Here are some great ways to spend your weekend (October 16-17) in Hackney and Islington.

Live and Laugh at the Empire with Phil Wang

Get ready to laugh your socks off at London’s biggest comedy night at Hackney Empire on Mare Street.

Headlining the event is one of the fastest rising stars in the industry, Phil Wang, who has his own Netflix stand-up show and a regular on Live at the Apollo. He is joined by Mawaan Rizwan, Lou Sanders and John Robins.

Tickets cost between £22-26.50 plus booking fee. Age 16+ only. Learn more at hackneyempire.co.uk/whats-on/live-at-the-empire-with-phil-wang/

Go for a guided walk around the border of Hackney and Islington

Join a walking tour as the guide takes you through a boundary walk between the Hackney and Islington boroughs around the roads of Regent’s Canal, Finsbury, Shoreditch and the edge of the City in Moorfields.

You will see the City Livery Company’s history, ironworks, canal basins, Second World War devastation, the lost hospital quarters, a natural swimming pool and a medieval wall.

The walk starts at Rosemary Branch, Southgate Road on Sunday, October 17 at 11am and lasts two hours.

Tickets cost £15.

Book your tour at www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/walking-the-hackneyislington-border-from-the-rosemary-branch-to-old-st-tickets-168272685131

Follow an Autumn Trail with Hackney School of Food

‘Tis the season of pumpkins, so why not indulge in Hackney School of Food’s Autumn Trail and enjoy the taste of October.

Perfect for the kids, you can follow their interactive family-friendly story, meet exciting characters and solve clues as you wander through the gardens. There will be bouncy castles, tattoos on offer and a garden produce sale.

Free pumpkin soup and bread are included with every ticket, which costs £5 for an adult and £3 for a child. The event will be on Thursday, October 21 with three different time slots to choose from.

Tickets can be found at www.ticketsource.co.uk/hackneyschooloffood/school-of-food-autumn-trail-2021/e-lldaoe

Lose yourself in a lesson of art history

Art lovers, this is for you. Organised by the Viktor Wynd Museum & The Last Tuesday Society, Phil Baker will be delivering a rich lecture on the biography of artist Austin Osman Spare (1886-1956).

Baker’s talk offers “wide-ranging insights into Spare’s art, mind and world, reconnecting him with the mainstream art history that ignored him and exploring his parallel London.”

The lecture will be delivered on Zoom on Sunday, October 17 from 8-10pm. Tickets cost between £5.82-11.04.

Find out more at www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/austin-osman-spare-phil-baker-zoom-lecture-tickets-132269837645?aff=efbevent&fbclid=IwAR1hrcLxULSIBppAa5sWCwfoGJDoReFYOJAU3DM684lPgx-JyD2L5bPx7xg

Gimme, gimme, gimme…ABBA night 02 academy Islington

The excitement of ABBA’s reunion continues at this Club de Fromage party at 02 Academy Islington on Saturday. October 16. Dress as your favourite ABBA member and get ready for sing-alongs, hula-hooping and classic ABBA clips across the screen.

Tickets start at £7 with table packages starting from £100.

Find out more at www.fatsoma.com/e/otxzavad/club-de-fromage-mamma-mia-it-s-abba-night