On Tuesday, I went along to the Knowledge Quarter’s ‘From Vision to Impact’ conference, which served the duel purpose of being both a chance to hear from some of the great minds doing brilliant things in tech, life sciences and the arts around King’s Cross, while also an opportunity to explore the £24m reinvention of the Town Hall by Bottaccio.

Both aspects of the day were suitably impressive and loftily glamorous.

It was a reminder of how spoilt we are for world class institutions - of so many kinds - clustered in such a tight area on our proverbial Camden doorstep, and also how challenging it remains for them to feel truly open and inclusive to everyone who lives in the Borough.

Attempts to offer opportunities for locals - particularly those in Somers Town, who live cheek by jowl alongside institutions as historically significant as the British Library and as forward-thinking as The Crick - are made, but plenty of residents still feel excluded from venturing through their doors.

One of the most significant moments in this ongoing dialogue for me came early doors, when the Director of the British Museum, Dr Nicholas Cullinan OBE, was discussing the security screening process that has made the once-simple joy of dropping in to the Great Court for a coffee, or an impromptu whip around the Egyptian Galleries, more akin to catching a flight or entering a nightclub of late.

Cullinan insists that they are ‘a local museum’, despite having 6.5m visitors a year (making it the #1 tourist attraction in the UK, no less), and I do agree with him. Despite the snaking queues, timeslots and bag checks, it has always felt like an incredible resource for locals to dip into, a habit that should ideally have been encouraged from school.

But feedback from local young people - the very ones the KQ institutions are desperate to engage with most - reveals that such stringent security processes put them right off.

These locals feel they are under almost constant surveillance as it is, whether that be profiling by Police and security teams, proliferating CCTV cameras or the endless datapoints on their phones. The last thing they want to do is willingly have to endure further unease and suspicion lining up for metal detectors and frisking.

Heightened security processes now present a huge barrier to feeling that such a place is truly ‘free’, open and welcoming to them.

Continues below….

Security is meant to make us all feel… more secure. So it’s a real fail if it has the opposite impact on any broad sector of the population. As Google’s new UK MD, Kate Alessi, said on the same panel, we need to find less intrusive ways to achieve the levels of safety we want in ever-more complex societies.

Of course, online - the world significantly powered by the company she represents - is a space where pretty much all of us can feel vulnerable, but we increasingly don’t have the option not to visit. Digital security measures seem designed to frustrate us at best, or exploit us in myriad ways through our data, even if they are ultimately protecting us from an onslaught of bad actors the likes that a Museum never has to deal with.

But whether physical or digital, security doesn’t need to be a threatening experience, it can be designed to strike a better balance between deterrence, reassurance and efficiency. The British Museum seem to be undertaking a range of measures to make the previous queuing logjam better, faster and less onerous, which should help a bit.

There are indeed brilliant advantages to be had from living around the Knowledge Quarter - just look at yesterday’s report documenting the first year of Google and Camden Learning’s collaboration on the London AI Campus for one shining example.

But if the lofty knowledge-based institutions in our midst want to truly make everyone feel invited to their party of boundless opportunity, its going to be the seemingly smaller touches- the first impressions, the warmth of the welcome at the gates - that arguably can have a much wider positive impact than the grand initiatives.

Amidst the clamour around the budget impacts and the ongoing perilous state of the country’s live music infrastructure, comes an exciting return to independent roots for the legendary Camden Assembly, formerly also The Barfly.

The beloved local corner boozer-cum-venue has been picked up by new outfit Propaganda Independent Venues, which has emerged from the UK’s biggest Indie night of the same name. The new company says it is committed to supporting grassroots venues, artists and music fans, and is already showing how it (hopefully) means to go on by offering local bands and artists the chance to apply for a slot to play the hallowed stage in support of bigger-name artists appearing at the venue over the coming months.

The new owners are also keen to work with local artists and creatives outside of music, and with The Dark Horse opposite offering an increasingly popular series of open mic nights, too, this part of Camden Town feels like it’s going to be having a bit of a moment as we pile into 2026, gun fingers pointing skywards with dancefloor exuberance.

XMAS:🎄There’s a glut of lighting up bashes and festive music on Sat 29th Nov where you can choose from the Winter Warmer on Camden High Street’s pedestrianiased section, featuring local youth bands, craft and activities. There’s more next gen musical talent as Camden Youth Brass perform in front of the 60ft tree over at King’s Cross, while there are loads of local discounts along Kentish Town Road for the Lighting Up event, with music under the canopy including from local flower stall owner turned TV star, Natasha Boon. Also on Saturday, the Queen’s Crescent Festive Light Market aims to revitalise the area’s most forgotten market strip with a new injection of local traders, delicious food, and winter attractions including animals and reindeers from Kentish Town City Farm, and a live music stage.

COMEDY: 😂 Headliner Junior Booker leads a night of culture, community and good energy comedy at The Camden Bar on Crowndale Rd tonight, Fri 28th Nov at Comedy Essence.

ART: 😼 Former Camdenist Guest Editor Abotz is closing out 2025 with a limited edition of ‘bank note’ originals as part of Camden Open Air Gallery’s upcoming Wrapped exhibition, which opens of Fri 6th Dec.

MUSIC: 🎤 Alongside The Specials, Pauline Black and The Selecter were at the forefront of the seminal 2-tone ska movement at the start of the ‘80s, with Black going onto support future generations of indebted stars, from Blur to No Doubt. They play KOKO tonight, Fri 28th Nov, in celebration of their debut single ‘Too Much Pressure’’s 45th anniversary.

SHOP: 🎁 Grab a thoughtfully Latin American-inspired Xmas gift as the Mexican Christmas Market is back at Coal Drops Yard today until Sun 30th Nov, with live Mariachi music and dance too, and brilliant food from El Pastor. And double up on Sun 30th for the canine in your life with gifts from 40+ stalls including a pop-up pooch photo studio at The Big Woof: Christmas Edition over at the nearby Canopy Market.

FOOD: 🌯 Central London’s largest food hall (apparently) opens on Thurs Dec 11th and Market Place might arguably raise the appeal of Leicester Square a touch in the process, offering 16 different kitchens knocking out a global line-up of street food. You can also expect DJs, comedy nights and three different bars.

STAGE: 🎭 Opening tonight and running until 17th Jan, Coven is the scorching new musical based on England’s notorious Pendle witch trials. See it at Kilburn’s Kiln Theatre, where the accuser becomes the accused.

DANCE: 🩰 Ballet Black makes its Sadler’s Wells Theatre debut tonight Fri 28th Nov and tomorrow Sat 29th with a double bill, Shadows, which conitunes their tradition of creating a prominent platform for dancers and artists of Black and Asian descent, as well as establishing a new canon of ballet repertoire.

MUSIC: 🎶 Duck into the Bull & Gate on Mon 1st Dec for a night of vibraphone and percussion-led music as Gloria Yehilevsky’s GM?R trio play electroacoustic improvised set at the longstanding Jazz in Kentish Town.

EVENT: 🛜 Now settled into their shiny new home at Regent’s Place, Venture Cafe London are running their globally influential Thursday Gathering every week, connect creators, entrepreneurs, investors, coworkers, students and visionaries to build strong and inclusive innovation ecosystem. This week, Thurs 4th Dec is all about building an inclusive AI future.

We’re keen to help build a thriving ecosystem of decent London newsletters you might like, which focus on topics like the ones we cover here in Camdenist. This week, we’re highlighting The Busking Project, an amazing regular look at street music and the people and politics behind it.