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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.

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.

See the art and read Giana’s full story here.

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:

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

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

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