheel and some eating challenge going on.

🏃 London Marathon 2027 ballot closes this Friday: Free to enter, you only pay £79.99 if you actually get a place. Random draw, find out by early July. They might run two marathons next year (Saturday and Sunday). If that gets approved, you're automatically entered for both days so doubles your chances of getting in. Deadline's Friday 1 May at 4pm.

🏺 Flask Walk in Hampstead has a new homeware store: Couple Emily Ho and Wilson Lee. Started shop in Hong Kong 2019, moved to Hampstead. Took over old Judy Green's Garden Store spot (she ran it 30 years, came in first day, loved what they'd done). Objective Lifestyle store is selling stuff you won't find on the high street. Wilson makes the furniture, Emily paints the abstract art. Rest is curated from Japan, Finland, UK. Things like 100-year-old Japanese wood blocks, modern Japanese furniture, Finnish fabrics.

Jung Festival | 📍Canopy Market, King's Cross, N1C | 1 - 4 May | Free
London's first Korean food festival lands at Canopy Market in King's Cross over the bank holiday weekend. Jung is named after Jeong, the Korean concept of warmth and connection that comes from sharing food, and that spirit runs through the whole thing. Around 20 food traders and 10 independent Korean brands, going well beyond the kimchi and Korean fried chicken you might already know. Free to visit. Friday 12pm to 8pm, Saturday to Monday 11am to 6pm.

Bruce Castle Heritage Quarter Open Day | 📍Bruce Castle, N17 | 3 May | Free
A medieval church, a Tudor manor house, Victorian cemetery chapels and a community pub. All in one corner of Tottenham, all open on the same day. Bruce Castle Museum runs free curator-led tours from noon, there are heritage walks, bell ringers at 10.30am, and a guest talk at 2.30pm. Tea and cake at the Old Kitchen Cafe. Runs 10.30am to 4pm.

Roots 2 Love | 📍Kilburn Square, NW6 | 1 - 2 May | Free
A two-day free festival celebrating Kilburn, the people who live there and the stories that don't always get told. Friday evening opens at Metroland Studios with live music, food and radio from 6pm. Saturday takes over Kilburn Square and the market with DJs, live performances, maypole dancing, gardening workshops, a story archive booth and a Wall of Belonging. 1pm to 7pm. All are welcome.



Round the Square | 📍East Finchley High Road, N2 | 2 May | Free
East Finchley is celebrating a new performance and event space on the High Road with an afternoon of live music, dance and tai chi. A dance performance from Fixation Academy kicks things off at 2pm, followed by a singer, folk music and the Archer Community Choir. Children's glitter bar running throughout for £3. Half price ice cream from Budgens. 2pm to 4pm.

Sicily Fest | 📍Business Design Centre, N1 | 30 Apr - 4 May | (£)
Now in its eleventh year, Sicily Fest is the largest Sicilian food and drink event in London and this year it runs for five days at the Business Design Centre on Upper Street. Etna wines, artisan pasta, pistachios, panelle, pizza fritta, cannoli and more, with live music throughout.


Coggers Family Funfair | 📍Broomfield Park, N13 | 1 - 4 May | (£)
Coggers are setting up in Broomfield Park in Palmers Green for the bank holiday weekend. Rides, lights, the works. Entry £2 per person, £5 for a family of four. Token operated so pick up tokens on arrival. Open 12pm to 8pm Friday through Monday.


Heritage Walk: In the Footsteps of William Bedwell | 📍All Hallows Church, N17 | 3 May | Free
400 years ago, if you wanted to learn Arabic in England, the best teacher wasn't at Oxford or Cambridge. He was a vicar on what is now White Hart Lane in Tottenham. This guided walk with historian Samantha Brown follows the story of William Bedwell, the most important English Arabist of his time, and how Tottenham became a European centre of Arabic learning in the 17th century. Starts outside All Hallows Church at 12.30pm, about an hour. Free but book via Eventbrite as spaces are limited.



Indie Jewellers' Market | 📍Coal Drops Yard, N1C | 30 Apr - 4 May | Free
Over 70 independent jewellery designers across five days at Coal Drops Yard, with a completely different lineup each day. Precious metalwork, gemstones, ceramic charms, Murano glass and statement pieces, all from makers you won't find on the high street. A Korean food festival runs alongside for four of the five days. 11am to 6pm.

May Day at the Marx Memorial Library | 📍Clerkenwell Green, EC1R | 4 May | Free
A Grade II listed building in Clerkenwell where Lenin wrote his revolutionary newspaper in exile. On May Day it opens free for tours, stalls, tea and cake, and keynote speakers on the steps at 12.30pm. The May Day march sets off from right outside at 1pm heading to Trafalgar Square. Runs 11am to 3pm.



Black Marketplace Camden | 📍St Michael's Church, NW1 | 4 May | Free
A free marketplace at St Michael's Church in Camden on bank holiday Monday with over 50 Black-owned businesses. African and Caribbean fashion, handmade crafts, art, beauty, jewellery, books, street food and live music. Free entry but book a ticket in advance. 10am to 4pm.

GROW Plant Sale | 📍The GROW Farm, N20 | 4 | (£)
GROW is a community farm in Totteridge and on both May bank holidays it opens for a plant sale. Vegetables, herbs, flowers and pollinator plants, all agroecologically grown. Think tomatoes, courgettes, kale, rosemary, foxgloves, lupins and a lot more. Solidarity pricing available. Explore the farm and get advice from the growers. Just turn up. 10am to 2pm.

May Day Fair at Kentish Town City Farm | 📍Kentish Town, NW5 | 4 May | £1 adults, 50p children
Kentish Town city farm are throwing a May Day fair. Animal handling, maypole dancing, food stalls, cake and a raffle. It gets busy, so arrive early. 12pm to 4pm.

Twenty food trucks on the south-facing terrace at Ally Pally, with the whole of London spread out below you. Lobster rolls, jerk chicken, vegan bowls, Brixton Brewery pints, margaritas, live music and DJs all weekend. Free entry, no tickets, dogs on leads welcome. Gates open 12pm, closes 8pm both days

Cecil Sharp House in Camden is the home of English folk music, and on 30 May it hosts a full day of queer folk artists ending in a Queer Ceilidh Dance Party. The afternoon features Belinda O'Hooley, who wrote the Gentleman Jack theme, folk duo Bailey and Keely, and singer-songwriter Amit Chadda. Sacha Coward, author of Queer As Folklore, gives a talk, and Bristol's queer drag king Morris dancers Molly No-Mates close the evening before the ceilidh. 1.30pm to 10.30pm. Tickets from £25.50 under 30s, £38.50 standard.

For one weekend, 59 local artists open up their actual studios across 40 venues in Crouch End. In its 21st year, it's one of the area's most loved events. Painting, ceramics, photography, print and sculpture, including an exhibition inside Dunns Bakery. The group show continues until 17 May at Hornsey Library with live portrait sittings, children's drawing workshops and a meet the artists session.

The annual Primrose Hill Summer Festival returns with a dog show, street food, live music and artisan stalls.

A festival at Coal Drops Yard in Kings Cross for anyone who wants to buy clothes made by actual people rather than fast fashion brands. Sixty independent designer-makers and boutique brands across the weekend, live music curated by The Sound Sniffer, and a workshop programme from indie fashion zine The Grey Zine. Street food, bars and restaurants on site. Dog friendly. 11am to 5pm both days.

I went to the very first one and met the founders, I really liked what they are building and wish them all the success. You’ll see vintage fashion, homeware, ceramics, art and jewellery from local makers on Church Street in Stoke Newington. This is the last one before a summer break. Coffee on site, dogs welcome. 11am to 5pm both days.

Forty Hall Farm is a working organic farm in Enfield with its own vineyard, and this weekend it's throwing open its farmyard for a plant sale. Thousands of organically grown vegetables, herbs and flowers, including rare and heritage varieties, for gardens, allotments and window boxes. Saturday has first pick of the plants alongside Neapolitan pizza and wine from the vineyard. Sunday adds a farmers' market with 30 food stalls. Arrive early, bring boxes. 10am to 3pm both days.

Once a year, Barnet High Street closes for a parade of classic cars. They then park up on the top deck of The Spires shopping centre car park for a display until 3pm, where you can get up close, chat to owners and, if you're lucky, sit in the driving seat. Live music from Boxty and refreshment stalls throughout. Raises money for Noah's Ark Children's Hospice. The parade starts at 10.30am.