An evening of American wine tasting, outdoor theatre in Waterlow Park and the Camden Fringe are just some of the things featured in our top five this week.

1. Monday - Camden Fringe

The ninth Camden Fringe festival arrives, providing a month of comedy, live music, family shows and theatre. Offering more than 200 different productions at 24 venues across Camden, it is set to be the biggest fringe yet and will see Camden’s pubs, theatres, cafés and parks come alive with the arts.

Runs until August 24. A full breakdown of performances can be seen at camdenfringe.com.

2. Friday - Luxury Picnic

A chance to have a luxury picnic for two with “VIP benefits” while watching a production of Romeo and Juliet on the lawn outside Lauderdale House in Waterlow Park, Highgate.

Available for one night only, the package includes a luxury picnic basket with main meal for two plus dessert and a bottle of prosecco. Also gain access to the VIP gallery for the show, giving you complimentary drinks.

Runs 7pm to 9pm. Tickets £100 for two. All profits go to the Lauderdale House building project. Call 020 8348 8716 to book.

3. Tuesday - Viv Groskop

Writer, journalist and comedian Viv Groskop comes to West End Lane Books, West Hampstead, to talk about her book I Laughed I Cried: 1 Woman 100 Dates and the Mother of All Challenges.

On the cusp of 40 and with three children and a (stand-up comedy hating) husband at home, her book charts her attempt to become a comedian – not with a few experimental gigs, but with 100 dates in 100 days.

Starts 7.30pm. Free entry, but book by calling 020 7431 3770 or emailing info@welbooks.co.uk.

4. Wednesday - American Wine Tasting

An evening of American wine tasting takes place at The Camden Eye pub, Kentish Town Road, Camden Town.

Red, white and desert wines from the USA will all be available for sampling, with the session making its way from coast to coast.

A spread of American-style food will also be put on, including hot dogs, burgers and barbecued ribs.

Starts 7pm. Tickets £10.

Call 020 7267 2622 or email info@thecamdeneye.co.uk to book.

5. Thursday - Operas

A double-bill of operas will be performed at Rosslyn Hill Chapel in Pilgrim’s Place, Hampstead. The double-bill is a co-production between Nova Music Opera and the Presteigne Festival in association with the Canterbury Festival and the Barber Institute of Fine Arts.

Prometheus Drown’d is a “chilling exploration” of the strange circumstances surrounding the death of poet Percy Bysshe Shelley in 1822 at Livorno, Tuscany. Aiborne is a story set in the First World War and follows the experiences of a nurse and a Royal Flying Corps pilot during the Battle of the Somme.

Organisers say the pair are united by a common theme of misadventure, making them “perfect performing partners”.

Starts 8.15pm. Tickets £28. Visit novamusic.org.uk to book.