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🗞️ Say goodbye to Hollywood Bowl?
Published 3 days ago • 7 min read
Welcome
Top tips on where to get your season tree locally. Plus 6,062 locals have signed the petition to stop Regal's plans for the Great North Leisure Park and Finchley Lido - want to join them? Scroll down.
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And read more about Kenwood's Double Vision: Vermeer at Kenwood. Mind-blowing.
🎄🌲3 Spots for Christmas Trees
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Image: Markus Spikse
Whatever your tradition, there’s something magical about the tinsel-and-fairy-lights season. If you’re getting a Christmas tree or seasonal bush, we’ve got a roundup of local places to buy.
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1 College Farm
A truly local tradition! With trees up to 7 or 8 foot, the biggest question is will the cows be in the barn? Quite the experience apparently. More info here.​
Fitzalan Road, Finchley, London N3 3PG
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2 TSP Christmas Trees
Are back for the 8th year – bringing the festive spirit (and that wonderful pine scent!) to the Finchley community. Come and choose your perfect tree from their beautiful selection of premium, fresh Christmas trees. Two locations in N12 and N20 Insta​
A seasonal chain with 36 shops across London, the Finchley branch is right by the Naked Lady at Henley’s Corner.
A proudly British brand with Scottish heritage, delivering only the freshest, highest-quality Christmas trees and decorations, making the festive season truly special.
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And don't forget, come January, responsible reycyling is good for all our communities. 🎄🌲
Events
MUSIC
Monday 1st December
​Ross and The Hailstones | Mon, Dec. 1 | 8:30 pm to 10:30 pm | Green Note, 106 Parkway, NW1 7AN | £12 | Ross and the Hailstones are a south London based trio that play music steeped in the folk tradition with their own signature twist. With their origins in the pubs of Edinburgh and a penchant for late night sessions around London, the band boast a repertoire of tunes from across England, Scotland, Ireland as well as Scandinavia and North America.
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Tuesday 2nd December
Disco for over 55s | Tue, Dec. 2 | 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm | The Ann Owens Centre - Age UK, Barnet Oak Lane, N2 8LT | ÂŁ3 | Join us for a feel-good festive disco for over 55s. Dust off your dancing shoes and boogie to the best hits from across the decades. Suggested donation: ÂŁ3 | To book, email or call 07502989403
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Saturday 6th December
​Barnet Band | Sat, Dec. 06 | 6:30 pm to | St James Church, New Barnet, EN4 8RN | £10 | Featuring music from: Frozen, Nightmare Before Christmas, and The Polar Express.
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COMMUNITY
Thursday 4th December
​RAF Museum Talks | Thu, Dec. 4 | 2:00 pm to 3:30 pm | Royal Air Force Museum London, Grahame Park Way, NW9 5LL | TBA | Join AgeUK Barnet at the RAF Museum for a series of four sessions exploring their fascinating collections, plus talks on early flying and a plane tales tour. Free and open to Barnet residents over 55.
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Saturday 6th December
​Crouch End Christmas | Sat, Dec. 6 | 10:00 am to 7:30 pm | Hornsey Town Hall, The Broadway, N8 9JJ | Free | Christmas handmade craft/makers market, Snow Queen + Santa's Grotto, free face painting, art show, live entertainment, and more... The Crouch End Christmas Tree and the awesome Bubble Vision Light Show.
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ARTS
Saturday 6th December
​Handmade Christmas Card Making Workshop | Sat, Dec. 6 | 2:00 pm to 3:30 pm | Clitterhouse Farm Project, Clitterhouse Farm Outbuildings, Clitterhouse Playing Fields, Claremont Rd, NW2 1AP | Adult Tickets £15 and Children's Tickets £10. | Let's get crafty this holiday season with our Handmade Christmas card making workshop. Get into the holiday spirit by creating your own unique cards to give to your loved ones this season. Let your creativity shine as you design beautiful cards with a personal touch.
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​A Day with Dido at Kenwood | Sat, Dec. 06 | 11:00 am to 2:00 pm | Hampstead Lane, Hampstead, NW3 7JR | £20 | Join for a special event celebrating the life of Dido Elizabeth Belle and her marriage to John Davinier on 5 December 1793. The event includes a short film screening of the award-winning 'I, Dido.'
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SPORT
Wednesday 3rd December
​Midweek Meditation: Soundbath with Mind Like Water | Wed, Dec. 3 | 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm | Omved Gardens | £18 ( £9 concessions) | Experience a deeply restorative soundbath in our tranquil Barn space, where therapeutic instruments and soothing frequencies guide you into deep relaxation. Enjoy herbal tea on arrival and settle in with your own blankets, mats, and warm layers for maximum comfort. Led by acclaimed sound therapist Michelle Cade (Mind Like Water), this intimate session offers a nourishing journey into calm and inner balance.
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​Kings Head Chess Club | Wed, Dec. 3 | 8:00 pm | 84 High Street, Barnet, EN5 5SN. | Free | Chess Club At The Kings Head. Join the lovely chess players - whether you're a beginner, grandmaster, or just looking to meet like minded chess players then this is the place for you. All abilities welcome, just bring a board and come along.
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SHOPPING
Friday 5th December
​Handmade In Highgate, the Christmas Fair | Fri, Dec. 5 | 5:00 pm to 6:00 pm | The Highgate Literary and Scientific Institution, 11 South Grove, N6 6BS | Free | Handmade in Highgate are the designer/maker fairs held at Highgate Literary & Scientific Institution. Come and find some of the most talented makers working today. Entry is FREE and everyone is welcome.
Events - Book Ahead
Saturday 24th January
​Burns Night Supper | Sat, Jan. 24 | 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm | Stephens House & Gardens, N3 3QE | £30 pp | Celebrate Burns Night in the historic setting of Avenue House, with our all inclusive menu of Scottish Vegetable Broth, Haggis Neeps & Tatties, Whisky Bread & Butter Pudding followed by Coffee and Shortbread. Accompanied by wines from The Cairn O' Mohr Distillery Perth and Whisky to toast. Vegetarian options available.
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Wednesday 28th January
AgeUK: Coffee Mornings | Wed, Jan. 28 | 10:30 am to 12:00 pm | Kingsley Court Tayside Drive Edgware HA8 8RE | TBA | Join us for a cuppa and a friendly chat at one of AgeUK's new coffee mornings, held around the borough. For more details, call Tamara on 0208 1297619 or email.
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Saturday 28th February
​Songs, Laughs and Guitar Heroes | Sat, Feb. 28 | 7:30 pm | The Bull Theatre, EN55SJ | £17.75 | A lighthearted evening of legendary guitar solos, classic songs and fun anecdotes - performed with a live band and hosted by guitarist Darren Loveday, who featured with Shakin' Stevens and Katrina & The Waves, as he shares memories of meeting his guitar heroes. Dancing Permitted.
Local Lowdown
Colindale station
Roofing
Almost there. The long-awaited makeover at Colindale station is nearly done, with workers now fitting out the new building and paving the area outside. After major platform works and a shiny timber roof reveal, it’s all coming together. The brand-new ticket hall is set to open by Christmas.
Revitalising
Barnet’s blueprint is ready. The council’s new Economic Development and Placemaking Frameworks aim to create jobs, support local businesses, and revitalise town centres. With feedback from residents and traders, the goal is clear: a thriving, inclusive borough where investment grows and communities flourish in the next five years.
Filming
Lights, camera, Camden! Plans are rolling for a shiny new film and TV studio complex in Kentish Town. The Camden Film Quarter wants to turn an old industrial site into a creative hub with studios, housing, green space, and education centres. Locals are split - Oscar-worthy vision or production-sized headache?
Petitioning
Bowled over. Regal London’s plan to turn Great North Leisure Park into 1,485 cramped flats isn’t striking local joy. Residents argue the scheme scraps beloved venues like the Hollywood Bowl and Vue without adding the affordable homes or transport links Finchley needs. Over 6,000 people have already signed a petition to rethink it.
Road-building
Barnet Council’s biggest-ever road safety upgrade is done. Stretching 6.75 km across Mays Lane and nearby roads, the scheme brings safer crossings, fixes speeding woes, and clears traffic pinch points. It even solves that pesky fire engine squeeze. Locals can finally enjoy smoother, safer journeys around EN5.
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The Finchleyite: The Guitar Player
Spot the difference: can you find 5 changes between these two paintings?
Double Vision brings together these two works - both known as The Guitar Player. One painting, a treasure from Kenwood’s Iveagh Bequest, is signed by Johannes Vermeer. The origin of the other, on loan from the USA, remains a mystery.
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Philadelphia’s painting depicts the same young woman playing a guitar, but with a number of small differences. Thought to be by Vermeer by John G. Johnson who bought the picture and eventually gave it to the city of Philadelphia, the question of who painted it and when has been the subject of intense debate for the past 100 years.
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This new display, marking the 350th anniversary of Vermeer’s death aged 43 in 1675, sees the paintings side by side for the first time in over 300 years.
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Double Vision: Vermeer at Kenwood - closes Sunday 11 January 2026. Free admission.
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Editors' Note - From Sasha
What a couple of weeks - industry book launch in Barcelona, London booklaunch in... London. Having enormous fun matching my wardrobe - and manicure - to the book.
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(Work / the book is a little all-consuming right now - regular service will return shortly).
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In other news - standing to be a L6 parent governor at Woodhouse College. If you are a lower sixth parent and not standing for election yourself, please consider voting for me.
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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.
​And email us with any projects or ideas you'd like us to write about.
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Tessa Davis
Sasha Frieze
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Finchley Now
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