Your Friday morning essential read. Five local feel-good highlights, including exclusive special offers and events. Prepared with love by the team at Camdenist

 MUSIC: Live shows return at reopened Lafayette 

It's heartwarming to see King's Cross' live music venue

Lafayette

 putting on gigs again. The exciting new space had just launched when lockdown struck, meaning most of us haven't even had the chance to check it out yet. Seated Covid-secure events are taking place this month, with a return to full-capacity standing (and yes, even dancing) as soon as restrictions lift. Upstairs, Goods Way's New Orleans-inspired streetfood hotspot The Courtyard is also back, as is the tempting Louisianan-style dive bar, Sweetwater. Meanwhile, directly opposite the venue, cinema kings

Everyman

are presenting daily 

movies on a big screen

 throughout July (with live Wimbledon by day). It's all free but social distancing means limited spaces are available for each film on the canal-side steps. 

 STAGE: Camden People's Theatre is back too 

After closing for 15-months for a major refurb (let alone Covid), Euston's acclaimed Camden People's Theatre has also just reopened, and is currently hosting two seasons of fresh works. The Summer 2021 season is 8-weeks of cutting edge performance that look like they will make you laugh, cry and everything in between, while the postponed Calm Down, Dear is currently bringing innovative feminist theatre to the stage, with shows that celebrate the female experience and the ongoing battle for gender equality. Full info on all the performances and to purchase tickets here.

 EXPLORE: Summer area guides now online 

Summer 2021 is all about discovering the parts of London you might not know that well, before the crowds return. It's also about supporting local retailers, hospitality and arts venues, so we've put together two Unlockdown guides, with more on the way. There's inspiration for a West End staycation in Seven Dials, and also ideas for rediscovering life's simple pleasures at St Pancras. The station team have also just launched 

Project Peatlands

, a brilliant initiative to restore vital environmental habitat - all you have to do is shop or eat.

 WATCH: Three afternoons of live debate 

The Knowlege Quarter is a partnership of educational, tech, arts and culture organisations based around King's Cross. Next week (Tues-Thurs) they are running their stimulating annual conference virtually. The Future of Knowledge: Build Back Together offers three afternoons of keynotes, roundtables and dialogue on the themes of working, learning and growing together locally after Covid. It should be engaging stuff, and all Camdenist readers are invited to sign up for a free ticket. 

 EAT: Florentine fun in Covent Garden 

Opening today on Henrietta Street is

Ave Mario

, the third London restaurant from the team behind wild hits Circolo Popolare and Gloria. It promises to be a vast and ridiculously lavish space that can feed up to 1,000 diners every day. As with all the Big Mamma locations, it comes with a cheeky, very selfie-friendly décor including a mirrored party basement. The menu is completely new, but the queues for tables are likely to be more familiar.

 THIS WEEK'S ONE-CLICK POLL Camden New Journal has posted these images of the proposed redevelopment of Murphy's Yard, the borough's last big brownfield site in Kentish Town. Does the prospect of this new neighbourhood excite you? 

LAST WEEK WE ASKED:

How would you rate your own experience of lockdown love life?

Rather bashful numbers of readers admitted how they feel about their sex lives during the last 18 months, with an honest and sizeable 41% saying not much was going on - at least in the real world. We'll have to revisit this question after the summer to see to what degree the final relaxation of restrictions hots things up out there - or indeed doesn't...

 PRIZE: 4 x festival tickets up for grabs 

Unlockdown this summer in real style. How does free music festival tickets including VIP return eco-taxi travel directly to/from the campsite sound? Here's how:

• Share your unique link (below) on social media, Whatsapp groups or by email

• Tell friends you could all be partying together at the boutique Campo Sancho festival at the end of July

• The more friends who sign up to receive this email, the more chances you all have to win the prize.

• You currently have *|RH_TOTREF|* entries in the prize draw, and have until July 9th to add loads more. Full details here. 

 Copy your unique referral link:    

 Or share with a click... Email  |  WhatsApp  |  Tweet  |  Facebook  |  LinkedIn You've recommended a total of  people so far.  

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