Events

Our fun day was held on Sunday 3 August 2025 and attracted around 900 visitors – from all over the borough and beyond – during the course of the day.   As always, there was something for everyone, no matter what age, from the kids’ fairground, free art and craft desk, face painting and ‘fun’ dog show to community stalls, musical entertainment – such as the Grimsdyke Brass Band, Jazz Town, and guitarist Adam Gaiman – and free taster sessions of healthy activities such as Nordic Walking, Tai Chi and yoga.  

Why not join us next year and help to make our event even more amazing?  Our current organiser, who has held the role for the past 21 years, is stepping back to allow someone else to contribute to this much anticipated annual event.  Could you step into her shoes?  She would of course be available for guidance and advice along the way!

We are also looking for people to volunteer  to help out on the day in whatever way they can, from setting up and taking down to helping to run a stall. 

 Please use our contact page to get in touch and find out more or email us at canonsparkfriends@outlook.com!

OPEN CITY FESTIVAL

SUNDAY 14 SEPTEMBER, 10am – 4pm (last tour)

 Find out more about the history of Canons Park by taking one of the Friends’ free tours around the park.  The 45-50 minute tours start and end at the Friends of Canons Park stall – opposite Liam’s in the Park cafe – and run every hour on the hour from 10am to 4pm (last tour).  Tours are free and open to all ages, although we would recommend that the minimum age should be around 7 years old.  Weather permitting, there will also be a small display about the Duke of Chandos, who created the 500 acre estate and original mansion, which was demolished less that 30 years after it was created, to pay off the debts of his son. 

This year, for the first time in many years, we are delighted to announce that the current Canons Mansion (now part of the independent North London Collegiate School and  built in the 18th century for master carpenter, William Hallett, on the site of the original mansion, will be open for free tours from 10am to 4pm (last tour).  Not usually open to the public, the beautiful house and gardens are just a few steps away from the Canons Drive entrance to the park – just turn directly left as you exit the park.

A few minutes’ walk further down Canons Drive will bring you to Rose Garden Close, where you can take a free, self-guided tour around the stunning Seven Acre Lake, which is only open to the public once a year, for this event.  The Lake was created for the Duke of Chandos and hosts a number of water fowl, woodland and benches, where you can sit for a while and take in the scenery.

St Lawrence Church in Whitchurch Lane, a short walk from the entrance to the park, is the fourth site allied to this event.   Don’t miss the beautiful frescos on the church walls and visit the Duke of Chandos’ stunning white marble mausoleum.  Tours from 2pm to 5pm only.  Tours are also available on Sundays, by appointment, if you miss the church during Open House Festival.  Please see their website for contact details.

Sessions every other Sunday morning from April to October.   Our next session is on Sunday 17 August and fortnightly thereafter.

We would love to hear from any keen gardeners who would like to work in or around the George V Memorial Garden at the centre of the park, to help restore it to its former glory.  In 2018 we formed a small but very effective gardening club that now meets every other Sunday morning, from early spring until early October, working from around 9.30am to 12.30pm –  although everyone is welcome for whatever amount of time they can spare.  The Gardening Club sessions are very rewarding.  So far the group have cleared many of the overgrown flower beds and planted bulbs, bedding and perennial plants. Why not join them and make a real difference to the garden?  All tools and equipment, including gardening gloves, are provided – or you can bring your own if you prefer. 

If you are interested in joining the group, please contact our gardening volunteer coordinator, Tony Bennett, via our Contact Us page.

Cancelled until further notice – but we hope to re-introduce them again one day. If you or someone you know is available to lead bird watching walks in the park please contact us!

In the meantime here is a list of birds that can be seen in Canons Park at various times of the year.

​7 Black-headed Gull
2 Lesser Black-backed Gull
Wood Pigeon – several
Stock Dove – singing & at nest hole
Ring-necked Parakeet – common
Great Spotted Woodpecker – drumming
Green Woodpecker – calling
3 Magpie
Carrion Crows
2 Long-tailed Tit
Blue Tit – singing
Great Tit – singing
2 Coal Tit – singing
Eurasian Nuthatch 3 singing / calling
1 Dunnock – briefly singing
REDWING Only 1 (48 on 2 February 2020)
2 Mistle Thrush feeding in the open grass
Robin – 3 singing
Wren – 2 singing
2 Starling – calling near Donnefield gate
Chaffinch – singing. Male feeding under trees
2 Goldfinch
Greenfinch trilling near Donnefield gate