PASSES FROM £10
EAST FINCHLEY FESTIVAL / 2024
Fifty years in the making!
Can you believe it? Not only is the festival 50 (see p 22 for a brief history), it is now carbon neutral, plastic free and powered with clean fuel.
What have we got in store for you this year?
• Anniversary parade. Starting outside Martin School at 11:30 and finishing in front of the main stage for the 12:00 festival opening ceremony. 70s fancy dress optional. Just turn up and join in.
• Twenty-four acts across two stages showcasing the best East Finchley has to offer.
• A veritable united nations of hot and cold cuisines with lots of vegetarian, vegan and gluten free options.
• In the bar: Festival ale and other locally brewed beers from Muswell Hillbilly Brewers, along with wine, gins and cocktails. Cherry Tree Café will be providing coffee, juices, Pimms and Aperol spritz and their usual bonhomie
• Laser tag in the woods. Recommended age 7+.
• Storytelling Tent: Stories and shows for our youngest festival-goers. See p11.
• Children’s activities: Treasure hunt, face painting, lego tent and eco arts.
• North London’s largest Makers’ Market, along with stalls representing local businesses and community organisations.
• Raffle draw at 17:00 on the main stage. See eastfinchleyfestival.org/raffle for prize list.
Who, how and what of the festival?
The festival is organised by East Finchley Festival CIC, a non-profit social enterprise. The entire event is run by volunteers and relies heavily on support and sponsorship from local businesses and the wider community. Without this collective generosity, the festival would not happen.
If you would like to be involved with the festival, we would love to hear from you. Please email: volunteers@eastfinchleyfestival.org or visit eastfinchleyfestival.org/volunteer
Lost
As always, East Finchley Festival takes safety very seriously. If you have lost a child or need help in any way, please contact one of our stewards who will help you as best they can or visit us at the info tent.
Social media
Stay up-to-date with festival social media: @EastFinchleyFestival
@EastFinchleyFestival
@EastFinchFest
Thank you
We would like to thank sponsors: Pentland Brands, Martyn Gerrard, Sharesy, The Learning Experience & Dirt House. Also, special thanks to everyone who donated prizes to the raffle, and all our volunteers, both on the day and throughout the year. Shout out to The Archer Newspaper for their support and coverage. Big nod of gratitude to Highgate Primary School and 224 North London Air Scouts for their support. Big hugs to our local councillors for their unwavering support and distirbution assistance. Cheers to everyone who let us use their front walls and fences to advertise. And finally thank you, the good folk of N2. we couldn’t do it without you! Support the festival all year round by buying festival merchandise at iloven2.co.uk
SUNDAY 23RD JUNE / 12PM - 6PM / CHERRY TREE WOOD
Book a Showaround
Monkey Puzzle East Finchley and our sister nursery Monkey Puzzle
Muswell Hill o er high quality childcare for children aged 3 months to 5 years old.
• Open 8am - 6.30pm
• Open Mon-Fri, 51 weeks a year
• Nutritious, healthy meals all prepared freshly on site
• Amazing outside play areas
Register your interest Register your interest
Monkey Puzzle Day Nursery
Muswell Hill
41 Colney Hatch Lane
Muswell Hill N10 1LJ
Monkey Puzzle Day Nursery
East Finchley
Ground Floor, Park House, 16 High Road, East Finchley N2 9PJ
manager@monkeypuzzlemuswellhill.co.uk
07938 411 071
monkeypuzzlemuswellhill.co.uk
admin@monkeypuzzleeastfinchley.co.uk
07938 411 071 monkeypuzzleeastfinchley.co.uk
Enquire
224 North London Air Scouts, based at Sheldon Avenue N6, are on the lookout for fresh faces, whether you're young, old, or somewhere in between!
224 North London Air Scouts are a very active group providing fun and adventure. They currently have Beavers (Saturday 10am), Cubs (Tuesday 6:45pm) and Scouts (Wednesday 7pm). They have vacancies for both young people and, more importantly, volunteer team members to make the fun happen. If this sounds like something you may be interested in, then please get in touch.
Explore further by checking out 224NorthLondonScouts.org.uk or firing off an email to gsl@224northlondonscouts.org.uk
Sunday 2 June
• 8.5 mile walk East Finchley to Westminster
• London’s most beautiful parks and iconic views
• Free lunch, refreshments and a goody bag
EAST FINCHLEY FESTIVAL / 2024 WHAT’S ON:
Main Stage
Hosts: Kate Galston & PAt “have mercy” Leacock
12:00 - Justin Carnival
12:10 - Festival opening with Michelle Collins
12:15 - The Mighty Heartaches
12:40 - Luke Carey
13:05 - Simi’s Band
13:35 - Natsuma
14:00 - Wesley D
14:20 - Special Guest
14:40 - Mantis Defeats Jaguar
15:10 - Pat “Have Mercy’s” Funk, Soul and Pop Summer Sounds
15:40 - Nifty Fifty “50-50” Quiz with Kate Galston
15:55 - Maisy Fox
16:05 - Mash-up Quiz
16:20 - Jem
16:45 - Pat “Have Mercys”’s Reggae Summer Sounds
17:00 - Raffle with Harriet Thorpe
17:30 - Neon Lights
18:00 - Festival close
Storytelling Tent
12:30 - Debutots - Interactive, multi-sensory stories and songs, with a parachute and bubbles, for under 7’s
13:25 - Story telling, stone painting and arts and craft with Pink Patsy
14:05 - Ilana Banana - Sing along session for under 5s with shakers, rainbows, parachute and bubbles
15:00 - Story time with local author Sonia Beldom reading from her Granny Franny stories
15:40 - Story time with local children’s author Jason Korsner
16:20 - Spinning Top activities featuring interactive story telling with Bailey the Bear
17:00 - The Magic Wagon puppet show - quirky original stories featuring puppets
Community stage
Host: Nick Allan
12:05 - Archer Academy Jazz Band
12:30 - Highgate Primary School Choir
12:55 - Fortitude Dance Company
13:25 - Martin Primary School Choir
13:50 - Madhuriya School of Classical Indian Dance
14:15 - East Finchley’s Got Talent Contestants:
• Reuben Freeman (drums)
• Eila Zecevic (acoustic guitar & vocals)
14:40 - Fixation Academy of Performing Arts
15:10 - Patrick’s Jazz Class
15:40 - Brookland School Choir
16:05 - Ned Ashcroft (songs and acoustic guitar)
16:30 - Christ’s College Finchley (music & dance)
16:55 - Sing Mama Sing
17:20 - Counterpoint Dance (55+ dance group)
17:40 - R Voices (choir)
18:00 - Festival close
See p14 to see what else is on at the festival.
If you would like to make a donation to help keep our festival FREE, please use the QR code below.
SUNDAY 23RD JUNE / 12PM - 6PM / CHERRY TREE WOOD
EAST FINCHLEY FESTIVAL / 2024 WHAT’S ON:
Makers’ Market
Over 100 local crafters and artisan makers’ stalls, making East Finchley Festival one of north London’s biggest makers’ markets.
Food Vendors
V= Vegetarian. VE = Vegan . GF = Gluten Free. Broadway Hog Roast (Hog Roast Sandwiches), Deli House (Filled Sandwiches/ Bagels - V, GF) , Fusion Flavours by Tee (Caribbean)
Italian Roast (German Bratwursts - GF)
La Tortilla (Spanish Tortillas- V, GF)
Majjos (Indian - V,VE)
Newdlez & Co (Pad Thai - V, VE, GF)
Ozzi’s Burrito Shack (Mexican Burritos - V)
Pasta e Basta (Fresh Pasta - V, VE)
Sourdough Daali (Woodfired Pizzas - V)
The Crepe Stop (Fresh Crepes - V, GF)
The Greek Experience (Greek Souvlaki wraps - V, GF)
The Little Viet Kitchen (Vietnamese Street Food - V)
Zest Kitchen (Vegan Street Food - V, VE)
Plus doughnuts, ice cream, cakes, macarons, Portuguese tarts, baklava, fudge, sweets, local honey and more.
Laser Tag
Laser Tag games run every half hour between 12:30 – 17:30 in the woods. There are 20 places (two teams of 10) per session. Please book your tickets at: eastfinchleyfestival.org/laser-tag
Recommended age 7+
Location: , near the woods
Children’s Activities
Arts and crafts and games including: Lego tent, soft play, train tracks, story telling tent, plus much, much more.
Location: Near festival info and first aid.
See map, p12-13
Eco-arts and crafts, dress-up photo booth, provided by East Finchley Open Artists
Location: Near community stage, see map, p12-13
Sports
Tennis: FG Tennis London will be providing junior coaching at 13:00. Adult coaching at 14:00. Free play 15:00. Go to eastfinchleyfestival.org/activities for info on how to book your free session.
Location: Tennis courts
Pickleball: For adults, and children. Pickleball is a fun, new, social sport and Finchley’s very own Lemon Pickleball will be running free all day on the basketball court, so you can just turn up and play. Qualified coaches will be on hand to get you up to speed in no time, so come and join us!
Location: Basketball court
Rugby & Football: Finchley Rugby Club and East Finchley Girls’ Football Club will be running games and demonstrations throughout the afternoon.
Location: Near basketball court
Raffle
Raffle prizes from: A&B, Bufi, Cherry Tree Cafe, Debutots, Five Bells, Jenni Mann, Kokos, Muswell Hill Club, Phoenix Cinema, Windsor Castle. Buy your raffle tickets at the park entrances. For a full list of prizes and winners on the day go to eastfinchleyfestival.org/raffle
East Finchley is a great community to be part of and to serve, and as your local Labour councillors we’re delighted to be supporting the East Finchley Festival once again this year. We’ll all be there on 23rd June as volunteers helping to make sure everyone has a fantastic day.
But we’re also here year-round. Face-to-face councillor’s advice surgeries are held from 10.30 - 11.30am every Saturday at East Finchley Library and you can also continue to contact us by email or phone, catch up with us on social media or when we are out and about across the ward.
Your East Finchley Labour councillors, Claire Farrier
Arjun Mittra
Alison Moore
cllr.c.farrier@barnet.gov.uk
020 3726 2470
cllr.a.mittra@barnet.gov.uk 07867 902 400
cllr.a.moore@barnet.gov.uk 07833 441 713
020 8346 9464
info@thefinchleycharities.org
www.thefinchleycharities.org
A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE FESTIVAL
Manyhistory articles, including those on Barnet Council’s website, state that the first East Finchley Festival took place in June 1974. However, in researching the festival’s history, Roger Chapman, Chair of Friends of Cherry Tree Wood, discovered that the first festival in fact took place in 1972! Nevertheless, we like a celebration, so rather than wait until the festival’s 60th anniversary, we decided to go ahead and celebrate the festival’s 50th anyway, albeit slightly belatedly.
The following is an edited extract by Roger Chapman from his History of the Festival:
The first recorded East Finchley Community Festival took place in Cherry Tree Wood on 17th June 1972. In the early 1970s a motivated group of local residents joined forces to form the East Finchley Neighbourhood Association (EFNA) and out of this body came the initial idea to start a festival. The first festival started with a parade along the High Road led by Casimir’s Paragon Brass band. An estimated crowd of 1500 enjoyed contemporary dance, puppet theatre,
steam organ and a comic strong man in Cherry Tree Wood. In the evening there was gentle music in the woods and a rhythm and blues concert at the Herbert Wilmot Centre. EFNA said that they were already thinking of making the festival an annual event - and so they did!
The Festival has gone from strength to strength, however it has suffered a few interruptions, including a political row, which resulted in the festival being banned and only restored following High Court action, and flooding in 2012 which led to cancellation. Times may have changed but the spirit of the original festival is still alive. The festival is always held on the weekend closest to the summer Solstice and the key elements have always been free entry, music, stalls, a beer tent and fun for all. It is testament to our community spirit that the festival has endured so long, and will continue well into the future.
Roger Chapman’s History of the Festival is available from the Friends of Cherry Tree Wood stall at this year’s festival.
See eastfinchleyfestival.org/history for more memories and photos.
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