Welcome

Happy Bank Holiday Monday! For those of you having a lie-in we've got a line-up of fun things to choose from. Plus news of Barnet Civic Awards Winners.

And for those working today - thank you!

We also want to stand in solidarity with our Jewish friends and neighbours. We understand that the antisemitic attacks of the last weeks have been distressing.

🎡 Bank Holiday Monday - 7 Local Picks

Go maypole dancing (available at Kentish Town Farm)

Bank Holiday Monday is looking lively, with walks, punk, plants, cannoli and a full-blown funfair all within easy reach of Finchley.

1: Keats Meets Coleridge | St Michael’s Church N6 6BJ | 4 May | £15

Take a 90-minute guided Hampstead Heath walk reimagining Keats and Coleridge’s famous 1819 meeting. Starts near Coleridge’s Highgate home, ends at Keats House with entry included. 11am/2.30pm.

2: Punk Explosion Hope and Anchor Islington N1

The Hope and Anchor in Islington hosts Bank Holiday Monday Punk Explosion!!!, a high-energy showcase of raw punk and rock. The line-up features four bands -- Johnny Moses and the Electric Motherfuckers, The Cheap Heathens, Family of Strangers, and Enclaves. 7pm

3: Indie Jewellers' Market | Coal Drops Yard, N1C | 4 May | Free

Curated by N4 Makers Market, brings together talented jewellers creating handmade, contemporary and small-batch jewellery. Visitors can meet the makers, discover unique pieces + support independent designers working across a wide range of styles.

4: Sicily Fest | Business Design Centre, N1 | 4 May | (£)

Sicily Fest – in its 11^th year - is the largest Sicilian food and drink event in London and this year it runs for five days at the Business Design Centre on Upper Street. Etna wines, artisan pasta, pistachios, panelle, pizza fritta, cannoli and more, with live music throughout.

5: May Day Fair at Kentish Town City Farm | Kentish Town, NW5 | 4 May | £1 adults, 50p children

Kentish Town city farm are throwing a May Day fair. Animal handling, maypole dancing, food stalls, cake and a raffle. It gets busy, so arrive early. 12pm to 4pm.

6: GROW Plant Sale | The GROW Farm, N20 | 4 May | (£)

GROW is a community farm in Totteridge and on both May bank holidays it opens for a plant sale. Pick from the very best of our agroecologically grown veg , flower, and herb plants. Just turn up. 10am to 2pm.

7: Coggers Family Funfair | Broomfield Park, N13 | 4 May | (£)

Coggers are setting up in Broomfield Park in Palmers Green for the bank holiday weekend. Rides, lights, the works. Entry £2 per person, £5 for a family of four. Token operated so pick up tokens on arrival. Open 12pm to 8pm Friday through Monday.

Pick your mood, check the timings, and make the most of the long weekend. 🎡

Events

THEATRE

Thursday 7th May

The Revel Puck Circus: A Glimmer Daze Gambit | Thu, May. 07 | 4:30 pm to 6:10 pm | Oak Hill Park, Parkside Gardens, East Barnet, EN4 | Tickets from £13.75 | The Revel Puck Circus return to Barnet with a joyful, mischievous family circus about hope, arrival and community. Running Thursday 7 to Sunday 17 May.

MUSIC

Saturday 9th May

Gary Stewart Presents Paul Simon’s Graceland | Sat, May. 09 | 7:30 pm to 9:30 pm | artsdepot, N12 0GA | Tickets from £19 | Gary Stewart and his versatile six-piece band celebrate the 40th anniversary of Paul Simon’s Graceland with faithful renditions of the album’s beloved South African rhythms, melodies and harmonies.

Thursday 14th May

Jazz In The House: Henry Lowther’s Still Waters | Thu, May. 14 | 8:00 pm | Lauderdale House, Waterlow Park, Highgate Hill, N6 5HG | From £8 | Henry Lowther’s Still Waters brings together five exceptional voices in British jazz for an evening of original music shaped by decades of musical friendship and collaboration.

Saturday 16th May

J.S. Bach: Mass In B Minor - Muswell Hill Chorus | Sat, May. 16 | 7:00 pm to 9:30 pm | St James’s Church, St James’s Lane, Muswell Hill, N10 3DB | £16.96 | Join Muswell Hill Chorus, with orchestra and professional soloists, for a performance of J.S. Bach’s choral masterpiece, his Mass in B minor, in the beautiful church of St James, Muswell Hill.

Tuesday 19th May

Stephen Hose Free Lunchtime Concerts | Tue, May. 19 | 1:15 pm | Lauderdale House, Waterlow Park, Highgate Hill, N6 5HG | Free | Take a break on a Tuesday lunchtime and enjoy 45 minutes of gorgeous classical music performed live by resident pianist Stephen Hose upstairs in the beautiful Long Gallery overlooking Waterlow Park.

FOOD

Saturday 16th May

The London Coffee Festival | Sat, May. 16 | The Truman Brewery, Brick Lane, E1 6QR | £39 | A weekend of caffeine-fuelled fun. The festival features 275 artisan coffee and gourmet food brands, interactive workshops, demonstrations from world-class baristas, and an education sessions programme covering the industry’s hottest topics.

NATURE

Sunday 17th May

Finchley Horticultural Society Plant Sale | Sun, May. 17 | 1:30 pm to 4:00 pm | Gordon Road Allotments, N3 1EL | Free | Annual plant sale: bedding plants, vegetable plants, perennials, refreshments and homemade cakes. Come and have a cup of tea and a cake in the piggery.

COMMUNITY

Sunday 17th May

Jumble Trail West Finchley & Woodside Park | Sun, May. 17 | 12:00 pm to 4:00 pm | West Finchley Neighbourhood (area around Moss Hall Schools) | Free | Looking for a unique treasure or ready to clear out your own clutter? Join us for our neighbourhood Jumble Trail, where front yards transform into a giant community market.

SPORTS

Monday 4th May

Thursday 14th May

AFC Southgate Trials 2026/27 | Thu, May. 14 | Sussex Way, Cockfosters, EN4 0BL | TBC | Whether your child is aiming for a higher level in the JPL or wants to join one of the Grassroots / Watford Friendly League teams, now is the time to book their trial place.

Events - Book Ahead

Thursday 21st May

Rewild Your Garden Webinar | Thu, May. 21 | 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm | Online | Free | Join the Finchley Pollinator Project to discover how to turn your garden into a thriving sanctuary for wildlife. From birds and hedgehogs to bees, butterflies and other pollinators, even small spaces in London can support a surprising diversity of species.

Saturday 23rd May

May Half Term: Heroes Of The Air | Sat, May. 23 | 1:00 pm | RAF Museum London, Grahame Park Way, NW9 5LL | £3 | Discover the people, ideas and aircraft that changed the skies in a week of hands-on half-term fun at RAF Museum London. Heroes of the Air invites young explorers to build, test and fly as they uncover what it takes to become an aviation hero.

Sunday 19th July

Sherlock Holmes And The Hound Of The Baskervilles | Sun, Jul. 19 | 3:00 pm | The Bothy at Stephens House and Gardens, N3 3QE | £18, under-16s £14 | Outdoor theatre in the Bothy Garden. Will detective duo Holmes and Watson discover the deadly secret of the Baskerville family curse before it strikes again? Or are they barking up the wrong tree?

Local Lowdown

The proposed hotel on Finchley Road | Image from Perry + Bell Architects

Checking

Big plans for Golders Green. Developers want to demolish a car wash on Finchley Road and build a new 130-room hotel, retaining the Refectory pub and historic Valve House. The 20.75m building would sit 70 metres from the tube. Barnet Council’s decision is pending.

Honouring

Hendon Town Hall hosted a celebration of community spirit. Last week’s annual Barnet Civic Awards honoured local volunteers across three categories. Lifetime Achievement went to David Bone (65 years at Barnet Market) and David Lardi (Finchley Symphony Orchestra music director). Age UK Barnet’s Volunteering Team also took an award.

Closing

Drivers in Brent face several months of disruption. Multiple roads in Willesden, Kenton and Dollis Hill close in May, with Churchill Road shut until late July for water works. Sedgecombe Avenue is closed all month, while Union Road in Wembley finally reopens after closing in February. Plan diversions accordingly.

Restarting

Could a north London repair scheme go citywide? After a year-long trial across seven boroughs (including Barnet) gave residents 50% off electrical repairs at the till, 1,200 vouchers were claimed. Campaigners at The Restart Project are now calling on Sadiq Khan and the GLA to roll it out London-wide.

Skilling

Help with employment is coming to Mays Lane. The Hope Corner Community Centre launched a new job club on Thursday 30 April, with three sessions a week: Boost on Tuesdays, Shaw Trust on Friday mornings, plus a free tailoring course. Timed for the Dollis Valley regeneration’s 221 affordable homes.

The Finchleyite: The Rainbow Theatre

The Rainbow Theatre in Finsbury Park is one of north London’s great music landmarks.

Opened in 1930 on Seven Sisters Road as the Astoria, this vast art deco “super cinema” mixed films with live performance, complete with orchestra pit, organ and grand stage.

By the 1960s it had become a major concert venue, hosting stars from Frank Sinatra to The Beatles – and their final two London concerts - and Jimi Hendrix.

Renamed The Rainbow in 1971, it entered its most iconic decade, welcoming The Who, David Bowie, Eric Clapton, Bob Marley, Pink Floyd, Queen and many more.

The music ended in 1981 after financial troubles, but the Grade II* listed building survived. Later used as a church, it was restored by the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God, preserving an extraordinary piece of entertainment history.

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Editors' Note - From Tessa

Last day in school uniform (pre-GCSEs) for the middle Davis child.

Time is passing quickly!

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

🗞️ The 130-room hotel being built on Finchley Road