5 festivals for a sun-soaked weekend

Cally Road Festival

A real London delight, this annual banger takes over the area’s key thoroughfare north as thousands of locals and visitors merge for a massive street party with market stalls, creative pursuits and eclectic live music and performances: a real one-day celebration of diversity and tolerance. Free, Sun 18th June, from 12-6pm. Caledonian Road N1

Open Gardens Weekend

Around 200 gardens across the capital take part in this each year. If you haven’t already discovered the charming mobile allotment that’s the Skip Garden, now’s your chance. Over the weekend it’ll be open to visitors, with Global Generation gardeners and volunteers on hand giving tours. Learn about sustainable gardening, visit the beehives, and have a bite or a coffee at the bucolic cafe. Sat 17th & Sun 18th June, 10am – 5pm. Stable Street N1C

Canal Festival

Can we really call it the ‘King’s Cross Riviera’? Oh, go on, then. This festie celebrates this charming waterway with a mix of barges along the towpath, transporting you back to a time when there was no term for “road rage”. Plus you can soak up river tours, activities, vintage fashion, lovely food and, excitingly, the Circumference Circus troop, who are taking over Gasholder Park with workshops and pop-up shows. Free, Sat 17th & Sun 18th June, 12pm to 4pm. Canal-side steps N1C

Untold Stories at Slam

Yep, this one is indoors, but Untold are back for their third festival at a new writing theatre in King’s Cross, with a diverse group of plays from eight up and coming playwrights and theatre makers. Issues explored include Brexit, the housing crisis, fidelity, foxes and an impending water crisis. Sat 17th & Sun 18th June, Slam, Cubitt St WC1X

Hoxton Summer Picnic

This was all set to kick off this Friday (15th) and run over two balmy weekends – but we’ve just heard it’s now taking place on the 23rd only. Still, the restaurants of N1 will be piling out onto the green at the heart of the square: they include French bistro Petit Pois, BBQ experts Smokey Tails, Radio Alice, 8 Hoxton Square and Rossopomodoro, all with the intention to showcase the best that Hoxton has to offer.Proceeds from the weekend are re-invested into the square. As well as the feasting, there’s live music and cinema. Picnic blankets and deckchairs will be on hand too. Free Entry. Fri 23rd June, noon-9pm. Hoxton Square N1