It’s been a tough few years and whilst the country-wide consensus seems to be that things “will get worse before they get better”, the below offers some local hope with a round-up of positive news and events to keep your eyes on over the coming months.
In no particular order:
Borough of Culture
Having launched in 2017, The Mayor’s London Borough of Culture award brings Londoners together by putting culture at the heart of local communities and illuminating the character and diversity of London’s boroughs. Waltham Forest took the title in 2019, Brent in 2020, Lewisham in 2021 and Croydon will become the next London Borough to own the coveted title in 2023. The accolade means that Croydon will receive over £1 million in funding to deliver a programme of ambitious cultural activities celebrating the unique character of local people and places. Croydon has already completed the first stage of bidding for it’s Ignite Fund (in which local artists and cultural organisations can bid for 10 large grants of £20-£50k) and the next stage will open this month. Click here to find out more and apply.
Fern
From the team who brought Mr Fox to Surrey Street – Fern will be an “all-day venue open 7 days a week from dawn til dusk”. Opening is now planned for early 2023, with the venue taking over the ground floor of the Ten Degrees building (the world’s tallest modular skyscraper) which is located on George Street (opposite Boxpark and East Croydon station). Interiors have been inspired by the beautiful buildings of downtown New York and will feature exposed brickwork, reclaimed barn wood flooring, terracotta tiles, floor to ceiling windows, six-foot antique French chandeliers and rustic wall lighting. Guests will enjoy an expertly curated drinks list, with the focus on classic cocktails, spritzes and refreshing highballs, in addition to some of the world’s finest spirits. The open kitchen will serve colourful sharing plates of modern European dishes, with an emphasis on locally sourced farm produce. To keep updated, sign up to the newsletter via their website or give them a follow on Instagram.
LOST
With rumours circulating for months about a “well known immersive events company” coming to Croydon, we were beyond excited when it was officially announced in July that Fabien Riggall, the Founder of Secret Cinema, was bringing his new concept to the Borough. Taking over the old Allders building, his LOST project aims to regenerate failing high streets by turning them into arts and entertainment districts. As Fabien explained to the Evening Standard, “The future of art is in the high street, in department stores, in shops where we can experience new ideas whilst connecting in real life with real people. We are excited to be working with the local community in developing a richly diverse programme whilst also hosting artists from around the world”. We’re already obsessed with the esoteric Instagram account and can’t wait to hear more.
Boxpark Croydon
Boxpark has made a name for itself as the “home of football” over recent years, thanks to the epic screening parties it has hosted. Footage of roaring crowds and flying beer cups have been broadcast internationally and England Player Jack Grealish even went as far as to say if he wasn’t playing in the 2020 Euros, he’d be watching all the games at Boxpark! But it’s not all about the match itself. The team create a great atmosphere with DJs, Celebrity appearances, sing-a-longs, talks, and interactive games – so even if the result isn’t what viewers had hoped, they can still be sure of a good time. We look forward to seeing how they’ll raise the bar again for this November’s Fifa World Cup.
Birch Community
We’ve been eagerly awaiting updates about Birch since we first got wind of their potential Croydon arrival last year. Whilst we’re yet to see anything on their social channels, recent recruitment posts and this update on Boutique Hotelier suggest all is going ahead as planned. Birch Community is the award-winning lifestyle hotel concept due to take over the old Selsdon Park Hotel in 2023. Birch was created as “an intervention from the judgements, expectations and constraints of daily life”, by former Managing Director of Ace Hotels, Chris Penn, and entrepreneur Chris King. They currently have one ‘hotel’ (“Birch looks like a hotel but feels like a festival”) in Cheshunt and we can’t wait to see what their much-loved event programme will bring to Croydon. For more information about Birch, see their website.
Selhurst Park
With the Lionesses win this summer helping to make football a more inclusive sport for all sexes, we hope to see continued progress on the Selhurst Park (home to Crystal Palace Football Club) redevelopment project over the coming months. The project is now set to exceed more than £100m and whilst “recent events” have put the focus on completing The Academy, attention will soon shift back to the Stadium. The final wing of The Academy (as featured on Channel 4) will open early 2023 and will “take the whole facility to extraordinary new levels”. It will include a huge medical rehab gym and swimming pool complex and provide the very best physical and medical care to players.
Socco Cheta
Based in South Norwood, Socco Cheta Community Hub was born through a partnership between local residents and organisations to create a space for all the community to come together and support each other. The hub is made up of local organisations including Croydon United Dominoes Club, South Norwood Community Kitchen, Croydon BME Forum, Screen25 and The Association of Jamaicans UK who are all working together to deliver the space and ensure that it meets the needs and priorities of everyone. An Open Day was held back in July to give locals a sneak peek and the full opening (complete with cinema) is due to happen in the coming months. Keep your eyes on their Instagram for further info.
Croydonites
After two years in the Covid wilderness, we’re delighted to see Croydonites festival back – this time in a new October slot. This festival of new theatre and performance has been showcasing local theatre makers and bringing some of the best contemporary performance work from around the UK to CR0 doorsteps since 2015. This year’s programme includes some big names from tv, theatre and film including Croydon’s very own BAFTA award winning actress, Joanna Scanlan. Joanna received the Leading Actress award earlier this year, for her powerful performance as a grieving widow in Aleem Khan’s ‘After Love’ (beating the likes of Lady Gaga, Tess Thompson and Emilia Jones). During Croydonites festival, she’ll be performing in the local artist showcase ‘Croydonbites’ alongside Gill Manly, Shaniqua Benjamin and Anita Wadsworth. Other shows include Astrology Bingo, Discography, The Baby Question, I AmDram, Queer Diaries, Chogh Chogh, Erode and Mercy. For more information and to book your tickets, visit the website.
Metamovers Dance NFT Showcase
Whilst the initial obsession with NFTs has slowed down this year (alongside the cooling off of the Crypto market!) we’re looking forward to seeing where the market goes next. In October, Metamovers are hosting the world’s first Dance NFT Showcase, right here in Croydon. Metamovers is an NFT project created by world renowned Dancer/Choreographer Dylan Mayoral. Every performance will be filmed and minted into a Dance NFT and sold as digital fine art. Held at Fairfield Halls, Metamovers will bring together some of the best dancers and producers in the world to create an unforgettable event. Dylan trained at The BRIT School and has worked with Hip-Hop crews and companies such as Zoonation, Definitives, and Boyband Dance Crew. With the Metamovers project his aim is “to elevate this art form and leverage the power of blockchain technology to empower Dancers worldwide.” To get your ticket, click here.
What else are you looking forward to seeing happen in Croydon over the months? Since we’ll be off radar for a while – please drop any exciting news in the comments below or on our last Instagram post to help spread the word while we’re away 😉
EAST CROYDON COOL 