Welcome

This week, we look at summer festivals nearby, and check out the council election results.

🎪 7 Festivals Near Finchley

Summer’s nearly here. Open the diary, book some tickets, festival season is calling.

Here’s our Finchley Now pick of seven local festive happenings to check out this year.

1. Crouch End Festival (12-18th June)

The UK's biggest community arts festival is in its 15th year. This is a celebration of arts of all kinds, from street art to Irish punk bands to children's choirs to local history to craft markets. Still looking for volunteers! Insta.

2. Highgate Fair in the Square (13^th June 2026)

Free fairinthesquare.co.uk Highgate's annual neighbourhood fair brings South Grove and Pond Square to life for a fun free afternoon of stalls, food, music and a dog show, run by volunteers and local sponsors.

3. Highgate Festival (13^th – 21^st June)

Celebrates everything you love about Highgate – community, culture and history. Listings go live in May, watch this space. Insta

4. East Finchley Festival (Sunday 21^st June)

In its 51st year, this is an annual one-day free community event staged in Cherry Tree Wood, N2, on the Sunday closest to the Summer Solstice. The festival attracts up to 10,000 people over the day and is run entirely by volunteers. Insta.

5. Hampstead Summer Festival (21^st June – 5^th July)

Grounds of Keats House, NW3

Five events over the summer, including the Art Fair organised by the Hampstead School of Art, Open Air Theatre, Garden Party. It closes with the Big Fair on Health Street. Insta.

6. Proms at St Jude's (27^th June – 5^th July)

Hampstead Garden Suburb, London NW11

This is a world-class festival of music and culture. There are evening concerts with top national and international artists, free lunchtime music recitals, a Family Festival on Sunday 5^th July and a LitFest weekend. Insta.

7. Hampstead Heath Kite Festival28 June 2026 | Parliament Hill Fields, NW3 | Free heath-hands.org.uk The Kite Society of Great Britain returns to Parliament Hill Fields for its sixth annual display of virtuoso kite flying, with spectacular tricks and routines set to music — bring your own kite or just a picnic.

Feel festive, Finchley and the surrounding areas. 🎪

Events

ARTS

Saturday 16th May

Monday 18th May

On the 134 - Muswell Hill Creatives Group Show | Mon, May. 18 | 11:00 am to 6:00 pm | The Gallery at The Playroom, 99 Junction Road, Archway, N19 5QX | Free entry | Artist, designer maker collective Muswell Hill Creatives is holding a group show at The Gallery at the Playroom in North London.

Wednesday 20th May

Stitch Together, Knit and Natter | Wed, May. 20 | 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm | Friern Barnet Community Library, N11 3DS | Free | Want to learn to knit or crochet but don't know how to start? Join everyone at Friern Barnet Community Library every Wednesday for an afternoon of knitting, crochet, sewing and chatting.

Thursday 21st May

Wrapped in Leaves and Laughter | Thu, May. 21 | 5:00 pm to 6:00 pm | East Court, Alexandra Palace | Free | This exhibition brings together photos, installation works, drawings and printmaking that map the interaction and experience of children immersed in the landscape. Artist-led family workshops and a free Educators Opening and Panel Discussion run alongside.

Monday 25th May

D-Day, The RAF Story Tour | Mon, May. 25 | Bank Holiday Monday | RAF Museum London, Grahame Park Way, NW9 5LL | £10 | Step into the 1940s. To mark the 81st anniversary of D-Day, join a special guided tour exploring the vital role of the Royal Air Force during the largest seaborne invasion in history.

FOOD

Saturday 16th May

Thursday 21st May

Coffee Morning In Aid Of Great Ormond St's Children's Cancer Centre | Thu, May. 21 | 10:00 am to 12:30 pm | St Mary's Church, Church End, NW4 4JT | Free | There will be coffee, cakes, a raffle and a friendly welcome. The centre at GOSH will be a beacon of hope for families facing the unimaginable. If you would like to donate but cannot attend, please email.

MUSIC

Saturday 23rd May

NATURE

Thursday 14th May

Barn Conversation: On Queer Ecology | Thu, May. 14 | 6:00 pm to 8:30 pm | OmVed Gardens, 1 Townsend Yard, N6 5JF | £12, or £6 for subsidised tickets | Join an engaging conversation on the potential of queer ecology to rethink how we understand nature and our relationship with the living world. In conversation with Connor the Ecologist and Jazmeen Isa Qureshi, moderated by Kiran Lee.

Sunday 17th May

LNHS - London Bird Club | Sun, May. 17 | 10:00 am to 2:00 pm | Hampstead Heath overground station, NW3 2QD | Free | Join the London Natural History Society (LNHS) for London Bird Club on Hampstead Heath. Meet at Hampstead Heath Overground Station. Bring lunch, toilets on the Heath.

Events - Book Ahead

Sunday 21st June

Otoboke Beaver Live At The Electric Ballroom | Sun, Jun. 21 | 7:00 pm to 11:00 pm | Electric Ballroom, 184 Camden High Street, NW1 8QP | £27.60 | Unmissable frenetic Japanese punk band return for their only headline show while touring with the Foo Fighters. In the last year the band have played with Oasis, Green Day, Foo Fighters and Jack White.

Saturday 27th June

Platform School Of Performing Arts Proudly Presents "Legally Theatrical" | Sat, Jun. 27 | 11:30 am | The Bull Theatre, EN5 5SJ | £15 | A theatrical extravaganza from The Bull Theatre's very own weekend performing arts school. Come and see these talented children take you on a journey through some of the best-loved musical theatre shows in their annual showcase production.

Monday 17th August

Local Lowdown

Currying

Looking for a curry that punches above its weight? Highgate's own Namaaste has been named one of the best curry restaurants in the UK, putting our patch firmly on the foodie map. Worth booking ahead before word spreads.

Funding

Some good news for community projects in Barnet. The council has been awarded £500,000 by the government to support community cohesion across the borough. The money will go towards initiatives bringing residents together and tackling division.

Defending

Locals are rallying to protect Parkland Walk green corridor. A fundraiser has been launched to stop secret planning at the green corridor and pay for legal advice. Campaigners say development is going on under the radar and want to keep the corridor wild.

Parking

High Barnet station car park could be lost to redevelopment. The Mayor of London is holding a public hearing on the High Barnet Place plans, giving commuters and residents one more chance to push back. Submissions are open.

Bracing

Tube troubles are back. Another wave of RMT strikes is set to hit London Underground in May, with several days of disruption pencilled in across multiple lines. If your week relies on the Tube, plan ahead and start mapping alternative routes.

The Finchleyite: Barnet Council Elections

Barnet has been left with no overall control after a knife-edge local election result saw Labour and the Conservatives finish level on 31 seats each.

The count, held at the RAF Museum on Friday, concluded at 8.40pm after more than 400 staff worked through the day. The Green Party won the remaining seat, giving it a potentially significant role in deciding how the council is run.

A record 312 candidates stood across Barnet’s 24 wards, contesting 63 seats in total.

The result marks a major shift from the previous Labour administration, which held 40 seats. Councillors will now hold talks over governance arrangements, with the final position due to be confirmed at the council’s annual meeting on 19th May.

Share the good news. Get rewarded.

Want your friends to feel more connected and more in the know?

Fabulous rewards are coming your way when you share Finchley Now. Spotify playlist, fridge magnets and the coveted Finchley Now mugs.

Next reward progress:

You've referred 0 people

0 of 3

You're just 3 referrals away from unlocking the Birthday shoutout in Finchley Now!

Because we love community, + we love you. Celebrate with us!

Share your unique link with your friends to refer them:

[RH_REFLINK GOES HERE]

Editors' Note - From Sasha

Out and about in Nottingham last week, closing keynote at the ABPCO Festival of Learning. Both festive and learned.

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.

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

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

Tessa Davis

Sasha Frieze

Finchley Now

🗞️ One of the top curry restaurants in the UK?