1. Kick off the Notting Hill Carnival (in Tottenham)
Venue of the moment, Styx is hosting the official pre-carnival street party on Saturday, so you can get all-day carnival vibes, delicious street food and live performances from BBC 1xtra’s Ras Kwame, Scrufizzer, Uncle Dugs & Rachel Wallace, all without having to trek all the way over to West London. It’s forecast to be a scorcher.
Pre-carnival street party, Saturday 27 August, 12pm to 2am.
Styx, 5 Ashley Road, N17 9LJ
For more info visit the Notting Hill Carnival website
Get foody at Ally Pally
2. Get foodie at Ally Pally
The Foodies Festival is the UK’s largest outdoor celebration of food and drink, and it’s returning to Alexandra Palace this bank holiday. There will be opportunities to sample food from over 100 artisan suppliers and to take masterclasses in Champagne, gin and craft beer.
Alternatively you can simply flop in the sun, drinking Pimm’s served from a giant teapot and enjoy an unrivaled view of Tottenham from one of Haringey’s highest points.
Foodies Festival, Saturday 27 – Monday 29 August, 11am to 7pm
Alexandra Palace Park, Lower Field, N22 7AY
For more info visit the Foodies Festival website
3. Cook lunch for your local community
Food Not Bombs are a local group who take action against food waste, poverty and militarism by sharing free food and info. Using surplus food that would otherwise be wasted, they cook and serve free vegan meals to anyone in the community that would like to eat.
Arrive at 11am if you’d like to help cook or simply turn up at 1pm when lunch is served and enjoy listening to musicians jamming whilst you meet new and interesting people in your area.
North London Food Not Bombs *FREE*, Sunday 28 August, 11am to 3pm
T. Chances community space, 399 High Road, N17 6QN
For more info visit the North London Food Not Bombs Facebook page
4. Bernie Grants Paint Jam
A day of Graffiti painting at the Bernie Grants art Centre. A collaboration of up to 8 Street Graffiti Artists creating some amazing murals that reflects the local community.
Family Firendly day with Paint Workshop, Live DJ and many other activities for Children such as Face painting and a Bouncy Castle.
Bernie Grants Art Centre, Town Hall Approach Road, Tottenham Green, N15 4RX
Sunday 28 August, 11am – 9pm
For more info visit the Paint Jam Facebook page.
5. Grab your last chance to watch The Hard Stop
Powerful docu-drama The Hard Stop has been playing through the summer at the Bernie Grant Arts Centre, in a run that ends this weekend. The film tells the story of events surrounding the death of Mark Duggan and all that followed, leading to the riots of 2011.
Protagonists Kurtis and Marcus, who were close friends of Mark Duggan, play themselves in the film, letting the audience into a candid depiction of life on the Broadwater Farm Estate and Tottenham in general.
The Hard Stop, Sunday 28 August, 6.15pm
Bernie Grant Arts Centre, Town Hall Approach Road, Tottenham Green, N15 4RX
For more info visit the Bernie Grant Arts Centre website
6. Shop local at Tottenham Green Market
Our regular market always deserves a mention as it’s just such a lovely way to spend a Sunday. This week will see a great mix of hot-food stalls to keep you fed, and local favourites to wash it down with from Craving Coffee, Redemption Brewery and biodynamic wines from The Wine Scouts plus delicious craft Normandy cidre from L’Atypique. There’s also a growing range of produce stalls where you can do a weekly shop of high quality meat, veg and dairy, without stepping foot in a supermarket.
Tottenham Green Market, Sunday 28 August, 11am to 4pm
Town Hall Approach Road, Tottenham Green, N15 4RX
For more info visit the Tottenham Green Market website
7. Get fit or enjoy trying
For the spritely amongst you there’s a brilliant running club that get together every last Sunday of the month at Lordship Recreation Ground. Meeting at the Hub Cafe, the group runs a variety of ‘no pressure’ routes from 2k up to 5k, for runners at all levels to get involved in, whether you’re in training or just feel like stretching your legs.
The group’s focus on running for the sake of pure enjoyment is a really refreshing approach; all events are wheelchair and pram friendly too.
Your Pace No Race, Sunday 28 August, 11am
Lordship Recreation Ground, N17 6NU
For more info visit the Haringey council website
8. Expand your local networks
Billed as a ‘family, social and networking event’, Food Fusion aims to introduce like-minded individuals to learn more about local business and encourage entrepreneur-ism within the community.
The event is also a way to help fund raise for the community centre whilst – most importantly – having a great night out. A three course meal and live music and theatre will mean the evening is a great opportunity to enjoy yourself, with the added bonus of potentially expanding your connections.
Food Fusion, Sunday 28 August, 5pm to midnight
West Indian Culture Centre, 9 Clarendon Road, N8 0DJ
For more info visit the Haringey council website
Go for a bounce at the Beehive Image André Ainsworth
9. Move in for the weekend at The Beehive
The Beehive are going all out this bank holiday weekend with different events happening each day. The whole weekend they will be running a special Whiskey Thief cocktail bar, where you can enjoy Southern-style bourbon cocktails and slow-cooked meats, to soothe the summer heat. There is also a Cornish seafood festival running all weekend to add to the gastronomic goodies on offer. Saturday will feature a Southwark Brewery Tap takeover and a chance to meet the brewer and on Sunday the pub is holding its own market. Pick up beautiful crafts, vintage clothes, bespoke furniture and lots more whilst listening to classic Indie and Northern Soul from the DJ playing all day.
The Beehive, Stoneleigh Road, , N17 9BQ
For more information visit The Beehive’s website
10. Give your ears a treat
Bank Holiday Monday offers musical treats never before seen or heard. Maestro producer Verity Lane has assembled a group of local musicians to embark upon a community-spirited project which seeks to provide an alternative to conventional classical music concerts. Tottenham Soundscapes is billed as a mixture of classical, contemporary and world music, and features violin, piano and a Japanese flute, served up beneath the vaults of All Hallows’ church.
Tottenham Soundscapes *FREE*, Monday 29 August, 12.30pm to 2.30pm
All Hallows’ church, Church Lane, N17 7AA
For more information see the Tottenham Soundscapes Facebook page
Words Genevieve Sparrow
Images provided by the events unless otherwise stated