Culture

This is journey of a refugee

1 February 2024

This weekend a new immersive production opens at Stanley Arts as part of the This Is Croydon programme. Inspired by true stories of refugees and displacement, Journey of a Refugee is a blend of...
Read more

Magical metro-land

25 January 2024

As a huge fan of our borough’s modernist architecture, I thought I knew all of the architectural gems that existed around Croydon. That was until I chatted with author Joshua Abbott, who is in...
Read more

David, meet Tilda

17 January 2024

Interesting fact for you: Tilda Swinton did actually meet the famous Croydon-born film director David Lean shortly before his death, when she did a screen test for his unrealised film Nostromo in the early...
Read more

A little bit different from normal

10 January 2024

It’s January, it’s cold, it’s wet, we’re back to work and school, Christmas is a distant memory and Easter a mere dot on the horizon. So what’s different to do to perk up a...
Read more

This is 2024

3 January 2024

Happy 2024, Croydon! If you’re a regular reader you’ll know we start each January with a group feature on thoughts for the year ahead. In 2024 Croydon finishes its tenure as the London Borough...
Read more

This was 2023

28 December 2023

It’s that time of year again, when we like to look back at some of our favourite features from the last 12 months. So here’s our review of 2023 with our top 10, in...
Read more

Aladdin versus Jack

21 December 2023

This week me and our 6-year-old, Beth, have been to not one but two Croydon pantomimes. Oh yes we have. Sunday night was spent watching Aladdin at Fairfield Halls and Wednesday evening was Jack...
Read more

Magic beans in South Norwood

14 December 2023

As you’ll know from our feature last week, pantomime season is almost upon us, and this year the Cronx has not one but two big pantos taking place. Oh no it doesn’t, oh yes...
Read more

Festive genie-ous

7 December 2023

Panto season is nearly upon us, and this year Croydon has not one but two big pantomimes happening. (I’m really resisting a panto gag here). First up we chat with the director of the...
Read more

This is a very Croydon Christmas

29 November 2023

Although my usual rule is not to mention the festive C word before December begins, it is in fact the start of the twelfth month this very friday (yes it seems to come round...
Read more

This is Night Shift

21 November 2023

Last week I headed to the opening night of Zoo Co’s new production, Night Shift, which is running until this Saturday (25 November) at Stanley Arts. Not having seen a Zoo Co show since...
Read more

Upper Norwood’s Downsview

16 November 2023

Autumn is indeed a season for theatre, especially in Croydon. This week we chat with Sam Canning, who is the director of the Upper-Norwood-based amateur dramatics company, The Downsview Players. We talk about their...
Read more

Curating Creative Croydon 23

9 November 2023

Who doesn’t enjoy some outdoor art to brighten our streets? We were delighted when Croydon BID asked us to curate a second season of the Creative Croydon exhibition, after we brought the work of...
Read more

The evolution of pink

1 November 2023

I recently visited local artist Kate Marsden in her studio at ASC Grafton Road. For those of you who don’t know ASC Grafton Road, it is home to over 100 studios for artists and...
Read more

Turf, Textiles, and Tufting

26 October 2023

This week we catch up with our current social media header artist, Divya Sharma – a multi-disciplinary artist whose current work leads with the medium of textiles and threads, she has a studio in...
Read more

David Lean goes punk

19 October 2023

Coming to our favourite independent cinema at the end of this month is a punk film festival (from Monday 30 October to Saturday 4 November). As part of the This Is Croydon programme The...
Read more

A taste of a bit of a do

12 October 2023

Billed as comedy, cabaret and creativity, A Bit of a Do –  the annual festival curated by accessible arts charity Drunken Chorus – returns to Croydon next week, from 18–28 October. We caught up...
Read more

This is Croydonites

28 September 2023

It’s nearly that time of year when our favourite theatre and performance festival returns to Croydon. That’s right, Croydonites Festival is back this Autumn from 2 to 18 November bringing us some awesome theatre...
Read more

This is the Croydon Music Heritage Trail

20 September 2023

Last Saturday we joined a Croydon Music Heritage Trail tour around the centre of Croydon. We (along with a dozen or so other walkers) met our three friendly guides from the Museum of Croydon...
Read more

Croydon is open

7 September 2023

September, the start of autumn and the last of those glorious warm evenings before the weather turns and the darker evenings set in… it’s one of my favourite months of the year, but not...
Read more