The annual free music festival Cubitt Sessions will be held at Coal Drops Yard for the first time this year.
Photograph: John Sturrock/Coal Drops Yard
A stone’s throw from King’s Cross station, St Pancras International and Granary Square, Coal Drops Yard is the new home of more than 50 shopping and dining experiences that promises to take visitors beyond the expected. Here are 10 reasons to get down there over the coming months …
Live music
Coal Drops Yard is home to not one but three venues to catch live music. Record shop and eponymous label Honest Jon’s will be peppering its residency with free performances and events, and it’s also worth swinging by Mexico City-inspired taco bar Casa Pastor to catch some live music and dancing. Cafe by day and bar by night, Spiritland hosts DJ sets every evening, plus daily album playbacks and artist talks from the likes of The Art of Noise, Madness and creative luminaries such as Irvine Welsh and Tom Dixon. On 2 May, it’s hosting a night-long celebration of the Pet Shop Boys, hosted by pop curator Ian Wade. And if that’s not enough music for you, the annual free music festival Cubitt Sessions will be held at Coal Drops Yard for the first time this year.
Flowers that wow
Feast your eyes on landscape architect Dan Pearson’s flower installation Colourstream. The designer’s space will transform the yard with a sea of beautiful flowers from 19 April to 30 June.
Classic Car Boot Sale
Whether you dig vintage clothing or vintage cars, the Classic Car Boot Sale ticks both boxes with more than 100 traders selling quality secondhand goods out of the back of head-turning classic vehicles. Beyond shopping, there’ll be workshops, live art, and DJs playing a vinyl-only selection of equally vintage tunes, plus craft beer, cocktails and street food served from vintage vans. The next one is on 27-28 April.
Independent retailers
It’s easy to support small retailers and invest in unusual items at Coal Drops Yard. Lower Stable Street is a mini destination in itself and is home to 11 small spaces – including Redemption Roasters, House of Cans and iyouall – that offer food and drink, beauty, arts, music and fashion. In larger units – located in the main area – there’s one-stop kitchen shop Kitchen Provisions, homeware store bonds. King’s Cross, and for fashion fans there’s Form&Thread’s ethical menswear and Emin & Paul’s Korean-influenced womenswear collections.
Design School
STORE is a collective that brings together artists, architects, and designers in community-focused work, with the goal of getting more young people from disadvantaged backgrounds into applied creative courses. Take part in one of their workshops, or buy unique pieces created by students in the STORE Store (so good they named it twice). Workshops take place every weekend, with a variety of fun classes, including a polystyrene workshop. Prices start at £35 (£25 for students.)
Alfresco dining
One of the greatest joys of summer is eating alfresco, and Coal Drops Yard offers outdoor dining for every taste and budget. Head to Casa Pastor for a lively taste of Mexico City; Coal Office for Middle Eastern food under the stars; or Parrillan, a new alfresco offering from Michelin-starred Barrafina, opening this spring. Expect mini table-top charcoals for grilling your own food as you like it, strong Spanish flavours and shelter for rainy British summer days. Pip Lacey’s new outing hicce also has an impressive terrace for those who enjoy spending the long spring nights outside. And if you struggle to find a comfortable spot among the busy crowds, head to Vermuteria or Morty & Bob’s – both have prominent outdoor spaces in the main yard to enjoy a drink while the sun sets. There’s also outdoor dining spaces on Lower Stable Street.
Cutting edge design
From Thomas Heatherwick’s “kissing” roof – the award-winning architect’s innovative solution for uniting two 19th-century coal stores – to French fabric and furnishings boutique Caravane, Coal Drops Yard is alive with cutting edge design, big and small. The cherry on the top? That would be leading British designer Tom Dixon relocating his headquarters to Coal Drops Yard in 2018, where he has opened a flagship store. Head there for a series of workshops and activities for London Craft Week, 8-12 May. That’s not all, though. Later this year, Samsung is due to open a digital playground. The unique experience-led store will showcase devices and services in a space designed to bring its latest technologies to life.
Beauty and wellness
You’ve shopped, you’ve eaten, you’ve enjoyed the architecture – now it’s time for some R&R. Whether you’re after a new signature scent, a restorative beauty treatment or even some body art, Coal Drops Yard has you covered. Manifesto offers “the ultimate male grooming experience”, while FACEGYM promises to work “the 40 forgotten muscles of the face”. Sacred Gold’s tattoo and piercing studio is home to a rotating roster of visiting and resident artists, while the experts at Miller Harris are on hand to help you discover your new favourite fragrance. And if fitness is what you’re after, The Sports Edit brings you brands and products that blend style, performance and quality.
Pop-up art
Art Night, a free contemporary arts festival that puts art into extraordinary locations around London for one night a year, is popping up in locations around King’s Cross and Walthamstow this year. Don’t miss the opportunity to catch work by Christine Sun Kim, a sound artist who has been deaf since birth, at Central Saint Martins (Coal Drops Yard’s neighbour) on Saturday 22 June. The sound artist will transform the yard with a three-part commission, collaborating with students at the local Frank Barnes School for Deaf Children to create two works: an experimental new multi-channel video installation and a text-based “declaration” in Lewis Cubitt Square, as well as a durational sound piece at the new arts-focused COS space, exploring how experiences of deafness shape understandings of language and culture.
Location, location, location
Whether you’re already in London or visiting for the day, Coal Drops Yard is just a few minutes’ walk from cultural hotspots Central St Martins and arts theatre Kings Place, as well as the British Library and Everyman Cinema. It’s situated alongside Regent’s Canal, so when you’re done exploring you can take a summer evening stroll towards Camden or Islington, depending on how energetic you’re feeling.
To find out more about Coal Drops Yard’s packed diary of events, head to coaldropsyard.com/whats-on
