Welcome

It's getting colder - nights drawing in. You can feel it in your bones. Must mean fireworks' night is coming up - check out our local list.

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And who know that Stephens Ink - of Stephens House & Gardens fame - started life in Highbury?

🎆6 Finchley-ish Fireworks Nights

Remember remember the fifth of November, gunpowder, treason and – great local fireworks. Here’s a list of where to soak up the atmosphere (and noise). Do book ahead - some of these sell out early:

Alexandra Park Fireworks and Drone Festival N22

DJ set from DJ Luck and MC Neat, rhythm of the 90s, Taylor Swift and Dolly Parton tribute acts, German bier festival, spooky bonfire, ice skating, funfair. And of course fireworks.

Friday 31 October and Saturday 1 November 2025

Alexandra Palace Way, London N22 7AY

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Moss Hall Schools Association Bonfire Night Fireworks N3

Doors at 4, no entry after 17:30, fireworks at 18:45. Music by DJ Ramos, neons, hot food, milled wine, hot chocolate, tuck shop, bar and soft drinks

Sunday 9 November 2025 (date TBC - please check)

Moss Hall Junior School Playground, N3 1NR

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Highgate School Autumn Lights Festival N6

Early show: gates 3 pm, fireworks 5:15 pm, exit 6 pm. Late show: gates 6:30 pm, fireworks 8:15 pm, exit 9:30 pm.
Sold out — no tickets on the gate.

3 Bishopswood Rd, London N6 4PH

Saturday 8^th November 2025

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Totteridge Fireworks Night N20

Gates at 5:30, food stalls/kids rides, ahead of the bonfire lighting at 6.30pm, and fireworks at 7.45pm. Bars, bands and fire pits keep the bonhomie blazing right through to 1am! Card only, no cash.

Friday 7 November 2025

Totteridge Millhillians Cricket Club, Totteridge Cricket Club, Totteridge Green, 7, London N20 8PB

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The Saracens' StoneX Stadium NW4

Gates at 4.30pm, with the display starting at 6.30pm.An electrifying evening filled with dazzling fireworks, entertainment and family fun.

Saturday 8 November 2025

Greenlands Lane, Hendon, London NW4 1RL

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The Walker Ground Fireworks Display + Drone Show N14

Head to The Walker Ground sports complex for Southgate's firework, complete with rides, inflatables and warming refreshments.

Saturday 8 November 2025

175 Waterfall Road Southgate N14

Have firework fun, Finchley 🎆

Events

ARTS

Sunday 12th October

​The Piaf Story | Sun, Oct. 12 | 3:00 pm to | Lauderdale House, Waterlow Park, N6 5HG | £20 | The Piaf Story is an acoustic storytelling performance about the life of Edith Piaf and the songs that shaped her career by singer Susan Black accompanied by pianist Aled Thomas.

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​Indian Dance Classes – Bharatanatyam with Storytelling | Sun, Oct. 12 | 1:15 pm | artsdepot, 5 Nether Street, N12 0GA | £12.50 | In this weekly class, participants will be introduced to the Indian classical dance form of Bharatanatyam in a fun and engaging way.

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MUSIC

Saturday 11th October

​Carnival Unplugged III | Sat, Oct. 11 | 7:30 pm to 9:00 pm | artsdepot, 5 Nether Street, N12 0GA | Adults: £25, Under 16: £10 | This is a rare opportunity to experience the power of Caribbean music in a fresh, intimate, contemporary setting. This 3rd show features a special performance by Joshua Regrello, the official Guinness World Record holder for the longest playing steelpan performance.

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Sunday 12th October

​Song Recital: The Auld Alliance- Songs of Scotland and France | Sun, Oct. 12 | 7:30 pm to 9:15 pm | East Finchley Methodist Church, 197 High Road, N2 8AJ | Entry is free, with donations for Médecins sans Frontières. | Local soprano Alison Smart Fisher and Katharine Durran (piano) will perform an eclectic mix of Scottish and French songs. You'll hear Scots folk tunes with words by the great poet Robert Burns, some songs by Judith Weir and James Macmillan and relaxing piano solos by Joseph Stephenson. Then French songs, representing a cross-section of British composers at the height of their song-writing.

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SPORT

Monday 6th October

​Thrive x TA Physio Present: Move Better, Live Better | Mon, Oct. 6 | 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm | Thrive PT & Health, Unit 19 Spectrum House Courtyard, 32-34 Gordon House Road, NW5 1LP | Free | Join us for a free event packed with expert insights to help you train smarter, recover better, and stay strong. From women’s health and pelvic floor therapy, to the role of soft tissue therapy in recovery, and knowing when to see a physiotherapist — our team of specialists will share practical strategies you can put into action straight away.

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SHOPPING

Saturday 11th and Sunday 12th October

​Open Studio & Ceramics Sales | Sat, Oct. 11 | 11:30 am to 4:30 pm | Through back gate at the end of Woodberry Grove, North Finchley, N12 ODN | Free | All handmade ceramic tableware are made in my studio in North Finchley . Big clearance sales. Come and visit.

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SUSTAINABILITY

Saturday 11th October

​Heath - Litter Pick | Sat, Oct. 11 | 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm | Heath Info Hut, Highgate Road, NW5 1QY | Free | Join on Saturday the 11th for the Heath afternoon litter pick. All welcome and all equipment provided.

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NATURE

Sunday 12th October

​Annual Church Harvest Festival | Sun, Oct. 12 | 9:30 am | St Mary’s Church, 49 Church End, NW4 4JT | Free | Join as people come together to celebrate Harvest Festival on Sunday 12th October.This special day is a time to give thanks for the gift of creation and share with those in need.

Events - Book Ahead

Thursday 23rd October

​Liza Pulman Sings Streisand | Thu, Oct. 23 | 7:30 pm to 10:00 pm | artsdepot, 5 Nether Street, N12 0GA | Tickets from £19 | Acclaimed singer and comedienne Liza Pulman brings you the songs of Barbra Streisand in concert with her live band.

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Friday 31st October

Halloween Guided Walk: Things That Go Bump in Barnet | Fri, Oct. 31 | 7:30 pm to 9:30 pm | Meet outside High Barnet Tube Station | £15, £5 under 12s | A ghostly guided tour through High Barnet and Monken Hadley, the second most haunted village in England. The walk also takes place on October 30th and November 1st. Email Paul Baker.

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Sunday 9th November

​Type-In | Sun, Nov. 9 | 1:00 am to 3:00 pm | Stephens House & Gardens | Free | Calling all typewriter enthusiasts. We are inviting you to a fun-filled lunchtime gathering where you can get your hands on some vintage machines, discover hidden gems and meet fellow typists to share your passion for typewriters.

Local Lowdown

Superlooping

• Commute upgrade coming. TfL has proposed a new SL13 Superloop express bus connecting Hendon War Memorial to Ealing Broadway via Brent Cross and Neasden. The double-decker route would run seven days a week with limited stops for faster journeys. Public consultation is open until October 22nd - have your say on the plans.

Parking

• Plans are brewing to swap a car park on Manor Park Road, East Finchley, for ten new homes. Locals aren’t thrilled. The Finchley Society says the spot’s one of the few open spaces left — and the loss of parking stings. No formal planning application yet, but tensions are already parked.

Firing

• Volunteers brought Roman vibes to Highgate Wood by firing 300 clay pots in a replica Roman kiln. They reached a scorching 1,000°C. Funded by the National Heritage Lottery, the “Firing London’s Imagination” team is learning ancient pottery techniques. As organiser Nick Peacey says, their motto is “serious fun.””

Reconnecting

• New chapter for the Bernie Grant Arts Centre. After a rocky spell of rent hikes and funding woes, it’s refocusing on its local roots. A café will reopen on December 1st. It will also offer a warm space with be free holiday events and fun activities planned. A comeback brewed with community spirit.

Rocking

• T. Rexcellent news. A blue plaque now marks the Maida Vale home where glam rock legend Marc Bolan wrote many of his biggest hits. The tribute arrives right when two hidden gems - I'm Dazed and an alternate Billy Super Duper - emerge from old studio tapes. Glitter, guitars, and glorious nostalgia all round. Worth leaving Finchley for.

The Finchleyite: Stephens Ink, Highbury

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We all know “local hero” Henry Stephens - doctor turned inventor who revolutionised writing with his blue-black “Stephens Ink.”

But did you know that he first produced it at home and later in a grand factory at the corner of Gillespie and St Thomas’s Roads, Highbury? The business thrived, employing locals and exporting worldwide.

Known locally as “Stephen’s Ink” the site is today covered by the Quill Estate (ink gag, geddit?).

Stephens, who once studied alongside poet John Keats, later bought Avenue House - now called Stephen’s House & Gardens - in Finchley. He set up a laboratory and became part of the community’s history. His son, Henry Charles “Inky” Stephens, expanded the firm and became Finchley’s MP (1887–1900), earning the title “the uncrowned king of Finchley.” Today, the Finchley Society preserves their legacy through the Stephens Collection at Avenue House.

Editors' Note - From Sasha and Tessa

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Barnet is a rich and diverse community, home to people of many different faiths and backgrounds. Barnet also has the largest Jewish population of any London borough.

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With this in mind, we send our thoughts, love and solidarity to our Jewish readers, after the terror attack on Heaton Park Synagogue in Manchester on Thursday morning, Yom Kippur - the day of atonement - the holiest day in the Jewish year.

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To our neighbours - we stand with you.

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Also, let us know about local events or local news. We curate our content to keep it a 5-minute read, so can't include everything we're sent.

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You can now get a guaranteed (paid) listing for local events or local lowdown/news items.

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​And email us with any projects or ideas you'd like us to write about.

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Tessa Davis Sasha Frieze