Hey Neighbour,
Things feel heavy lately. How are you doing?
If you want to reply and let me know, I'd love to hear from you. (No pressure though.)
You can also reply anonymously if you prefer, just click here.
In the meantime...
Plan Your Weekend:
Round Up
Bits and bobs worth knowing.
🍪 The Gingerbread City is back at King's Cross: Architects build a whole miniature city from gingerbread - this year's got schools with slides between classrooms and candy-coloured climbing walls. Pretty impressive. 29 Nov - 4 Jan, £13.50 adults/£8.50 kids. Book ahead, it sells out every year.
🎄 St Pancras unveils 12-meter music box Christmas tree: This year's installation features 158 glowing baubles decorated with wishes drawn by children from Great Ormond Street Hospital. The golden tree gently rotates to music and is topped by a ballerina. Open now - donations go to GOSH.
🍺 Three North London pubs make UK's top 100 list: The Eagle in Clerkenwell (11th), The Parakeet in Kentish Town (22nd), and The Tamil Crown in Islington (69th) all featured in Good Food Guide's first-ever pub ranking. Might worth checking out if you haven't been.
🎤 Fancy grilling Barnet's Council Leader and Cabinet? Question Time is back: The quarterly online Q&A happens Monday 8 Dec, 7-8:30pm - past sessions covered everything from development to bin collection. Register on Eventbrite to ask your questions live.
My North London Top Events
Highgate Art Fair | 📍Highgate Primary School, N6 | 7-9 Nov | (£)
Art fair in Highgate Primary School's Victorian Hall - second year after successful launch. Contemporary art from established and emerging artists at accessible prices. Friday private view 6-9pm, weekend 10:30am-6pm. Creative workshops available.
London Gaming Market | 📍Royal National Hotel, WC1H | 9 Nov | (£)
Retro gaming market with stalls selling old video games, consoles, board games and merchandise. Happens every four months.
Club Curling | 📍Coal Drops Yard, N1C | 7 Nov-1 Mar | (£)
Curling rink is back at Coal Drops Yard for four months. Book 50-minute slots for up to six people - £9 off-peak, £12 busy times, under 12s free with adults. Six lanes, daily 12-9pm. This year's lounge has Italian vintage ski lodge theme with festive cocktails and mulled wine. Plus sensory experiments about how we experience winter (done with actual scientists). Book ahead or try walk-in.
Source: Coals Drops Yard
Alternative Roots Festival | 📍Hoxton Hall, N1 | 8 Nov | (£)
Day-long festival celebrating East and Southeast Asian artists from 1-10pm. Live performances ranging from dance to ritual, plus films, workshops and a marketplace selling zines and food. Drop in and out throughout the day - your pass lets you wander between different performances and events. Reading workshop on Asian identity in Britain, live podcast recording, and documentaries about underground art scenes.
Pitchfork Music Festival | 📍Various venues | 4-8 Nov | (£)
Last chance to discover new music at Pitchfork music festival. This Saturday Laurie Anderson at Roundhouse performing material from Big Science through to new recordings with NYC band SexMob - composer, artist and vocalist who's worked across experimental music, theatre and tech for decades. Plus Dalston/Stoke Newington venues takeover with Panchiko, Indigo De Souza, underscores, Jay Som, Momma and more across multiple venues. Different acts at different spots so check the lineup for who's where.
Engineers Create Exhibition | 📍Candid Arts Trust, EC1V | 6-15 Nov | Free
Exhibition of engineering projects, models and prototypes by members of the Engineering Club in the Crypt Gallery beneath St Pancras Church. Structural concepts, innovative materials, sketches and samples from engineers and designers. Interactive features and new installations. Open Monday-Saturday. Free entry.
Source: Pitchfork Music Festival
Beginner D&D Afternoon | 📍Pressure Drop Brewery, N17 | 9 Nov | (£)
Dungeons & Dragons session for complete beginners from 1-4pm. No experience needed - pre-made characters, dice and guidance all provided by experienced Dungeon Masters. Open table format so you just drop in for a self-contained adventure, no long-term commitment. Welcome pint included with ticket. Limited spaces.
Symphonic Gospel with London Symphony Orchestra | 📍Barbican Hall, EC2Y | 9 Nov | (£)
London Symphony Orchestra with 250-voice community chorus performing American gospel music from 7pm. Ordinary singers from across London plus Soul Sanctuary Gospel Choir and soloists. Led by André J Thomas. Gospel songs arranged for full orchestra.
🏛️ Archway Campus: Council Said No, Mayor Might Say Yes
Did you hear about the Archway Campus tower?
A developer wants a 27-storey tower on Highgate Hill in a conservation area. One local resident said it looks "like a great big middle finger" to the community. Others point to what would be demolished: Victorian buildings that have stood since 1879. And what would replace them? Mostly student accommodation, not homes for families.
Islington Council heard the objections and refused the application on fourteen separate planning reasons. But the Mayor of London has called it in, taking over the decision. The final call now sits with City Hall.
There will be a one-day hearing, date to be confirmed. The Save Archway Campus Action Group, backed by the Highgate Society, is crowdfunding to hire a planning barrister. The community gets 15 minutes to speak. A specialist barrister can turn local concerns into the kind of technical, policy-grounded arguments that might actually change the Mayor's mind.
Source: Save Archway Campus
Why This Matters
Islington Council refused the application for fourteen separate planning reasons: not enough affordable housing, wrong mix of social versus market-rate homes, an inappropriate tall building in a conservation area, heritage harm, and sustainability shortfalls. That's not residents blocking development for selfish reasons; that's documented policy conflict. When a council sets out reasons that clearly, it should mean something.
But the Mayor has called it in, overriding the local decision and moving it to City Hall. The locals who'll have to look at this tower won't be the ones deciding whether it gets built.
The development prioritises 242 student rooms over family housing. Students don't pay council tax, which means more pressure on local services without the funding to support them.
How to Support
The hearing will be announced soon. Right now, the Save Archway Campus Action Group needs to secure legal representation.
→ [Donate here: crowdfunder.co.uk/p/save-archway-campus]
🎉 FLESH & PIXEL Exhibition Opening | 📍Alexandra Palace East Court, N22 | 21 Nov | Free + drinks
You're invited to the opening night of FLESH & PIXEL on 21 November, 6-9pm - free prosecco and refreshments for My North London readers. It's the first exhibition curated by 25-year-old artist Niah McGiff, and she's bringing it home to the East Court at Ally Pally where she used to play as a child. Eight emerging London artists exploring how we live between screens and real life - paintings, textiles, film and live music from Jiovani.jemndi.
The work looks at how our online and offline worlds blur together. Opening night Thursday with drinks and performance, then open daily 22 Nov-5 Dec, 9am-5pm (free). Go see how young artists are making sense of our digital lives, thanks Niah for the invite.
🎟️ Heads up
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.
Neverland at Kenwood | 📍Kenwood House, NW3 | 21 Nov-3 Jan | (£)
Peter Pan-themed illuminated trail through Kenwood's grounds running for six weeks. Walk through lit London scenes then into Neverland with elaborate installations - pirate ship, Skull Rock, Lost Boys hideout. 4:30-9pm nightly. Food and drink available (costs extra). £1 per ticket to Great Ormond Street Hospital. Book ahead, parking extremely limited.
The Bourdain Supper Club | 📍Honey & Co. Daily, WC1E | 10 Nov | (£)
Before there was The Bear, there was Bourdain - and this one-off dinner celebrates Anthony Bourdain. Honey & Co are cooking from his Les Halles Cookbook while writers including Irvine Welsh and Jeremy Lee read from Kitchen Confidential and unpublished Bourdain material. Food and storytelling together the way he would've liked it. Book here.
Santa's Grotto at St Mary's Church Tower | 📍Hornsey High Street, N8 | 5-6 Dec | (£)
Santa's grotto in St Mary's Church Tower run by Weston Park Primary School. Friday 3:30-6:30pm, Saturday 2-6pm. Kids meet Santa in small groups, chat and get a gift. 10-minute sessions, one parent can go in for photos. £11.50 per child, £8.50 for siblings if booked together. Book timed slots ahead. All money goes to the school.
🎇 Last Chance To See North London Fireworks
Totteridge Fireworks Night | 📍Totteridge Millhillians Cricket Club, N20 | 7 Nov | (£)
Long fireworks night at Totteridge cricket club starting 5:30pm with food stalls and kids' rides. Bonfire at 6:30pm, fireworks at 7:45pm, then bars, live bands and fire pits until 1am.
Southgate Fireworks | 📍The Walker Ground, N14 | 8 Nov | (£)
Fireworks display at The Walker Ground sports complex from 5pm with rides, inflatables, and food stalls. Adults £12, children £8, family tickets £36. Various food available from burgers and jerk chicken to doughnuts and toffee apples.
Enfield Town Park Fireworks | 📍Town Park, EN2 | 8 November | (£)
"A Night at the Movies" themed fireworks at Town Park from 4-8pm. One of Enfield's most popular events attracting thousands each year. Family-friendly display starts around 6:30pm with last entry at 6pm. Food stalls and entertainment throughout.
Harrow and Ruislip Fireworks | 📍Byron Park, HA3 | 8 Nov | Free until 3pm, then (£)
First time Harrow and Ruislip have combined their fireworks events. Free entry 12-3pm with fun fair, inflatable park, world food stalls, and bar. Need tickets after 3pm for the fireworks around 7:45pm.
Hendon Fireworks | 📍StoneX Stadium, NW4 | 8 Nov | (£)
Fireworks at the Saracens rugby stadium in Hendon from 4:30pm, display starts 6:30pm. Music, performers, mascots and refreshments throughout the evening. Adults £12, under 16s £6.
What’s On This Weekend: 8th - 9th November 2025
Your guide to what’s happening in North London this week. Events marked with (£) require a ticket in advance.
🎄Christmas Wreath Workshop | 📍Forty Hill, EN2 | 9 & 16 Nov, 14 Dec | (£)
Wreath-making workshop from 12:30-2:30pm led by Mel. You make a Christmas wreath to take home using real materials - all tools, ribbon and dried fruit included. Never made one before? Doesn't matter. Three Sunday sessions: 9th November, 16th November, 14th December. £55 plus booking fee. Sold out last year so book ahead.
🌼Gardeners' Glees and Floral Making | 📍Olden Community Garden, N5 | 8 Nov | (£)
Morning workshop from 10:30am-1pm at Olden Community Garden making flower arrangements and creating songs about gardening. No experience needed whether you're a gardener or just like plants. Part of Being Human Festival.
🧬 Being Human | 📍Senate House, University of London, WC1E | 6-15 Nov | Mostly Free
Being Human is the UK’s national festival of the humanities, with workshops, talks and exhibitions happening all over the UK. Here in London, there are 50 events lined up, and the majority are completely free. This year’s theme is “Between The Lines” - hidden histories, shifting borders, and unspoken meanings.
Source: Highgate Art Fair
🍽️ Dadi's Kitchen Supper Club | 📍Archway Tower, N19 | 8 Nov | (£)
Supper club cooking recipes passed down from the host's dadi (grandmother). Her family classics on a set menu from 5-8pm.
🎭 Acorn Antiques the Musical | 📍Shaftesbury Theatre,WC2H | 9 Nov | (£)
Remember Acorn Antiques from Victoria Wood's TV show? Well for one night only it's been turned into a musical about two sisters running an antiques shop threatened by developers wanting to build coffee bars and underwear shops. Musical parody with Mrs Overall the tea lady, family secrets and a missing triplet.
THANKS FOR READING!
↳ Street food market? Your mate's coffee shop event? New launch? Festival? Art gallery? Nothing is too big or too small, you can send it all here.
Share this with someone who's still asking 'what's happening this weekend'
Someone thought you'd like this? They're right. Join 1,900+ neighbours here.