Culture Croydon

Culture Croydon Croydon – The Mayor’s London Borough of Culture for 2023. This is Croydon. Historic and modern. Diverse and dynamic. Urban and green. And you’re welcome.

Always striking, surprising; youthful and unique. This crucible of creativity, born out of adversity. This edge of the city, that’s at the heart of the action. From main-stage headliners to the sounds of the underground, from famous names to tomorrow’s new voices, this will be a year-long celebration to which everyone, and every Londoner, is invited. The full event programme will be announced in spring 2023.

Looking back on a sun soaked weekend when we transformed the Whitgift Centre into an art fair… 🎨☀29 Croydon-connected ar...
19/06/2026

Looking back on a sun soaked weekend when we transformed the Whitgift Centre into an art fair… 🎨☀

29 Croydon-connected artists exhibited and sold their work inside Whitgift Square
Over 40 artists' work seen at Turf Projects Open Studios
2 Croydon colleges exhibited their work by art students including Croydon College and Coulsdon College
1 giant inflatable worm was created from recycled materials with Leap then Look

It was a dream to host Art On Our Doorstep: Croydon's contemporary art fair last weekend, bringing together the incredible talent and diversity of artists from across the borough.

If you joined us over the weekend, please take a quick survey on what you thought of the event! https://forms.cloud.microsoft/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=0ZOUTUlp60iXF4UEbsog6LWTIvol9XFHpTAT5THwWgpUQVE2SlFUMEo1QjMwS1RUOEtHNVJQS0lYRy4u&route=shorturl

We really appreciate your feedback, which helps to shape our future events and bring more art to our doorstep in Croydon.

📸Chris O'Donovan

Celebrate South Asian Heritage Month in Croydon with Bollywood Sangeet 💃🎶Join Aspara Arts in the Braithwaite Hall, Croyd...
18/06/2026

Celebrate South Asian Heritage Month in Croydon with Bollywood Sangeet 💃🎶

Join Aspara Arts in the Braithwaite Hall, Croydon Clocktower, for an afternoon of live Bollywood music, sing along songs, dancing, and a chance to connect and celebrate together.

Bring your friends, your energy, and your love for Bollywood! 🌟

🗓 Saturday 11 July
⏰ 1.30pm – 4.30pm
📍 Braithwaite Hall, Croydon Clocktower
🎟 FREE EVENT (limited spaces!)

📩 Book your spot: [email protected]
📞 07751 622907

If you've walked past The Queen's Gardens in Croydon recently you may have spotted this artwork on display…🎨🖌But do you ...
17/06/2026

If you've walked past The Queen's Gardens in Croydon recently you may have spotted this artwork on display…🎨🖌

But do you know who the figure is in this painting by Edgar Degas?

Miss La La was born Anna Albertine Olga Brown, and was the daughter of a white Prussian mother and an African American father. She took Paris by storm in the 1870s with her extraordinary acts of strength and became known for her 'iron jaw' act.

She performed at the Cirque Fernando where many famous impressionist artists visited, including Renoir, Seurat and of course, Degas. In his painting, Degas's gives us a sense of sitting in the audience looking up at Miss La La's aerial performance.

This July, we're partnering with Upswing Aerial to honour the extraordinary Miss La La! For one dazzling weekend on Sat 4 & Sun 5 July, Croydon's High Street becomes a spectacular open-air circus.

Experience breathtaking aerial performances, high-energy acrobatics, rollerskating and juggling and tightwire, along with a DJ and hands-on workshops where you can try out circus skills!

Find out more: https://www.culturecroydon.com/event/for-miss-la-la/

📍Miss La La at the Cirque Fernando by Edgar Degas is on display at The Queen's Gardens in Croydon as part of The National Gallery: Art On Your Doorstep until Sun 5 July 2026.

12/06/2026

With the FIFA World Cup 2026 officially underway, we’re celebrating an unforgettable local legend from right here in our borough – a four-legged hero who saved football’s greatest prize 60 years ago.

In 1966, with England hosting the tournament, disaster struck: the Jules Rimet Trophy was stolen from a London exhibition. The world watched in disbelief… until a week later, on Beulah Hill in Upper Norwood, a curious dog named Pickles sniffed out a newspaper-wrapped package hidden under a bush.

Inside? The missing World Cup. 🏆

Pickles instantly became a national hero. He earned awards, appeared on TV, and even attended the official celebration banquet when England went on to win.

To mark this 60th anniversary, a new display is now live on Croydon High Street!

Take a moment to stop, read the incredible story, and explore archive photos of Pickles and the moment that made global headlines.

If you spot our new display while you're out and about in Croydon, post your photos and tag us - we'd love to see them!

Come and explore TENDING at Turf Projects...🌿 Next weekend from 12 - 14 June, the Whitgift Centre will transform into a...
05/06/2026

Come and explore TENDING at Turf Projects...🌿

Next weekend from 12 - 14 June, the Whitgift Centre will transform into a contemporary art fair - Art On Our Doorstep.

It's the perfect time to come and explore Turf Projects which provides space to more than 40 artists and will be hosting an Open Studios so that you can meet the artists and take part in creative workshops!

You can also see their latest exhibition Tending - featuring the work of Lina Ivanova, Becky Lyon, Meera Shakti Osborne & Laura Selby. It's an invitation to slow down, notice deeply, and explore how we care for one another and the environments we inhabit.

Throughout the weekend, you can join free drop-in creative workshops with Turf artists including:
✨ Visual storytelling honouring ancestors (Sat & Sun, 12.30–2.30pm)
✨ Tracing with Light: projection mapping (Sun, 2–3pm)
✨ Mother: collective making with knitted purses (Sun, 11am–1pm)

📍 Turf Projects, 46-47 Trinity Court, Whitgift Centre, Croydon
🎟 FREE / no booking required

📸Mitsi Moulson

28/04/2026

✨🐅 Are you ready to be SURPRISED! this May?! 🐅✨

Join us for Surprised! - a free, feel‑good celebration of Asian arts, creativity and community.

Expect the streets to come alive with sounds from across the continent: from Iranian Kamãnche, Chinese Erhu and P**a, a Bollywood brass band, and a special DJ set from the amazing Bobby Friction! 🥁🎶

Dance spills into Whitgift Square with colourful traditions and bold fusions - expect Balinese masks, Chinese fan dances, flamenco-meets‑Bharatanatyam and more 💃

Don’t miss the chance to meet giant puppets like Hanuman the Monkey God, experience Vietnamese lion dances, get your hand henna painted, and dive into hands‑on workshops…

Inspired by Henri Rousseau’s Surprised! tiger painting, currently on display nearby in the Whitgift Centre as part of The National Gallery: Art On Your Doorstep🐅

📍 Whitgift Centre & North End, Croydon
🕛 Sat 12–6pm | Sun 12–5pm
🎟️ All FREE

We’re thrilled to be working with our partners Drum the Bass, Beeja Dance and Centre Whitgift on this event.

Illustration design by Skye Baker

Find out more: https://www.culturecroydon.com/event/surprised/

Want to trade at one of Croydon’s most vibrant weekends this May? Surprised! is a free, high‑energy celebration of East...
17/04/2026

Want to trade at one of Croydon’s most vibrant weekends this May?

Surprised! is a free, high‑energy celebration of East, Central & South Asian culture, and we’re looking for amazing market stallholders to be part of it.

We’re inviting applications from:
🎨 Artisans & craft makers
💕 Handmade & design‑led goods
🍜 High‑quality Asian food, drink & specialty products

Throughout the weekend on Sat 16 & Sun 17 May, you'll be surrounded by dance performances curated by Beeja Dance Company, live music and DJs at the bandstand curated by Drum the Bass, a daytime disco, outdoor arts and creative workshops - plus lots of hungry and curious audiences!

If you care about quality, love connecting with people and want to be part of a joyful event, we want to hear from you! 💛

Pitches are limited and applications for stallholders close on Friday 24 April at 12noon so get your application in quick! Visit our website for more info and guidance on how to apply https://www.culturecroydon.com/call-out-for-stallholders-be-part-of-surprised-this-may-in-croydon/

Croydon is full of character and we’re wandering right into its stories…Our Croydon Neighbourhood Wanderings are your ch...
03/04/2026

Croydon is full of character and we’re wandering right into its stories…

Our Croydon Neighbourhood Wanderings are your chance to explore the borough in a way that’s not your standard history tour.

Led by writer and renegade guide Saira Niazi, these 2.5 hour interactive walks blend storytelling, sensory moments and local memories - including yours.

Choose your adventure:

🧭 Old Town Croydon Wandering
Sat 25 April, 11am–1.30pm
An amble through layers of local legends, trading tales and hidden heritage. Starting at The Queen’s Gardens and finishing off at Croydon Minster.

🍽️ South End Wandering
Sat 25 April, 3pm–5.30pm
A flavour filled journey through Croydon’s global identity and waves of migration.

🌆 East Croydon Wandering
Weds 29 April, 5pm–7.30pm
A twilight walk through past, present and playful pockets of the neighbourhood. Starting off at East Croydon station, and ending up at the Oval Tavern

👣 About your guide
Saira Niazi is a south London writer, explorer and founder of Living London. She’s spent over a decade uncovering hidden gems, collecting stories and helping communities tell their own.

These wanderings are free, but spaces are limited so book your place in advance here: https://www.culturecroydon.com/event/croydon-neighbourhood-wanderings/

Bring your curiosity and your camera, and see you there!

Croydon’s getting its own contemporary art fair - and we want you to be part of it!✨ This June, the Whitgift Centre will...
02/04/2026

Croydon’s getting its own contemporary art fair - and we want you to be part of it!✨

This June, the Whitgift Centre will transform into Art On Our Doorstep: a major popup gallery celebrating exciting contemporary work from artists with a Croydon connection. 🎨🖼️

In partnership with , we’ll showcase a curated exhibition of up to 30 local artists, alongside artwork by young people and community creators.

We’re calling for professional artists born, based or practising in Croydon to apply.
Paintings, drawings, photography, textiles, mixed media, digital work, collage, ceramics, smallscale sculpture - if you make it, we want to see it.

🗓 Art On Our Doorstep
Fri 12 – Sun 14 June 2026

If you’re a Croydon artist ready to showcase your work, we’d love you to apply.

HOW TO APPLY

Download and read the terms of entry (link in bio).

Complete the application form.

Email it to [email protected] with up to 4 images of your work.

📩 For questions or support, email: [email protected]
⏰ Deadline: Sunday 19 April 2026, 11:59pm



Image from the 2019 exhibition Croydon Plays Itself at Turf Projects, Croydon, by the artist Harold Offeh.

Throughout April we’re brightening up Tuesday evenings with a fascinating deep dive into art history…With The National G...
02/04/2026

Throughout April we’re brightening up Tuesday evenings with a fascinating deep dive into art history…

With The National Gallery Art On Your Doorstep currently on display across the borough, we’re teaming up with leading experts to explore the stories behind some of the iconic paintings in a series of evening lectures.

We’ll be opening the doors of the historic Croydon Town Hall across three evenings in April:

📅 Tues 14 April: Turner and the Slave Trade
Discover J.M.W Turner’s complex relationship with the transatlantic slave trade with art historian Sam Smiles

📅 Tues 21 April: The Story of Miss La La
Art historian Melissa Baksh and circus director Vicki Dela Amedume MBE discuss the Victorian circus artist Miss La La, captured by Degas.

📅 Tues 28 April: Whistlejacket and the Croydon Races
Melissa Baksh returns to examine the most famous horse in art history and local historian Carole Roberts delves into Croydon’s horse racing past.

All the lectures in this series are free to attend but book in advance via Eventbrite to secure your place.

Book here: https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/april-art-lectures-series-4826075

Images:
Photo of Anna Albertine Olga Brown AKA Miss La La, circa 1880
Miss La La at the Cirque Fernando by Hilaire-Germain-Edgar Degas (1879), Oil on canvas.

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