Launch Email 12

A hot new brunch destination, Covid-free comedy + a month of cocktails

 Friday 2 October 2020  Life might feel a touch uncertain (once again), but here are 16 brilliant local goings on with an unstoppable ability to keep the positive vibes rolling 

   Sunday comes to NW3  

Brunch lovers rejoice! Barnsbury's celebrated all-day cafe Sunday has opened a second branch, which landed in Belsize Park this week. Taking up residence at the foot of the towering new Belle Vue apartments development next to the Royal Free Hospital, they’re now serving a selection of Instagram-worthy pancake stacks, Turkish eggs and other firm daytime favourites. There were regularly queues around the block at the popular Islington original, which also reopened after lockdown only last week, so the team have certainly got a lot on. Still, we're confident this brand new local one will live up to the hype.

 Gags of pre-Covid vintage 

Heaven knows we all need a laugh right now, so thank goodness for local saviours of live comedy, Aces and Eights Bar. The Tufnell Park hotspot has a host of chuckle-heavy events coming up in their atmospheric basement venue, including the Antique Jokes Show, which launches next Wednesday, (7th Oct). Nab a ticket to be transported to a pre-Covid era as the UK's top acts dust off their old (but gold), out-of-date material for your nostalgic amusement. Book a table upstairs earlier on for happy hour cocktails and pizza, too.

 House swap with Sir John 

If 2020 has meant too much time staring at your own four walls, then you might fancy the idea of relocating to one of Camden's most iconic homes instead - at least for a couple of hours, anyway. The Sir John Soane's Museum, former home to the famous neoclassical architect, reopened yesterday with a free exhibitionLanglands & Bell: Degrees of Truth. The show is interspersed throughout Soane's permanent collection of artworks and antiquities, exploring architecture's capacity to bear witness to the technological, political and cultural relationships that define society, no less.

 Bloomsbury's cultural bonanza 

Bloomsbury Festival is back to celebrate the neighboujrhood's pioneering creativity with an innovative 2020-style programme packed with musical performances, walks, family workshops, and exhibitions. Kicking off on Friday 16 October, digital and live events include an interactive group walk through Euston's sacred skateboarding spots, a guide to the UK's best outdoor swimming pools with the author of LIDO, and one-woman play Virginia Wolf: Killing The Angel. Bloomsbury Radio will also be broadcasting from the festival every afternoon, so you don't have to miss a thing.

 Delicious discounted tipples 

London Cocktail Week

 have plans to keep the party going this autumn, by extending the usual week-long boozy concoction celebrations across the whole month of October. A £15 digital pass entitles you to £6 cocktails at some of the

in London, many of which can be found here in Camden - with highlights including the subterranean

Ladies & Gents

bar and Parkway's perennially classy

York & Albany

. For those staying home by choice, or the latest change in the law, then you can still get in on the action by making your way through the drinks cupboard with their virtual masterclasses.

Camden's coronavirus champions. Our local legends of lockdown. Individuals and groups that made a real difference.The chance celebrate them is coming...

  • For an art experience with a difference, join the provocative street artist Endless on a tour of his The Queen & Culture Exhibition. On for one week only at the Crypt Gallery in St Pancras Church.

  • Spend the evening with legendary actor Vanessa Redgrave when she takes over the Freud Museum on Sunday (4th Oct) for an evening of discussion and performance on the theme of refugees, migration and exile.

  • Women & Health have reopened, helping local women overcome obstacles and reach their goals with their group life coaching events every Friday. Based in Camden Town, they offer affordable therapies in an all-female environment.

  • Chalk Farm's Roundhouse are calling on young poets looking to showcase their talents to take part in the venue's annual Poetry Slam. Submit your work for a chance to perform in front of an online audience, win cash prizes and earn the Slam Champion title.

  • Make the most of the free bike MOT offer in King's Cross on the first Wednesday of every month with Dr Bike. Next session is 7th October, and they'll even help you plan a cycle route to work.

  • With the streets of London still unusually quiet, history buffs can enjoy free guided tours of Camden and the City every Monday for the next month, courtesy of Our City Together.

  • Want to shed a few post-summer pounds and get some fresh air while you're at it? MW5 Fitness will have you flinging tyres and feeling the burn at their established weekly outdoor bootcamp sessions in King's Cross.

  • At a time when many of us are finding ourselves on the job hunt, WM College are on hand to help with free employability courses. Sign up and learn how to write a stand-out CV and grow your career networks.

  • If you find yourself peckish in Bloomsbury tomorrow, then why not give The Brunswick’s Urban Food Fest a try. Now open every Saturday, they boast streetfood for everyone's tastes, from Thai noodles to Mexican tacos.

  • St Pancras International kicked off their annual ten-day long beer festival yesterday, including 20% off pints at The Barrell Vault, and a specially selected carry case of beers to take on your travels from Sourced Market.

  • Camden's award winning venue Green Note may be closed for the foreseeable, but they’re refusing to let the music die and have just hosted their fiftieth online show of the year. Log in for an eclectic blend of country, folk and blues at the twice-weekly gigs.

Camdenist is collaborative and transparent by design. We want all locals to participate, so we've built a form where you can send us ideas, propose features, even contribute your own work. What should be in next week's email?

 Well worth following...