Finally the square in front of the souped-up King’s Cross station is about to open. Thursday September 26 to be precise. Which is quite exciting if, like us, you pass through the area a lot (currently it’s a boarded-up wiggly route through the building works). And anyway, an open space to rendezvous there has been promised for many a long year; it might even transform that grim stretch of Euston Road.

And to celebrate – because that’s what it’s all about, right? – there’s a weekend-long Victorian festival on Sept 28 and 29 to mine the area’s rich history, from its gritty industrial past to swanky new status as cultural, foodie and international hub.

The festival will take up the two squares, Granary (up by the canal) and King’s Cross Square, connected by a special train pootling up and down King’s Cross Boulevard (y’know, the pedestrian strip which hosts the daily KERB food market).

So hop off at Granary Square, where parents can send their sprogs to learn how to sweep a chimney or shovel coal, and reward them with an old fashioned fairground ride on the funfair in the new square. And for the grown-ups? Why, relax with cocktails, sample local ales and race penny farthings.

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More interested in the area’s industrial heritage? The newly refurbished Gasholder No. 8 will be scrubbed and open, one of the first times this iconic piece of Victorian engineering will ever have been accessible to the public. Visitors will also be able to take a tour of the development, exploring the history of other restored structures such as the Granary Building and the West Handyside Canopy.

And, of course, aforementioned street foodies KERB will be serving up the usual tasty fare “with a Victorian twist”. To quench any late summer thirst, if you haven’t yet checked out the bar at the new Great Northern Hotel, a Victorian-inspired libation might be just the thing. Or plump for Kentishtowner fave the Gilbert Scott, serving sweet treats in the new King’s Cross Square, and intoxicating naughtiness in a gin garden at the top of King’s Boulevard.

Back to the Future festival takes place in and around King’s Cross on September 28 and 29.

