🦊 Things to do this weekend in North London Nov 22-23

Bits and bobs worth knowing.

🍣 Sushidog opens at King's Cross with 50% off: The sushi roll spot launches Tuesday 25 Nov with half-price food all opening weekend (25-27 Nov). First 100 customers get a free roll, bowl or salad from midday.

✨ Brent Cross Town lights switch-on next Wednesday: Free festive event at Claremont Park on 26 Nov, 4-5:30pm with school choirs, Oompah Brass band, hot drinks and treats. Lights go on at 4:15pm sharp. Father Christmas might show up too. No booking needed.

🎅 Kids can write to Santa and get a real reply: Royal Mail's annual tradition returns - write to Santa's Grotto, Reindeerland, XM4 5HQ with a stamp and your child's address on the back. Letters must arrive by Wednesday 10 Dec to get a reply before Christmas.

💧 1,700 Islington families automatically getting water bill discounts: Council partnered with Thames Water to enrol low-income households without them applying - saving average £368/year. Uses benefits data to identify eligible residents. No action needed, happens automatically if you qualify. Scheme rolling out to 18 London boroughs.

🚌 Haringey wins £10m to improve buses in Wood Green and Tottenham: One of only three London boroughs to secure Better Bus Partnerships funding. Money goes toward bus priority lanes, upgraded stops, and safer walking routes to stations. Timed for Borough of Culture 2027 and Euro 2028 at Spurs. Over half of Haringey residents don't own cars.

🎭 Ian McKellen joining Jeremy Corbyn in Islington panto: Remember when I told you Jeremy Corbyn's swapping Parliament for panto this Christmas as the Wizard of Ozlington? Well, Pleasance Theatre just got Ian McKellen to play Toto - "a washed-up rock star dog." This December at Caledonian Road.

🎬 Is Kentish Town UK's answer to Hollywood? £1bn Camden Film Quarter plans include film studios open for public tours, eight sound stages, outdoor screenings, and 1,000 new homes. Would transform the industrial area west of the station. Camden Council deciding now.

🚗 Congestion Charge going up to £18 - and electric cars now pay too: Standard charge rises from £15 to £18 from 2 Jan 2026 (first increase since 2000). Electric vehicles now pay reduced rates: £13.50 for cars, £9 for vans. Discounts only via AutoPay - residents keep 90% discount until March 2027.

FLESH & PIXEL | 📍Alexandra Palace East Court, N22 | 22 Nov-5 Dec | Free
Quick reminder - FLESH & PIXEL opens daily from Saturday 22 Nov, 9am-5pm (free entry). Eight emerging artists exploring our screen-addicted lives through painting, textiles and film at Ally Pally's East Court. Opening night is this Friday 21st, 6-9pm with free prosecco for My North London readers. 

N4 Makers' Market | 📍Coal Drops Yard, N1C | 22 Nov | Free
Pop-up market with 30 designer-makers from 11am-5pm. Art prints, ceramics, jewellery, slow fashion and homewares. Handmade Christmas gifts from emerging and established makers across London and the UK. 

Family Barn Dance | 📍Cecil Sharp House, NW1 | 23 Nov | (£)
Barn dance for families from 3-4:30pm with live music and caller guiding you through the moves. Dances from Britain and beyond, gender-free calling, simple instructions. One adult needed per four children, under 5s must dance with an adult.

Bulb Planting Day at New Queen Elizabeth II Garden | 📍Regent's Park, NW1 | 22 Nov | Free
Help plant spring bulbs in the new two-acre Queen Elizabeth II memorial garden before it opens next year. One-hour sessions between 10am-2:30pm - 30 minutes planting daffodils, snowdrops and other bulbs, then 20-minute behind-the-scenes tour of the garden under construction. PPE provided including steel toe boots and hi-vis (it's an active building site).

Muswell Hill Creatives Winter Makers Fair | 📍St James Square, N10 | 22 Nov | Free
Maker fair in Muswell Hill where you can buy unique gifts direct from 21 independent artists and designers. Ceramics, art prints, leather goods, jewelry, candles and knitwear. Been running since 2015 and local shoppers appreciate the value and joy of supporting local and independent artisans. See the stallholder line-up.

Clothes Swap | 📍Things Matter CIC, N4 | 22 Nov | Free
Fancy refreshing your wardrobe for free? Clothes swap at Things Matter showroom from 12-5pm. Bring up to 8 clean items (no Shein, Primark, Boohoo, PLT, Missguided), get tokens based on quality, shop with your tokens. Fast fashion = 1 token, mid-range = 5 tokens, vintage = 10 tokens, designer = 20 tokens. All sizes welcome. Can donate pieces that don't qualify for tokens.

CLAY Culford Open Studio | 📍Culford Mews, N1 | 22-23 Nov | Free
Ceramics studio CLAY opening its space for the weekend so you can see where members make their work and buy pieces direct. Saturday 11am-6pm, Sunday 11am-4pm. Mulled cider while you browse. Down the mews, Kate Malone (ceramicist from Great Pottery Throw Down) is opening her studio too with guest exhibitors. Raffle at both studios raises money for FiredUp4 - Kate's charity giving young people access to clay studios. 

Still Waters | 📍Karamel, Wood Green N22 | 22 Nov | (£)
Catching this as part of London Jazz Festival. Trumpeter Henry Lowther's quintet playing everything from quiet, pastoral jazz to dynamic improvisation. Small intimate gig at Karamel with vegan food available. Doors 7pm, music 8pm.

A Gothicly Grand Magic Lantern Christmas | 📍Charles Dickens Museum, WC1N | 22-23 Nov | (£)
Victorian magic lantern show at the Dickens Museum from 11:30am. Jeremy and Carolyn Brooker use a triple magic lantern (old-school projector) to tell Gothic Christmas stories about goblins, ghosts and the supernatural. Half-hour show with quick effects, museum entry included. All ages.

I know I'm meant to give you reasons to leave your house, but have you been outside lately? Yeah, exactly. So in this section, I'm giving you permission to stay in.

A few days ago I watched Last Samurai Standing and it's basically like if Shogun and Squid Game had a baby. It had that slow-burn, character-driven intensity of Shogun, but with the pacing and stakes that keep you glued to the screen like Squid Game did.

It's set in Japan's past, follows a samurai who's trying to navigate a world that's moving on without him, and the whole thing is just beautifully shot. The fight scenes were really good. The scenery, you could tell how much work they put in getting every detail right.

What surprised me most was how quickly it moved without feeling rushed. I ended up finishing it in 2 days which for me says a lot, especially for a new show. It takes me a while to get hooked.

💌 Got any movie or TV show recommendations? Hit reply - come on, sharing is caring.

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.