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Come on over and say hello this Sunday
Camdenist at the Alma Street Fair 🥳 plus art, food, theatre & more to discover this week
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There’s something quite special in the air right now, but it’s a bit hard to quantify what it might actually be.
Perhaps it’s London’s melting pot buzz of the Euros, which has the capacity to sweep up even the most footy-phobic in its over-optimistic moments, and inevitable heartbreak.
Or maybe it’s a strange cosmic effect of last night’s solstice; the earliest one since 1796, no less (here’s the rather fascinating axis tilting, sun orbiting reason why that is).
It might even be the general election, although let’s reserve judgement on that as it’s already getting fairly grueling, if you are even bothered to follow what’s going on.
But probably it is just a basic combination of the arrival of some sunshine and the way us Brits need to pack all our fun outdoors stuff into a very limited summer season, meaning back-to-back street parties, after work picnics, free events and loads more over the coming weeks, if you know where to be.
So let’s get down to it.
FESTIVALS
🌞 Alma Street Fair and more
We love Kentish Town’s fabulous community street party (pictured above), taking place once more this Sunday afternoon after an unfortunate cancellation in 2023. It really is the day to make you feel proud about the creativity and character of our neighbourhoods, so do come down, especially as Camdenist and our friends at CityStack (who tirelessly support independent local pubs) will have a stall, and we’d love to say hello to you!
🎻 The London Festival of Architecture is bringing fabulous things to select parts of the capital, including dovetailing into the Fitzrovia Arts Festival.
🎨 The Hampstead Summer Festival rolls into it’s big art fair and open air theatre at Keats House this week, with more to come, too.
🌴 Sunday also sees Euston's hidden gem, the Tolmers Square Festival celebrating this lush secret part of Camden’s busiest neighbourhood.
🍽️ Book now (it’s ticketed) for next weekend’s Cordon Bleu Summer Festival in Bloomsbury, including demos, tastings, workshops and loads more to devour.
SPONSOR
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😊Exclusive discount on massages for Camdenist readers
Highgate Road clinic The College Practice is one of Camden’s longest-established centres for osteopathy, physiotherapy, Pilates, reformer, sports massage, GYROTONIC® and other treatments.
They offer effective solutions FOR all manner of aches, pains and strains, and this week they are also supporting your Friday morning edition of Camdenist.
Not only that, but you can get 20% OFF your first two massages - just mention ‘Camdenist’ either in the online booking form or when calling.
FOOD & DRINK
👨🍳 New things at old favourites
🍺 Young’s pubs continue to invest heavily in their estate of enviable historic London boozers right now, the latest to get the refurb treatment being Kentish Town’s Bull & Gate. Head over there tonight for the official reopening party, with drinks promos and live brass band, so if you haven’t got a hot ticket to Taylor Swift at Wembley this weekend, you can at least hang out in the bar where she famously shot her video for End Game.
🍕 Brecknock Road’s all-conquering sourdough specialists Bread By Bike are debuting their first summer takeaway night on Saturday (22nd), firing up the ovens to make four very special varieties of pizza, alongside a range of crust dippers, too. Book in advance by leaving a ‘doughposit’ or simply roll up on the night - you might even get one of the in-demand seats in the cafe out front.
🍗 Much loved Caribbean front garden jerk chicken vendors Vibe 'n Go are taking over the kitchen of their neighbouring pub Tapping The Admiral every Monday for the whole summer.
ART
Meet the female Formula 1 artist now leading the pack
This week we chatted to the women turning heads for her striking, abstract motorsports art, Giana Gyr, all about finding her creative path, the rise of women in the world of motor racing, and how an unexpected lockdown move to Camden Town may well have inspired it all.
Camdenist readers are also invited to her gallery view at Mortimer House on July 1st, so make sure to sign up for free for entry to the event, too.
📺 This week’s Camden video
Join original local musical heroes Madness on a rainy day walking through Camden Town as they regale each other with multiple tales of their formative years messin’ about in the ‘hood. It’s a snapshot of the band’s storied history and a time capsule of the high street pre-Covid.
DIARY
This week has involved a fair few drinks engagements already, starting with Tuesday’s announcement that the eco-positive crew at Camden Clear Air are - somewhat inevitable owing to their success - rebranding to encompass the whole city.
The new London Clean Air moniker essentially means they will be going in to even more schools and setting up even more projects to fix the quality of the air we all breathe in the coming months.
Remember, they are also running this ride next week, and there’s still time to join:
🚵♀️ London Clean Air Cycle Ride
Then last night, after watching the rather flat England match outdoors at Regent’s Place, we headed over to King’s Cross, where David Hockney is back on at The Lightroom, now running alongside the Tom Hanks’ Moonwalkers show for the rest of the summer.
The big screens deep below the ground have an undoubted wow-factor, and Hockney’s story is compelling, let alone his colourful art flying all around. Well worth a visit if you missed it last time, like us.
We also saw the launch of Mare Street Market right next door looking properly mobbed - more on this venue soon, as we didn’t have the vital guestlist - and the entry queue was easily beating Dishoom across the way, although we assume this is not going to be their usual scenario 😱
STAGE
Summer stages to entertain you
🎶 Where You Go is a musical kitchen sink drama about the relationship of Aniyah and Finn, which will tug at your heartstrings in a story of hope and second chances. At the Etcetera Theatre Sat 21st and Sun 22nd.
🌳 Taking full advantage of its verdant setting deep in the trees at Regent’s Park, a new adaptation of The Secret Garden opens for a summer run at the Open Air Theatre tomorrow, with the beloved classic about the magic of nature and the nature of magic. Until 20th July.
🎭 Talking of outdoor theatre, book now for the return of Shakespeare In The Squares (pictured above), which will be bringing a one-off performance of All’s Well That Ends Well to the picturesque urban setting of Camden Square on the evening of Sat 29th June.
🏳️🌈 It’s cabaret and karaoke madness on Tuesday at Euston’s Zodiac Bar as Luna Cortez steps up for a free night that is always a scream.
🎭 If you have 7-11-year-olds to entertain, head to the New Diorama Theatre for The Shivers, Sat & Sun, a ‘twisty turny’ thriller about spies, lies, and learning to trust your gut.
Stage highlights come to you each week in partnership with the TownSpot app: your ultimate guide to local events. Join over 1,000 locals discovering the joy of nearby happenings, combating loneliness, and feeling more at home than ever, with the support of Camden Council and Matthew James Estate Agents. Download TownSpot today.
MUSIC
🎶A few of the many local live gigs to check out
🎙️ Rachel Sutton will be singing songs from her new album ‘A Million Conversations’ in the Basement Bar of Parkway’s Green Note tonight, and LP which has been called ‘a revelation’ by Jazz Views. Expect beautifully crafted original compositions and covers by turns achingly tender, yet sassy and seductive.
🪕 Celebrate 10 years of Topette!! and the quality musicianship of this unique quintet and their “Balfolk” style of dancing, which is easy to pick up, relaxed and lots of fun, Saturday night 22nd June at Cecil Sharp House.
🥁 You can't help but be blown away by the percussive onslaught of traditional Japanese Taiko drumming, and Holborn’s Peacock Theatre is the place to go to see the huge athleticism and centuries old rhythmic tradition as YAMATO bring their global tour to town, until 22nd June.
🎤 The 11th edition of The Last Word Festival continues it's run at Chalk Farm’s Roundhouse through to 30th June, with spoken word, engaging conversations, soul-stirring music, thought-provoking films, all from an impressive lineup of the UK’s most essential voices.
🎸 It’s another Camden Rocks all-dayer at the Fiddler’s Elbow on Saturday (21st), with a huge line-up including local band Naked Yoga, (who you can also catch again at Alma Street Fair the following day), plus acoustic hero Matty James Cassidy.
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🎟️ EXCLUSIVE CAMDENIST OFFERS
15% off adult or child tickets to London Clean Air Bike Ride on 29th June. Simply use the code CAMDENIST at checkout (pre-applied via this ticket link)
20% off your first two massages at The College Practice - just mention Camdenist when booking.
60 mins of free Forest bike rides: Download or open the Forest app, then enter promo code CAMDENIST60 to ride for free right away. Minutes can be used for multiple trips for up to 3 months, on top of Forest’s standard 10 mins free each day too!
🍻 Get a free City Stack pack with £100 of independent pub food and drink deals when you become an annual premium member of Camdenist. Upgrade now for less than £1.50 per week.
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