It’s Halloween so there are plenty of fancy dressing opps this week as well as chances to scare yourself witless. Ahem.
Pub Frights
Time to crack out the devil’s horns. The Princess of Wales is getting in on the scares this year, hosting a Halloween-themed bash this Friday (26th). Swing by for spicy bat wings, pickled toad legs and fiery popcorn, along with creepy games and rewards for those of you that dare dress up. From 6pm onwards, with free entry all night, go along a for a bit of a mash.
Meanwhile on Saturday, the zombies will be drawn inexorably towards Tapping The Admiral, where a pumpkin carving competition to an early 50s soundtrack sets the tone. There’s also the promise of free shots for everyone in fancy dress, but pesky under 18s trick or treaters need not apply. Mwaah-ha-ha….
Club Frights
On Friday, KOKO are hosting their big Halloween Ball, which proffers free entry to anyone in full Halloween costume if you can shuffle along before 11.30pm. It’s hosted by the Fridge Magnets, branded by NME as “Scotland’s buzziest/drunkest band” so expect a monster of a party….
Proud Camden also assure that fancy dress is your passport to a bargain night out with free entry all week for ghouls, witches and all other forms of horrorshow clobber. Their Zombie Factory staggers to life on Nov 1st for 3 days of mass zombification where 500 undead makeovers will be dished out. There will be some music too.
Other Spooky Delights There are pumpkin-carving antics and other scary recreational activities underway at Camden Lock Market all the way through to Wednesday. Look out for dead rockstar buskers playing nearby and the main highlight on Saturday, the return of the Live Unplugged Vocal Camden sessions with a spooky special…
Not particularly frightening, but in keeping with the seasonal fancy dress explosion, Barfly in Chalk Farm has had yet another external facelift, this time to promote the start of charity ‘tache growing bonanza Movember.
There’s a special Mo cocktail on offer, discounts to anyone embarking on the month ahead and even a barber ready to shape the sprouting face furniture. A veritable moustache merchant, no less, so do the right thing and support. Even better if in a token zombie costume, we think.
Or instead… some art and song 
Meet artists Jairo Zaldua and Nicola Green plus dancer Katsura Isobe at the last evening of their exhibition at the Free Space Gallery on Bartholomew road tonight. The installation ‘explores individual and collective mental health through a series of tasks set by the artists combined with an interactive performance with the dancer.’ Head down from 6-9 later to have a peek.
NW5-based artist Hannah Yason has been in touch and encouraged us to visit stand K14 at this weekend’s Yoga Show at Olympia, where her asana-inspired work is on display. Om.
And on Saturday at Crossroads Women’s Centre in Wolsey Mews there’s a fundraising evening for the centre and Black History Month with a double bill of stories, songs and comedy from baritone Tayo Aluko and comedienne Naomi Paul. They say ‘from Carnegie Hall and the Edinburgh Fringe to Crossroads!’ for which you can give £10, or more if you like.
Words: Tom Kihl & Conor Fisk
Community Pinboard comes in association with one of the brightest little coffee shops in the area.Find Houspresso’s teeny-tiny outlet opposite Gospel Oak station on Mansfield Road.
