Swan Lake opens at Sadler's Wells on 28 October and Angel Central runs a free trick or treat on the 31st. 40 Islington events to 15 November, with prices.

Birmingham Royal Ballet brings Swan Lake to Sadler’s Wells from Wednesday 28 October, in half term, and Halloween falls on the Saturday after: Angel Central runs a free trick or treat from 4pm to 6pm on 31 October, and our Islington Halloween page has the rest. Bonfire Night follows. Islington has no display of its own, so the nearest free one is at Coram’s Fields on Thursday 5 November.

Updated 4 October: three finished events dropped; Angel Central’s trick or treat, Union Chapel’s Halloween comedy night and London City Ballet at Sadler’s Wells added; the Almeida’s theatre tours are now sold out.

Below are 40 listings from today to Sunday 15 November. Every one was read on the organiser’s own page when it was added and re-checked on 4 October 2026, and links back to it. Prices are the organiser’s published ones. Where an organiser prints no price, we say so instead of guessing. For places that are open whatever the month, see our guide to things to do in Islington.

This week

Sunday 4 to Sunday 11 October.

  • Holy Fool, on now to Saturday 10 October, evenings 7.30pm, Thursday and Saturday matinees 3pm. Park200 at Park Theatre, Clifton Terrace, N4 3JP. £25 to £57.50. A drama about Shostakovich composing under Stalin, 2 hours 20 minutes with an interval, age guidance 12 and over. (Park Theatre)
  • Pip and Posy Live on Stage, on now to Sunday 22 November. Little Angel Theatre, 14 Dagmar Passage, N1 2DN. £16 adults, £14 children, or £8.50 for everyone at the 4.45pm Wednesday shows and £10 at the 4.45pm Friday shows. A 45-minute puppet show for ages 2 to 5 from the Axel Scheffler books. All three shows on Sunday 4 October are sold out, and so are the 10.30am shows on 9, 10 and 11 October. The relaxed performance is on Sunday 1 November at 3.30pm. (Little Angel Theatre)
  • The Pied Piper: A Rat’s Tale, on now to Saturday 7 November. Little Angel Studios, Sebbon Street, N1 2EH. £16 adults, £14 children, or £8.50 for everyone at 4.45pm on Thursdays and £10 at 5.15pm on Fridays. The Pied Piper story told by the rat, with puppets and original music, 50 minutes, for ages 5 and over. Saturday shows are at 11am, 2pm and 4pm. The relaxed performance is on Sunday 11 October at 4pm and the BSL interpreted one on Saturday 24 October at 2pm. (Little Angel Theatre)
  • The Gang of Three, on now to Saturday 10 October, most evenings 7pm. King’s Head Theatre, 116 Upper Street, N1 1QP. Robert Khan and Tom Salinsky’s political drama returns for ten days, 90 minutes, age guidance 8 and over. Evenings are at 7pm, or 6pm on Saturdays and Sunday 4 October, with matinees at 2.30pm on 4 and 10 October and 3pm on Wednesday 7 October. On 4 October the evening shows on 6, 8 and 9 October were sold out, 7 October was down to final tickets and the rest were selling fast. It prints no ticket price on the show page. (King’s Head Theatre)
  • Bach, the Universe and Everything: Astronomical Instruments, today, Sunday 4 October, 11.30am, doors 11am. Hall One, Kings Place, 90 York Way, N1 9AG. £22, plus a booking fee. The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment pairs a Bach cantata with a talk on astronomical instruments of the 17th and 18th centuries. (Kings Place)
  • Animals! A Beastly History of Human Behaviour, on now to Monday 25 January 2027. Islington Museum, 245 St John Street, EC1V 4NB. Free. The museum’s exhibition on Islington’s wild, working and pet animals in the 19th century. Open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 10am to 1pm and 2pm to 5pm. (Islington Council)

  • Wanda and Marion Wulz: Avant-garde Photography in 20th-Century Italy, on now to Sunday 20 December. Estorick Collection, 39a Canonbury Square, N1 2AN. £9.50 adults, £7.50 concessions, free for under 18s. The autumn exhibition on two sisters who changed Italian photography. Open Wednesday to Saturday 11am to 6pm and Sunday 12pm to 5pm, closed Monday and Tuesday. (Estorick Collection)

  • The Hound of the Baskervilles, Tuesday 6 to Saturday 10 October, 9pm. King’s Head Theatre, 116 Upper Street, N1 1QP. Steven Canny and John Nicholson’s comedy version of the Sherlock Holmes story, 90 minutes, in the late slot with unallocated seating. Shows are at 9pm from Tuesday to Friday, with a 2pm matinee on Friday 9 October and an 8pm start on Saturday 10 October. No ticket price is printed on the show page. (King’s Head Theatre)

  • Acosta Danza: Cuban Baroque, Wednesday 7 to Saturday 10 October. Sadler’s Wells Theatre, Rosebery Avenue, EC1R 4TN. From £15, plus a £4 transaction fee. A double bill curated by Carlos Acosta, 1 hour 20 minutes with one interval. (Sadler’s Wells)
  • Union Chapel guided tour, Wednesday 7 October, 12pm to 1pm, doors 11.45am. Union Chapel, 19b Compton Terrace, N1 2UN. A one-hour tour of the chapel, with ticket money going to its upkeep. The price is shown at booking, not on the event page. (Union Chapel)
  • Out of Hours Tour: the Estorick Collection, Wednesday 7 October, 6.30pm, doors 6pm. Estorick Collection, 39a Canonbury Square, N1 2AN. Free, but advance booking is required. An after-hours guided tour of the permanent collection and the Wulz exhibition, part of Art History Festival 2026. The café stays open until 6.30pm. (Estorick Collection)
  • What’s In Store: Crafts Council Collections Store tour, Wednesday 7 October. Crafts Council Gallery, 44a Pentonville Road, N1 9BY. Free, with a ticket reserved in advance. A 50-minute tour of the collections store led by the collection team, with objects to handle. The council’s listing gives the time as 6pm to 7pm; the Crafts Council’s own page gives the date only, so check your booking confirmation. (Crafts Council)
  • LSO Free Friday Lunchtime Concert, Friday 9 October, 12.30pm to about 1.15pm. LSO St Luke’s, 161 Old Street, EC1V 9NG. Free, no ticket, first come first seated. A short concert with LSO principal flute Gareth Davies, for anyone over five. Doors open at 11.30am and there is no indoor waiting area before then. (London Symphony Orchestra)

Next week

Monday 12 to Sunday 18 October.

  • The Hoosiers, Tuesday 13 October, 7pm. Islington Assembly Hall. £36.46 including the booking fee. Full-band tour for the new album Compassion. Ages 16 and over. (Islington Assembly Hall)
  • Ballet Black at 25: Double Bill, Wednesday 14 to Saturday 17 October. Sadler’s Wells Theatre, Rosebery Avenue, EC1R 4TN. From £15, plus a £4 transaction fee. Cassa Pancho’s company marks its 25th year with a double bill that includes Ingoma, 1 hour 30 minutes with one interval. (Sadler’s Wells)
  • Mini Marvels: Early Years Sensory Play, Wednesday 14 October, 10am to 11am. Estorick Collection, 39a Canonbury Square, N1 2AN. Children go free with a paying adult, and booking is required. A sensory play space in the galleries for under fives, with a quieter relaxed area. (Estorick Collection)
  • Double Bill: tell me straight and aggy, Thursday 15 October to Saturday 14 November, most evenings 7pm. King’s Head Theatre, 116 Upper Street, N1 1QP. Two plays by Paul Bradshaw in one evening, each 65 minutes with a 20-minute interval between them. Age rating 16 and over. No ticket price is printed on the show page. (King’s Head Theatre)
  • The Pianist, Thursday 15 October to Saturday 28 November, evenings 7.30pm, Thursday and Saturday matinees 3pm. Park200 at Park Theatre, Clifton Terrace, N4 3JP. £22.50 to £55. Wladyslaw Szpilman’s memoir staged with actor-musicians and his own music, 130 minutes with an interval. The audio described performance is on Friday 6 November. (Park Theatre)
  • Almeida Theatre tour, Saturday 17 October, 11am. Almeida Theatre, Almeida Street, N1 1TA. £10, or £8 concessions. About an hour backstage, through wardrobe and the technical areas, with the building’s history from lecture room to music hall. On 4 October the Almeida marked this tour and the next one, on Saturday 21 November, as sold out. (Almeida Theatre)
  • Aurora Orchestra: Meet the Instruments, Saturday 17 October, 11am and 1.30pm. Hall One, Kings Place, 90 York Way, N1 9AG. £15 to £20. A family concert for children aged 3 to 7. Both performances had tickets when we checked. (Kings Place)
  • Green Libraries Week craft sessions, Saturday 17 to Wednesday 28 October. Ten Islington libraries. Recycled-craft sessions for children, starting at Central Library, 2 Fieldway Crescent, N5 1PF, on Saturday 17 October, 2.30pm to 4pm. Archway follows on Wednesday 21 October and Cat and Mouse on Thursday 22 October, both 3pm. Lewis Carroll, Mildmay, South and West libraries run theirs on Saturday 24 October. North, N4 and Finsbury libraries follow on 27 and 28 October. The council lists no charge. (Islington Council)

Later in October

Half term for Islington’s council schools is Monday 26 to Friday 30 October, and our October half term page has the free places to go that week.

  • Ocean Film Festival World Tour, Tuesday 20 to Friday 23 October, doors 6.30pm, start 7.30pm. Union Chapel, 19b Compton Terrace, N1 2UN. Four nights of the touring ocean film festival, with a 10.30pm curfew. Doors open at 6pm for anyone who has booked an early dinner in the chapel’s café. Prices are on the booking page. (Union Chapel)
  • London City Ballet: Firebird, a double bill, Thursday 22 to Saturday 24 October, evenings 7.30pm, Saturday matinee 2.30pm. Sadler’s Wells Theatre, Rosebery Avenue, EC1R 4TN. From £15, plus a £4 transaction fee. John Neumeier’s Ghost Light, danced with guest artist Alina Cojocaru, and Glen Tetley’s Firebird, both UK premieres, 2 hours with one interval. There is a post-show talk on Friday 23 October. (Sadler’s Wells)
  • Family Art Day: Discover, Play and Share, Sunday 25 October, 10am to 12pm. Estorick Collection, 39a Canonbury Square, N1 2AN. An out-of-hours gallery session for families with children of all ages, built around the Wulz exhibition, with a quieter relaxed space. Book through the museum’s ticket page, which carries the price. (Estorick Collection)
  • Free half-term Bikeability cycling courses, Monday 26 to Thursday 29 October. Highbury Fields, N5, and Tollington Park, N4. Free, booked in advance. Council cycle training for ages 5 and over, from learning to ride to a first road course for ages 9 and over. Tollington Park runs on the Monday and Tuesday only. (Islington Council)
  • Spooky Halloween Fun family day, Tuesday 27 October, boat trips from 10.30am to 3.30pm. London Canal Museum, 12-13 New Wharf Road, N1 9RT. £10.50 adults, £5.50 children under 16. Monster crafts, a spooky trail and a boat trip to St Pancras Lock with ghost stories. Boats leave at 10.30am, 11.15am, 12pm, 1.15pm, 2pm, 2.45pm and 3.30pm. The museum’s page also carries a heading for 28 October, but its dates list gives the 27th alone, so check before booking the Wednesday. (London Canal Museum)
  • In conversation with Mel Pennant, Tuesday 27 October, 6.30pm to 7.30pm. West Library, 107 Bridgeman Road, N1 1BD. The author of A Murder for Miss Hortense talks about the follow-up novel, as part of the council’s Black History Month programme. The council lists no charge. (Islington Council)
  • Go Africa Open Book at the Library, Wednesday 28 October, 11am to 7pm. Islington Central Library, 2 Fieldway Crescent, N5 1PF. A day of authors, African and Caribbean stories and conversation, run by Go Africa with Islington Libraries for Black History Month. (Islington Council)
  • Birmingham Royal Ballet: Swan Lake, Wednesday 28 to Saturday 31 October. Sadler’s Wells Theatre, Rosebery Avenue, EC1R 4TN. From £15, plus a £4 transaction fee. Peter Wright and Galina Samsova’s production with the Royal Ballet Sinfonia playing live, 2 hours 45 minutes. The Saturday matinee is at 2pm. (Sadler’s Wells)
  • Halloween tunnel boat trips, Thursday 29 to Saturday 31 October, 11am, 12pm, 2pm and 3pm. London Canal Museum, 12-13 New Wharf Road, N1 9RT. £17.50 adults, £15.50 concessions, £11.25 children. Ghost stories in the Islington Tunnel, about 50 minutes. The 3pm Scream Tea trip runs about 80 minutes with a cream tea and costs £26.75, £24.50 and £19.50. (London Canal Museum)
  • Drag Tales, Saturday 31 October, 2pm. Morris Space at Park Theatre, Clifton Terrace, N4 3JP. £12.50 adults, £7.50 children, babes in arms free. An hour of stories, songs and puppets with drag queen Tania, for children under 10. (Park Theatre)

  • Family Workshop: Halloween, Saturday 31 October, 10.30am and 12.15pm. Little Angel Studios, Sebbon Street, N1 2EH. £10 for each adult and each child. An hour making light-up ghost and pumpkin lantern puppets from recycled materials, for ages 5 to 9 with an adult. (Little Angel Theatre)

  • Halloween trick or treat at Angel Central, Saturday 31 October, 4pm to 6pm. Angel Central, 21 Parkfield Street, N1 0PS. Free. A centre-wide trick or treat: children dress up and collect treats from the shops taking part. The centre says the list of shops is still to come. (Angel Central)

  • Ghost House with Fern Brady and Tom Rosenthal, Saturday 31 October, doors 6.30pm, show 7.45pm, curfew 10.30pm. Union Chapel, 19b Compton Terrace, N1 2UN. Halloween night stand-up headlined by Fern Brady, with Tom Rosenthal, Kiran Saggu and Horatio Gould, hosted by John Tothill. Ages 16 and over; under-18s must come with an adult. Prices are on the booking page. (Union Chapel)

November

  • Coram’s Fields Fireworks Night, Thursday 5 November, gates 3.30pm, fireworks 6pm, closes 7pm. Coram’s Fields, 93 Guilford Street, WC1N 1DN. Free, no ticket, first come first served. The nearest display to Islington, which has none of its own. Adults are only admitted with a child. Paid fast-track tickets and free tickets for the accessible viewing area are due in the first week of October; no booking link was live on 4 October. (Coram’s Fields)
  • Alexandra Palace Fireworks and Drone Festival, Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 November, gates 4pm. Alexandra Palace Park, N22 7AY. From £11.50. Saturday is the party night, display 8pm, with a DJ set from Eats Everything and a German beer festival with a Queen tribute band. Sunday is the family day, display 6pm, with a jungle kids’ rave and karaoke with Shaun Williamson. (Alexandra Palace)
  • The Power of Place: how where you live shapes your health, Monday 9 November, 2pm to 5pm, venue open from 12pm. Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration, 1 Myddelton Passage, EC1R 1AG. Free, with a place booked in advance. Workshops and exhibits on home, neighbourhood and borough from the council’s research team, part of Being Human Festival. It includes free entry to the centre’s exhibitions beforehand. (Islington Council)

Our Islington fireworks page explains why the borough has no display and what the law says about letting off your own. The council’s newsroom had published no Remembrance Sunday programme and no Christmas lights dates when we checked on 4 October; our Remembrance Sunday page has the pattern of the last two years. Theatre is ahead of it: the pantomime and Christmas shows page has the runs that are already on sale.

Regular events

  • Highbury Fields parkrun, every Saturday, 9am. Highbury Fields, starting on the lower field near Highbury Place, N5 1QP. Free, but register once before your first run. A timed 5k to walk, jog or run. (parkrun)
  • Archway Market, every Saturday, 10am to 5pm. Navigator Square, N19 3TD. More than 20 independent stalls, from organic bread and vegetables to crafts, vintage clothes and second-hand books. (Islington Council)
  • Islington Farmers’ Market, every Sunday, 10am to 2pm. Chapel Market, between Penton Street and Baron Street, N1 9PZ. Open every week, rain or shine. It is the oldest of London Farmers’ Markets’ sites. Parking on the surrounding streets is free on Sundays. (London Farmers’ Markets)

Two more run weekly without a dated listing. Junior parkrun, a free 2k for ages 4 to 14, is at Highbury Fields and Caledonian Park every Sunday at 9am (Islington Council). Park Theatre’s Together in Time is a free weekly singing group for people living with dementia and their carers (Park Theatre).

Getting there

Sadler’s Wells, the King’s Head and Little Angel are all a short walk from Angel station, and Park Theatre is next to Finsbury Park station. Angel has no Night Tube, so check the tube and train times page before a late show. Drivers should read parking in Islington first, because street parking is priced on emissions.

What we could not list

Arsenal’s fixture list would not load for us from the club’s own site, so home games at the Emirates are not here. Match days fill Finsbury Park and Holloway Road stations, so check the club’s fixtures before travelling to Park Theatre or Highbury. Two dates in the council’s Black History Month list carry a weekday that does not match the 2026 calendar, so we have left them out.

Send us your event

Running something in Islington, Highbury, Holloway, Archway, Finsbury Park or Clerkenwell? Email hello@islingtontoday.co.uk with the date, time, venue, price and a photo. Listings are free of charge, always. Your event goes on this page and in the diary on our What’s On hub.

Sources