Take a look at our listings page and check back throughout autumn to see what else is happening! If you would like to submit an event to be considered for this listing, please email culture@islington.gov.uk 

Mini Marvels: early years sensory play

Wednesday 9 September 2026, 10.00am – 11.00am
Estorick Collection, 39a Canonbury Square, London, N1 2AN

Mini Marvels now include a new space especially designed for children and adults who need a quieter museum experience. The area, located in a separate gallery, will feature dimmed lighting and a reduced capacity, allowing you to explore the Collection at your own pace, while engaging with objects and materials designed to activate your morning.
Find out more

Free Friday lunchtime concert

Friday 11 September 2026, 12.30pm
LSO St Luke’s, 161 Old Street, London EC1V 9NG

Curious about instrumental music? Looking to make lunchtime musical? Join the London Symphony Orchestra for a free, bite-size lunchtime concert performed by musicians from the LSO String Experience scheme. Enjoy live music in an informal setting, with friendly introductions from presenter Rachel Leach and an opportunity to ask questions during the Q&A. No ticket required. 
Find out more 

Cookout and picnic

Saturday 12 September 2026
Paradise Park, Sheringham Road, London N7 8PF
Join forum+ for a Cookout & Picnic in one of Islington’s most popular green spaces. Enjoy cooking together on the EverGrill hotplate, relaxing on rainbow picnic blankets, and connecting with nature and community. Places are limited and advance booking is essential.
Find out more 
@forumplus 

Choir taster session: Mixed Up Chorus

Tuesday 15 September 2026
Community Centre, Christ Church Highbury, 159 Highbury Grove, London N5 1SA

Interested in joining a choir? Come along to this free taster session with the Mixed Up Chorus. Musical Director Jeremy Haneman will lead vocal warm-ups and introduce new songs, giving participants a flavour of the choir and its upcoming term. The choir welcomes people of all backgrounds, ages and singing abilities. There are no auditions, just a love of music and

Life drawing at the museum

Wednesday 16 September 2026, 6.30pm – 8.30pm
Estorick Collection, 39a Canonbury Square, London, N1 2AN

Join us for an untutored life drawing session with a professional life model. Whether a beginner or experienced practitioner, join a friendly community of art lovers and nurture your creativity in our life drawing sessions. The musuem can provide drawing boards and a selection of basic drawing materials. You are more than welcome to take your kit with you. Please note: only dry materials are allowed in the galleries.
Find out more 

Choir taster session: Sing for Freedom

Thursday 17 September 2026
Community Centre, Christ Church Highbury, 159 Highbury Grove, London N5 1SA

Join the Sing for Freedom Choir for a free taster session and discover a community of torture survivors and friends who come together through music in a spirit of joy, solidarity and hope.  Led by Musical Director Ellen Muriel, the session will include vocal warm-ups and singing activities suitable for all abilities. No auditions are required and everyone is welcome.
Find out more
@togetherproductionscreate 

Monthly sewing workshop: mend and repair

Thursday 17 September, 15 October, 19 November and 17 December 2026, 10.00am to 2.00pm
Cally Clock Tower Centre, Caledonian Park, London N7 9HF

Join this friendly drop-in workshop for mending and repairing textiles using hand stitching and sewing machines. Whether you’re fixing a favourite garment, learning new skills, or looking to reduce waste, everyone is welcome.  Free and open to all. Please email callypark@islington.gov.uk for more information 

Book Launch – The Queen in Pocket: Eva Grippa in conversation with Ornella Tarantola

Thursday 17 September 2026, 6.30pm – 8.00pm
Estorick Collection, 39a Canonbury Square, London, N1 2AN

EVENT IN ITALIAN LANGUAGE 

Join us for an evening of contemporary Italian literature in partnership with Ornella Tarantola of Italian Books. Renowned journalist Eva Grippa will be joined by Ornella Tarantola for a fascinating introduction to her latest book, The Queen in Pocket, published by De Agostini in 2026, in which the audience will be invited on a metaphorical journey through the life of the world’s most famous, longest-reigning and unforgettable queen.

With a life spanning ninety-six years and a reign of seventy, Queen Elizabeth II became both a historical figure and a global icon long before her death. She remains an integral part of Britain’s collective identity, one in which every Briton can recognise themselves, including the Italian community that calls London home.  In the year marking the centenary of her birth, The Queen in Pocket arrives in the shadow of Buckingham Palace.

This beautifully illustrated coffee-table book is designed for both devoted royal enthusiasts and curious newcomers: a compact yet richly detailed guide packed with fascinating facts about the only historical figure commonly referred to simply by the definite article, The Queen.  Through one hundred entries, the book offers an ironic and, at times, irreverent portrait of Elizabeth II, revealing the woman behind the public image while exploring every pop-cultural facet of her seemingly unflappable persona, alongside the past, present and future of the House of Windsor.
Find out more 

Go Africa Black Health Hub

Monday 21 September 2026
Finsbury Park Trust, 225 to 229 Seven Sisters Road, London N4 2DA

This special Black Women’s Health Inequalities session will focus on menopause and the myths that surround it. The event will provide a culturally informed and welcoming space for Black women to discuss their experiences, hear from health professionals and access trusted information.  Participants will explore wider inequalities in healthcare and gain confidence to advocate for their own health and wellbeing. 

Find out more
@goafricafestival 

Free Friday lunchtime concert

Friday 25 September 2026, 12.30pm
LSO St Luke’s, 161 Old Street, London EC1V 9NG

Make lunchtime musical with a free, bite-size concert for solo piano. Hear live performance up close in an informal and welcoming setting, with introductions to guide you through the music. No ticket required. 
Find out more 

Islington Black Owned Business Market

Saturday 26 September 2026
Chapel Market, Baron Street End, London N1

Celebrate Black-owned businesses, entrepreneurs, makers, food traders and creatives at this vibrant market event. Residents and visitors are encouraged to Buy Black, Shop Local and Discover Something New while supporting local enterprise. The market provides opportunities for Black entrepreneurs to increase their visibility, build their customer base and showcase their work to a wider audience.

Find out more 

Family Art Day: Discover, Play and Share

Sunday 27 September 2026, 10.00am – 12.00pm
Estorick Collection, 39a Canonbury Square, London, N1 2AN

These family-friendly activities invite you to step into the studio of Wanda and Marion Wulz, two of 20th-century Italy’s most innovative photographers. Together, families will explore the interplay between tradition and experimentation, from capturing the stillness of classic portraits to embracing the energy, speed, and motion of Futurist ideas. Through hands-on, process-driven challenges, you will discover how these pioneering artists transformed everyday images, played with layers and light, and expressed their unique identities. Join us for a creative, intergenerational journey where art sparks conversation across generations and unlocks the power of storytelling!
Find out more 

Out of Hours Tour: The Estorick Collection & Temporary Exhibition (Art History Festival)

Wednesday 7 October 2026, 6.30pm
Estorick Collection, 39a Canonbury Square, London, N1 2AN

Join the musuem for an after-hours guided tour of Britain’s only museum dedicated to modern Italian art. This intimate evening visit offers a quiet, behind-the-scenes look at the gallery’s world-renowned permanent collection featuring masterworks of Futurism, Metaphysical art, and 20th-centuryworks by Giacomo Balla, Umberto Boccioni, Giorgio de Chirico, and Amedeo Modigliani and many more. The tour will guide attendees through the museum’s permanent collection as well as its temporary exhibition Wanda and Marion Wulz: Avant-garde Photography in 20th-Century Italy a major exhibition exploring the pioneering work of sisters Wanda Wulz (1903–1984) and Marion Wulz (1905–1993), key figures in the development of avant-garde photography in 20th-century Italy.
Find out more 

Free Friday lunchtime concert

Friday 9 October 2026, 12.30pm
LSO St Luke’s, 161 Old Street, London EC1V 9NG

Enjoy a free lunchtime concert featuring LSO Principal Flute Gareth Davies. Part of the LSO Discovery Free Friday Lunchtime Concert series, these informal performances are designed to introduce audiences to orchestral music in an accessible and engaging way. No ticket required. 
Find out more 

Cooking With Pride

Tuesday 13 October 2026
St Luke’s Community Centre, 90 Central Street, London EC1V 8AJ

forum+ and St Luke’s Community Centre invite LGBT people aged 18 and over to Cooking With Pride, a cookery class and social support group. Learn how to prepare a nutritious, low-cost meal while meeting new people in a welcoming and inclusive environment.  Cooking With Pride first launched during LGBT History Month 2020 and has been running regularly since 2022. Advance booking is essential and the event is exclusively for LGBT people aged 18 and over. 

Please email info@forumplus.org.uk for more information and booking 
@forumplus 

Mini Marvels: early years sensory play

Wednesday 14 October 2026, 10.00am – 11.00am
Estorick Collection, 39a Canonbury Square, London, N1 2AN

Explore the Estorick Collection with our interactive and sensory play space designed for families with young children. The families’ area, located in the temporary exhibition galleries, includes a wealth of sensory and creative resources that will captivate and delight children under 5.
Find out more 

Ghana Property and Lifestyle Expo

Friday 16 and Saturday 17 October 2026
Business Design Centre, 52 Upper Street, London N1 0QH

As part of the Go Africa Takeover for Black History Month 2026, Go Africa will curate the Lifestyle Pavilion at the Ghana Property & Lifestyle Expo. Alongside property and investment opportunities, the pavilion will showcase African fashion, beauty, wellness, food, tourism, artisan products and creative businesses. 

The event creates connections between local entrepreneurs, established businesses, diaspora communities and international markets. 

Find out more
@goafricafestival 

Wanda and Marion Wulz Unlocked

Saturday 17 October 2026, 10.00am – 11.00am
Estorick Collection, 39a Canonbury Square, London, N1 2AN

Join the musuem for an out-of-hours intimate tour of Wanda and Marion Wulz: Avant-garde Photography in 20th-Century Italy.  You will have the chance to explore the exhibition’s highlights and learn more about the pioneering work of sisters Wanda Wulz (1903–1984) and Marion Wulz (1905–1993), key figures in the development of avant-garde photography in 20th-century Italy.
Find out more 

Life drawing at the museum

Wednesday 21 October 2026, 6.30pm – 8.30pm
Estorick Collection, 39a Canonbury Square, London, N1 2AN

Join the museum for an untutored life drawing session with a professional life model. Whether a beginner or experienced practitioner, join a friendly community of art lovers and nurture your creativity in our life drawing sessions. The museum can provide drawing boards and a selection of basic drawing materials. You are more than welcome to take your kit with you. Please note: only dry materials are allowed in the galleries.
Find out more 

Family art day: discover, play and share

Sunday 25 October 2026, 10.00am – 12.00pm
Estorick Collection, 39a Canonbury Square, London, N1 2AN

These family-friendly activities invite you to step into the studio of Wanda and Marion Wulz, two of 20th-century Italy’s most innovative photographers. Together, families will explore the interplay between tradition and experimentation, from capturing the stillness of classic portraits to embracing the energy, speed, and motion of Futurist ideas. 

Through hands-on, process-driven challenges, you will discover how these pioneering artists transformed everyday images, played with layers and light, and expressed their unique identities. Join us for a creative, intergenerational journey where art sparks conversation across generations and unlocks the power of storytelling! 

Find out more 

Go Africa Open Book at the Library

Wednesday 28 October 2026
Tall Stories, Islington Central Library

As part of the Go Africa Takeover for Black History Month 2026, this special event celebrates Black literature, storytelling and authorship. Delivered in partnership with Islington Libraries, it will bring together acclaimed authors and local communities to explore African and Caribbean stories and perspectives.  The event aims to inspire readers of all ages and highlight the importance of representation in literature, history and storytelling. 

Find out more
@goafricafestival 

Animals! A Beastly History of Human Behaviour

27 August 2026 to 25 January 2027
Museum opening times: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 10.00am to 1.00pm and 2.00pm to 5.00pm
Islington Museum, 245 St John Street, London EC1V 4NB

Visit this free exhibition exploring how attitudes towards animals changed during the nineteenth century. As Islington transformed from a rural town into a rapidly expanding urban borough, people’s relationships with wild, working and domestic animals evolved dramatically. Through local stories and historical objects, the exhibition traces England’s journey from a society where animals were largely valued for labour and entertainment to one that became a global leader in animal welfare. 

Find out more