For this final weekend of September, there are still plenty of things to get up to in Hackney and Islington. Here are five of the best.
Food
Feeling infatuated with healthy cuisine and looking for a platter of tasty, organic nosh? The Cozy Andu Cafe is the first vegan restaurant in the UK to serve Ethiopian Vegan food and it's on your doorstep. A plate of zesty lentils, warmed with aromatic spices and injera bread is what you can expect from this homely, African kitchen. You can't beat their decent portions and 100 per cent Vegan takeaway box for £5.
Andu Cafe, 528 Kingsland Rd, London E8 4AH
Art & Culture
Start your relaxing Saturday day with a buoyant stroke of colour by visiting a solo female debut exhibition. Boarding on the absurd with prints of animated speech bubbles and vigorous landscapes, the momentum will tickle your funny bone.
Jane Dinmore's Recent solo exhibition is showing at Jealous East Studio in Shoreditch and is running from Sept 20 – Oct 3
Shopping
On the back of London Fashion Week, revive your inner hippy fashionista with some retail therapy. Beyond Retro, in Dalston is Hackney's flagship Vintage thrift store, shirts for under £10. Bag yourself a trendy bargain and wash it down with a cup of English tea from their Art deco café in store.
Beyond Retro, 92-100 Stoke Newington Rd, London N16 7XB
Saturday: 11am–7pm, Sunday: 11.30am–6pm
Theatre
Awaken your soul with some hit tunes from the Hackney Empire Community gospel choir. This extraordinary choir were originally the freed slaves who built the first black University in the Southern States. These singers will have you singing it proud and singing it clear! Their accolades stretch to serenading Queen Victoria.
Freedom Song – When Gospel Came to the Empire by composer Harvey Brough is WOKE and takes you on a journey through racial abuse and physical hardship to a world of plantation spirituals and ‘songs of sorrow’ never before heard in public.
The Show is on Sept 25, tickets start at £ 10 (Under 16s must be accompanied by an adult)
Hike in nature in the heart of the City
This week is The Great Big Green Week. So with the revolution of the planet in sight, head for green spaces. A long walk in Islington's idyllic Parkland Walks will bring you peace of mind for the week ahead. Islington's 4.5 miles of Parkland Walk Nature Reserve supplied London with fresh vegetables and water in the 18th Century.
Parkland Walk Nature Reserve - Kenwood Loop from Caledonian Road Parkland Walk is a green oasis in the heart of the city. (3 hrs, 48 mins, 8.90 miles)
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here