Sunday lunch and dinner sorted!

Shake out your napkins and pack your fold-up forks, because this Sunday (26 June) sees the long-awaited return of the Croydon Food & Music Festival, after a three-year hiatus.

If you haven’t been before, Croydon’s whole restaurant quarter on South End is pedestrianised for the day, so that the stalls can take over the street for festival goers to peruse at their leisure. And historically there have been a lot of festival goers, attracting up to 10 thousand locals and visitors in previous years. Despite the crowds I’ve always found it to be a very chilled event to go to – I think because of the sheer space of South End when closed to traffic.

This year we can expect more than 50 food and drink traders serving cuisine from around the globe, with street food stalls, alfresco fine dining and delicious cocktails, as well as a live music stage with a great line-up of local talent. There will be entertainment for the kids too – yes there will be face-painting – and I hope the performers on stilts are returning, as our 4-year-old has seen the pictures from last time…

The festival started life back in 2012 as the South End Food Festival and is run by the South Croydon Business Association. The Association’s chair, Peter Baggatti, comments on the 9th festival this year: “I’m really pleased that the Croydon food and Music Festival is returning for 2022. I can’t wait to celebrate what makes Croydon and its communities so great with thousands of people on what is a truly special day of showcasing the borough.”

As for me on Sunday, I’m particularly looking forward to checking out some of my local food ‘n’ drink faves including The Cronx Brewery, and Laborjee Bakery, as well as being spoiled for choice on what to eat for both lunch and dinner.

See you there!