Watch a ghost story, dance at a free Latin festival or eat on a boat: Five things do in Islington and Hackney this weekend

The ghost story, When Darkness Falls, is showing at the Park Theatre in Finsbury Park.

Written by James Milton and Paul Morrissey, the play is set on Guernsey, and tells the story of a teacher who runs the local Historical Society. A paranormal expert is giving a talk on the island’s folklore and paranormal history, and as the teacher films, the speaker regales horrifying stories.

The 90-minute show, which features effects by one of the team behind Harry Potter and The Cursed Child, is suitable for viewers aged 16 and over.

There is a matinee showing on Saturday afternoon at 3pm, and another show later that evening at 7.30pm. Tickets are £10 for Park Up members (16 - 26 years), concession tickets are priced at £18.50 and other tickets cost from £23 to £27. Tickets are available from the venue box office at www.parktheatre.co.uk or on 020 7870 6876. See whendarknessfalls.co.uk.

LatinoLife in the Park showcases UK Latin and Spanish culture in Finsbury Park (Image: LatinoLife in the Park)

Salsa and rumba in Finsbury Park at a festival

Previously known as La Clave Fest, LatinoLife in the Park, the UK's largest free Latin festival, makes its post-pandemic comeback, on Saturday in Finsbury Park.

The one-day music and dance festival that showcases the very best of UK Latin and Spanish culture, taking you on a journey through salsa, reggaetón, jazz, fusion, folk, flamenco, funk, bolero, bachata, samba, tango, hip-hop and more, culminating in a party.

Now in its sixth year, the event has three stages delivering the full diversity and quality of Latin music and dance. There will also be 60 food, arts and craft stalls, plus six bars serving Latin American cocktails, morning Zumba and the event’s annual London Copa America football tournament for ages 8-18.

It runs from 10am to 10pm on Saturday.

Olivier Debré's painting, Jerusalem ocre-rose, 1972 (Image: Estorick Collection of Modern Italian Art)

Check out some abstract art

This summer, the Estorick Collection of Modern Italian Art in Canonbury Square presents an exhibition by French post-war painter Olivier Debré, who died in 1999.

The show has been selected by Michael Estorick, chair of the Estorick Trustees, and son of Eric and Salome Estorick, whose renowned collection of modern Italian Art is housed in the museum. It is the first major show of the artist's work in the UK in 44 years, bringing together some 30 oils and works on paper, including 16 of Debré’s large-scale paintings.

Admission includes entry to the permanent collection at the gallery in Canonbury Square, which is the only one in London dedicated to 20th-century Italian art. Its collection focuses on Futurist works from artists such as Giorgio Morandi and Giacomo Balla, and also has Modigliani portraits and Marini sculptures on show.

It is open on Saturday from 11am to 6pm and on Sunday from noon to 5pm. Tickets cost £7.50 for adults, £5.50 for over 60s and are free for Estorick Collection members.

See estorickcollection.com.

Hackney Road restaurant Nebula is selling bottomless brunch at weekends (Image: Nebula)

Eat and drink to your heart's content

A Hackney Road pizzeria is serving bottomless brunch at the weekend throughout the summer.

Nebula, located near Columbia Road and Broadway Market, has a 200-seater urban courtyard to tuck into bottomless meals served with all-you-can-drink batch brew coffee.

The restaurant's brunch menu, served between 9am and 1pm on Saturdays and Sundays, offers classic brunch treats like bacon sarnies, old-school eggs and soldiers, eggs and avocado on toast and waffle plates with summer fruits.

The brunch at Nebula, 455 Hackney Road, costs £30pp for 90 minutes, plus £3 for bottomless coffee.

See nebulabar.com.

Head chef Stefano on board the barge (Image: Clementine Scott)

Have a sustainable feast aboard a barge

Last year childhood friends Tommo, Ryan and Blandy, teamed up to sail De Hoop, a 114 year old Dutch Barge from Den Helder in Holland, across the North Sea to moor at Sweetwater in Hackney Wick, East London.

Now nestled in between the canal and the Olympic Park, they've turned it into a Hackney Wick restaurant called Barge East.

Alongside it is a garden made up of 20 or so planters where they grow many of the herbs and vegetables used in the modern British menu.

Head chef Stefano Camplone comes up with ingenious new ways to use the homegrown produce, ranging from a celery leaf oil used for a creamy, mint-green parfait, to a malt vinegar infused with chive flowers.

The focus on homegrown produce is part of Barge East’s wider commitment to sustainable practices, and about 80 per cent of produce is from UK suppliers, while Stefano can also be found foraging on Hackney Marshes nearby.

The set Saturday lunch served from noon to 4pm will set you back £25 for two courses or £30 for three.