Today’s newsletter is particularly packed with discounts, competitions and offers, so make sure to take advantage of those - and save yourself a pretty penny in the process.

FESTIVALS

This week we’re celebrating the current crop of late summer festivals in the area by hearing from some of their biggest guest stars, all of whom hail from ‘round here, too.

🕵️‍♂️ Former GCHQ boss on conflicts and crises

From his time overseeing the country’s intelligence and defence to working at the heart of government, (including informing then PM Margret Thatcher on the imminent Argentine invasion of the Falkland Islands), Sir David Ormand knows a thing or two about security.

Ahead of his panel discussion on the pursuit of peace at the upcoming HowTheLightGetsIn festival at Kenwood (23-24th Sept), this local (of over 40 years) has been speaking with Camdenist about the conflict in Ukraine, the threats and benefits of AI, climate change and the dangers of not preparing for a slow burn crisis – from the next global pandemic to crumbling concrete in schools.

Competition: Win 2 x tickets to HTLGI

Worried about where the world’s heading? Excited to know where our destiny lies? HowTheLightGetsIn, the world’s largest philosophy and music festival, is perfect for you.

Returning to London this 23-24 September, the festival is a hub for world-leading thinkers, politicians, philosophers, scientists and artists. With this year’s theme being ‘Dangers, Desire, and Destiny’, expect to see Ruby Wax, Alastair Campbell, Deborah Frances-White, Rory Stewart, David Baddiel and more lock horns over a packed weekend of debates, talks and performances.

As partners of the festival, we’re thrilled to offer 2x pairs of free all-weekend access tickets to one set of lucky winners - all you have to do is email us [email protected] with HTLGI as the header to enter. We’ll draw the name next Friday.

Remember, even if you don’t win, use the code CAM23 for 20% off full tickets here.

🎖️ Eddy Grant’s gonna rock down to… Camden High Street

Tomorrow sees the culmination of a packed week of honouring musical legends with new stones on the Camden Music Walk of Fame with a free music festival from midday to 8pm - more info and artist set times here.

Yesterday was the turn of Acland Burghley alumni and black music trailblazer Eddy Grant.

Camdenist spent the afternoon listening to a selection of Eddy’s unequalled memories of what it was like trying to break through as a black musician in the UK in the 70s and 80s.

Rolling Stones legend Bill Wyman and celebrated TV actor Rudolph Walker were among the audience showing huge love for this master of genre-busting hit records, approaching his sixth decade of conscious music-making.

Hear about the time he dyed his hair blonde just to prove black guys have bottle, among other stories from his early days living in Kentish Town.

🎭 A festival of boundary-pushing theatre

We’re loving the sound of this all-new selection of theatre ‘of the people, by the people and for the people’ next week.

The New Adventures Festival gives the next generation of young theatre practitioners a chance to handpick fresh new works to showcase.

It runs Tuesday to Sunday (12th-17th Sept) at the excellent Camden People’s Theatre and we have profiles of all the curators and the work that you’ll see on stage.

🥳 All Rise

It’s the ever impressive York Rise Street Fair this Sunday (main pic), commandeering the leafy residential streets of Dartmouth Park and transforming them into a mini utopia of performance, indulgence and collective merriment.

Alongside loads of food, beer and art stalls (which all take cash - remember that?) there are loads of community eco projects to discover, and masses of entertainment lined up all afternoon into the evening.

Highlights include national treasure Michael Rosen reading poems, a dedicated pavement cabaret stage, lively live music from local heroes like Whisky Mick, The Estimators and nutty boys tribute act Mainly Madness, but best of all, loads of sun-ripened locals wobbling around with smiles on their faces. See you there.

FOOD & DRINK - PUB OF THE WEEK

🍺 Exclusive offer: 25% off pub lovers discount beer mat packs

We’ve covered the excellent City Stack before – it’s the gift pack of 10 beer mats which gets you £100 of food and drink discounts at 10 independent pubs across London, including lovely local the Princess of Wales in Primrose Hill.

It’s a simple idea: buy a pack for just £20 and claim a tenner off a £20 spend when you hand over the mats at the selected pubs any time, helping to support great local boozers in the process.

It’s a brilliant deal, but it gets better, as for this week only Camdenist readers can purchase a City Stack pack for only £15!

At that price we’re virtually giving free food and drinks away, right? So grab a pack (or two - as they make ideal gifts) and simply enter the code CAMDENIST23 at the checkout.

CLAIM FREE FOREST E-BIKE CREDITS!

MUSIC

🎺 Tribute nights abound on the live circuit this week

There are always a clutch of tribute acts and events to be found locally if that’s your inclination, and this week there’s a particularly bumper crop of ‘um, so we thought we’d highlight the breadth of loving imitation on offer…

• 🎶 First up is tonight’s epic fiesta of all things Prince when New Purple Celebration blow the roof off King’s Cross Scala.

• 🎸 Also tonight up at The Fiddler’s Elbow, The Grateful Dudes play grateful homage to the music of The Grateful Dead in an intimate but lively pub setting.

• 🤟 Or head over to Dingwalls tonight if you can guess who Guns 2 Roses and Motley Scrue are paying tribute too and you like that kind of thing.

• 🎷 On Sunday, London Django Collective keep the spirit of Django Reinhardt well and truly alive at The Green Note with improvised jazz that always nods to his legacy.

• 🎙️ Tuesday (12th) marks the 20th anniversary of Amy Winehouse releasing her debut LP Frank, and The Jazz Cafe have a special evening, but it’s sold out so you’ll have to look out for returns.

• 🎺 On Wednesday (13th) the 11-piece band Simply Dan play the music of Steely Dan at Pizza Express Holborn.

• 🎙️ And at the same venue the next night (Thurs 14th) its another Winehouse tribute as Anna Aarons and her 7-piece band play their fifth year of In Memory of Amy

Gig highlights in association with Halibuts.com

MORE GOSSIP & THINGS TO DO

• ➡️ Look out for the reintroduction of grazing sheep to Hampstead Heath next week. It’s all part of a long-term project to improve biodiversity across this most celebrated of urban green spaces.

• ➡️ Belsize Park Brunch hotspot Sunday Bellevue has announced it is going to close - but not until December, so there’s still time to grab one of their superior plates.

• ➡️ On the flipside, Archway’s St John Tavern happily reopened this week after a summer-long refurb.

• ➡️ Did you know you can throw yourself off a crane for a 160ft high bungee jump at Corams Fields tomorrow for a £75 charitable donation - 3,2,1 go!

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