Camdenist presents your Friday morning essential read. Five hot new local highlights and cultural happenings across the borough.

1

 DRINKS: Discover these 26 rooftop terrrace bars 

Yes, it's H.O.T. But rather than bang on about the bleedin' obvious, we'll just leave you with this timely, fully updated guide to the best rooftop watering holes for a cooling sundowner, a listing of no less than 26 venues right across the Borough. Alongside the recently launched Lucky Club (pictured) perched atop Chalk Farm's historic horse hospital, comes the new Glasshouse at the NYX, just opened on the 10th floor of Holborn's NYX Hotel. It has enviable views of London, creative drinks and a retractable roof (not that you'll need it this weekend). Booking ahead is, as you can imagine, pretty much essential.

⏬ Read on for where you'll find free ice cream over this scorching weekend, too... ⏬

2

 FESTIVALS: This week's big local outdoors fiestas 

Across Saturday and Sunday, Camden Square come alive to jazz, poetry, dance, live bands, sports, stalls and activities at the Camden New Town Community Festival. It's a much-loved occasion for locals to get together and celebrate where we all live. Meanwhile down at Coram's Fields in Bloomsbury on Sunday, it's the 30th anniversary of Camden Mela. This is where the borough's sizable Bangladeshi and South Asian community pulls out all the stops and throws a massive family-friendly bonanza of live music, performances, arts and crafts bazaars, tasty food stalls and a funfair.

Last chance to win 4 x complete festival tickets to Campo Sancho (just an hour's drive away) 29-31 July. Visit @camdenist Instagram 🥳

3

 VISIT: Hampstead Heath summer days and nights 

The Heath has a real smorgasbord of events on this weekend, including tonight's annual free bash at the bandstand courtesy of iconic local DJ troupe

Dig It Soundsystem

(pictured). It's always a summer highlight of the Camden calendar, and there's a cheeky after-party at the nearby Dartmouth Arms, too 🥳. Then on Sunday afternoon back at the bandstand, the music will be more sedate while you can try out free activities at 

Give it a Go,

the celebration of physical and mental wellbeing. Try sports such as rugby, fencing, tennis and athletics and seated activities like singing bowls if that's all too sweaty. The hot weather has sadly scuppered plans for the Great Hampstead Bark Off, due to happen on the adjacent cricket field, so keep Fido happy under the shade instead. And u

p at Kenwood, there are a few remaining tickets for al fresco movie theatre 

Luna Cinema

running all weekend, including a showing of The Devil Wears Prada on Sunday evening.

4

 EXPLORE: Kentish Town Spot exhibition in shop windows 

Innovative WhatsApp-based local listings service

Kentish Town Spot

ran a successful crowdfunding campaign as part of the Council's

Love Your Camden High Streets

fund. The result is an exhibition that's available to see for the next three months in windows across NW5, including the likes of Simply Fine Foods (pictured), The Fields Beneath café, plus Bread By Bike and SKK Lighting on Brecknock Rd. The striking portraits of shop owners were taken by Karishma Puri, (who we wrote about last year when her

Isolating Together photos

 also went up around the neighbourhood) and are accompanied by QR codes that lead to full interviews on the KT Spot website. The idea is to support the high street by giving people a reason to shop locally and to learn more about their community. Read more about it and join the WhatsApp group via the full story over on Kentishtowner.

5

 SHOWS: Beyond + Between season at Roundhouse 

The big summer show in the main space at Chalk Farm's Roundhouse opens tonight. 

Jean Paul Gaultier Fashion Freak Show 

celebrates the life of one of fashion's most infamous characters, and forms the centerpiece of the wider

Beyond + Between season

, a lively programme of events, workshops and installations exploring queer identity, nightlife, fashion, body image and pop culture. Highlights include Trans Voices performing

a vocal soundbath

in the intimate Dorfman Hub (under the main auditorium) this Sunday evening, and Queefy Careret (pictured) now booking for August. Tickets for the big JPG show are

here, along with a Spotify playlist

of suitably fabulous/iconic anthems.

 FIVE MORE from Camdenist 

• GROW: Vegbox founder Tom Steele on 10 years delivering fresh local produce in Camden

• PEOPLE: Which IST are you? Photos of locals wearing our guerilla marketing stickers

• AWARDS REVISITED: Youth Role Model: Sharley Hewitt at NW5 Community Plan Project

• MUSIC: Acland Burghley School and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment

• CLOBBER: Grab a limited edition Camdenist X Nelle tee

THIS WEEK'S ONE-CLICK POLL 

Locals love lists! So which topic would you most like us to dive into researching for a future article, uncovering all the essential places for you to go out and discover?

LAST WEEK WE ASKED:

It's been an unprecedented week in national politics. How does it make you feel?

&

 UP NEXT...  more local events, stories & gossip from Camdenist  

To celebrate their new compostable coffee pods, Caravan Coffee Roasters are teaming up with gelato artisans La Gelatiera to offer free affogato ice creams from a pop-up near the big swing beside King's Cross Station all weekend. 

 >>> 

Rapper

 Niki Minaj

 caused a litteral road block this week with an ill-fated meet and greet at Café KOKO and you can 

see the chaotic video here

 >>>

 Fiery tacos, decadent quesadillas and punchy tequila cocktails are promised on the terrace at Holborn's Rosewood Hotel over the coming weeks at Mexican pop-up La Veranda By Patron.

>>> 

Masses of markets again this weekend at King's Cross, including the Illustrators Fair inside the Granary Building on Sat, while the Independent Label Market serves up vinyl rarities for music lovers at Coal Drops Yard, and Sunday sees

Crafty Fox Market

bring the UKs best designer-makers to Granary Square.

 COMMUNITY collaborating with businesses and people across Camden 

>>>

 Find out how Camdenist can help your local business to grow, in partnership with Google. 

>>>

 Look out for the free 32-page print magazine, Camdenist Presents Grow, available locally now

Are you a local food business who'd like to work with us at HowTheLightGetsIn festival in September at Kenwood? Get in touch asap to find out more: [email protected] 

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