FT Globetrotter’s guide to the FTWeekend Festival

This article is part of FT Globetrotter’s guide to London

Every year, on the first Saturday in September, a steady stream of several thousand well-dressed people make their way through the gates of Kenwood House gardens in north London, sparking intrigue among the park’s joggers and dog-walkers. Navigating their way around the grand 18th-century facade of the house itself, they head in the direction of the billowing flags and large white tents that have popped up in the sweeping grounds over the previous week. Excitement and anticipation are in the air.

This spectacle can only mean one thing: the annual arrival of the FTWeekend Festival, a fixture in the calendar for FT readers not only from London, but from across the globe too. Now in its ninth London edition, the festival has expanded to 10 stages, each representing a different section of the weekend paper, welcoming 171 speakers across 73 sessions. The day runs from 10am until 7pm, and for the uninitiated, the line-up of unmissable talks, tastings and debates can seem a little overwhelming — an embarrassment of riches that requires precision and planning to navigate.

This year we are introducing a whole new stage, FT Future, with a host of exciting debates on the future of technology, politics, culture and more. Sessions will address some of the big questions of the day: where are the young in politics?; and are young men and women are drifting apart? The stage will end with a pub quiz from the FT News Briefing team.

For those wanting to try their hand at something new, or indeed familiar, join a guided still-life lesson on the HTSI stage at midday, or a guided meditation at 6pm — an ideal way to wind down after a stimulating day.

At 9.30am on the day, FT columnist Enuma Okoro will be taking those who secured just a handful of places to Kenwood House for a private talk on Van Dyck and Black Figuration: A Consideration and Response. Later in the day, you can join Enuma at the Arts stage for a discussion on Portrait of a Black Woman: A Shifting Gaze across Centuries

Whether you are an habitué or a festival first-timer, FT Globetrotter is here to help you plan and make the most of your day — as well as how to explore the stunning environs and the various eateries and hostelries around the vast expanse of Hampstead Heath.

Before you go

There will be a moment when you will want to lounge on a deck chair outside the Big Ideas stage in bright sunshine, watching a swingeing debate on the big screen. While many festival-goers like to fashion a copy of FTWeekend or a festival tote bag into protective headwear, I advise bringing a hat. If not, head to the Fearlessly Pink Pavilion, where you can purchase a limited-edition FT baseball cap, or — heaven forbid it should rain — a golf umbrella.

This year, the Pavilion has an extended range of excellent FT merch, including FT x Martha Freud scented candles and FT x WNU shirts. If you forget your own, you can also purchase a refillable FT water bottle — there are water fountains dotted around the site.

To save time frantically reading and getting your head around the printed programme issued on entrance to the festival, check it out here online beforehand and work out a plan of attack. Many festival-goers coming as a couple or a group divide and conquer — one person’s guide to English country style is another’s debate on how to Labour-proof your finances. For your companion guide on the day, including an interactive programme with map and lots of exclusive festival content, head to FT Edit.

If you are staying local, you might want to book your dinner reservation now at one of FT Globetrotter’s recommended haunts listed below.

Furry friends

Well-behaved dogs are more than welcome at the festival. The most winning hound of the day will be celebrated on our social media platforms.

How to get there

The festival gates open at 9.30am. For those coming by Tube, there is a festival minibus transfer operating from outside Golders Green station on North End Road. Follow the linen suits! The festival is a five-minute ride away. More info here.

For those coming by car, there is some free parking on Hampstead Lane — but the aforementioned dog-walkers and joggers pounce on the spots early on, so it is worth pitching up an hour or so before the festival begins to claim your space and stretch your legs.

Early birds can head to Kenwood House’s Brew House café, which opens at 9am.

There is more info here on bus routes, taxis and parking.

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Once through the festival gates . . . 

After you have shown your pass and collected your festival goody bag and programme, get yourself a coffee from one of the excellent vendors dotted around the site, including Jenki, Mr Sicilian Street Coffee and Stable and Ground. You will also notice that other festival-goers have sat down to circle their programmes. But you won’t need to waste time doing that as you will already have a sense of where you want to head to first.

The day kicks off with a 10.15am brain sharpener with the one and only Tim Harford on The Unintended Consequences of AI on the Big Ideas stage.

Hogging versus grazing

At 11am, sessions kick off across all 10 stages. Festival-goers will be seen determinedly striding across the grass to bag a seat in their tent of choice. Those entirely committed to the session will sit up front, while others who prefer to graze on various sessions rather than commit will slide into a seat at the back, so they can slip out to another tent later on.

FT Globetrotter has noticed some hogging of seats going on in the Big Ideas tent — unsurprisingly, perhaps, as this is the festival engine room where FT journalists and an array of starry speakers answer the questions of the day. This committed lot know who they are and almost certainly cannot be deterred from their course of action. But those of more of a grazing nature should not be discouraged — a large screen outside the main stage will stream all talks live, and there will be plenty of deckchairs to lounge on.

Tasting notes

While your companion is busy in the Big Ideas tent, you may be of a more epicurean persuasion, keen not to miss out on the various tastings throughout the day. Make sure not to miss a tour of exceptional Canadian wines with FT wine columnist Jancis Robinson, or FT drinks writer Alice Lascelles’ guide to mixing a proper Martini on the HTSI stage. Alice will also be running a non-alcoholic spirits tasting on the Food & Drink stage with comedian Marcus Brigstocke.

For anyone who misses these sessions and is hoping to raise a glass, a Louis Roederer champagne stall is at the ready. Also, this year we are delighted that local pub-restaurant The Bull & Last (see below) will be on site offering its famous sticky lamb breast rolls, crispy loaded potato rostis with Comté and bacon, and more. Order a delicious Bull & Last hamper for two here by the end of Thursday September 5 and collect on the day. (If you don’t manage to snag one in time, see our dinner recommendations below.) There will also be stalls from Bowl n Soul, Ghost Burgers, Yum Yum Thai and Pierre Marcolini, among many others.

Post-festival drinks and dinner

All good things must come to an end, and as the majestic trees of Kenwood cast long shadows across the site and the last few festival-goers wend their way towards the exit, thoughts will be inevitably drifting towards drinks and dinner. Many will return home, but for those wanting to make a night of it, FT Globetrotter has a few neighbourhood favourites to recommend.

Jin Kichi

In the other direction, nestled in Hampstead Village is Jin Kichi, a Japanese restaurant that has twice made mention in the FT — recommended by Nikkei’s Joshua Ogawa in his article on the best Japanese restaurants in London, and also by supermodel Kate Moss in her guide to her favourite restaurants worldwide.

Even before these accolades, it was nigh-on impossible to get a Saturday-night table in this treasured local eatery, so book NOW. It has recently expanded in size, though, so more people have a chance to order one of its yakitori menus (set A is my favourite), an umami explosion in the form of a platter of sizzling mini kebabs, or the killer grilled black cod marinated in white miso. 73 Heath Street, London NW3 6UG (Website; Directions)

The Holly Bush

Tucked away behind Jin Kichi is The Holly Bush, FT Globetrotter’s favourite Hampstead Village pub. This higgledy-piggledy 18th-century building is full of cosy nooks to hole up in with a pint, and is popular with walkers after a tramp across the Heath. There is also a fulsome pubby menu on offer too. 22 Holly Mount, London NW3 6SG (Website; Directions)

The Bull & Last

Frequently voted among London’s top gastropubs (particularly noted for its blowout Sunday roast), the Bull & Last, a historic Heath-side inn with rooms, is one of the finest places to dine in the area. A 20-minute twilight walk from Kenwood House gardens across Hampstead Heath or a short taxi ride away, it is the perfect welcoming spot to repair to after a stimulating day out. My staples are the generous grazing fish board and, when in season, the English pea salad with pea fritters, goat’s curd and pink fir potatoes. I always leave room for one of their superb puddings.

Book well in advance. For those who want to try the Sunday lunch, the pub also has seven beautiful rooms upstairs named after historical local figures (Mansfield is after the 1st Earl of Mansfield, proprietor of Kenwood House and protector of Hampstead Heath, while Dido is after Dido Belle, who lived with her great-uncle, the above-mentioned Lord Mansfield, in Kenwood House). 168 Highgate Road, London NW5 1QS (Website; Directions)

The Southampton Arms

This lovely local, just down towards Kentish Town from the Bull & Last, prides itself on being an Ale and Cider House serving drinks only from small, independent breweries around the UK. Its spartan yet cool website says it all: “We don’t have a phone and we don’t take bookings, reserve seats, tables, areas or any of that caper.” Swing by for a glass of something refreshing with a fun crew of regulars. 139 Highgate Road, London NW5 1LE (Website; Directions)

Ponds and beyond

This is, of course, the topic of a whole other article, but it would be remiss of me not to mention one of the biggest draws to Hampstead Heath: the three glorious swimming ponds — supervised wild-swimming sanctuaries that are the pride of this corner of north-west London.

FT Globetrotter is reluctant to send possibly tipsy FT readers for a post-festival dip, but just down the path from Kenwood House is the divine women-only Kenwood Ladies’ Pond, and a little further on the Highgate Men’s Pond. In the other direction is the Hampstead Mixed Pond. For tickets, go to Eventbrite.

Swimming at either before the festival is eminently possible — particularly as you can just pitch up and pay at the gate before 11am — although it will ruin your hair.

Festival passes

Limited passes remain for Sept 7. To secure one of the final few and receive an exclusive FT Globetrotter discount, click here

Rebecca Rose is editor of FT Globetrotter and FTWeekend Festival editor

Share your FTWeekend Festival highlights in the comments below. And follow FT Globetrotter on Instagram at @FTGlobetrotter