Culture

Celebrating a golden rainbow

12 July 2017

Croydon Pridefest 2017’s local LGBT+ celebrations are almost upon us and this year marks 50 years of progress on the road towards equality. From the beginnings of decriminalising homosexuality in 1967 to gay marriage...
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One woman, countless characters

6 July 2017

The Croydon Comedy Festival is well underway, with many a fine entertainer gracing a Croydon stage or two. One such comedic genius, and raising star is none other than Briony Redman. If it sounds...
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Croydon’s spaceman

21 June 2017

We first saw and fell in love with Gavin Kinch’s art in the ladies loo at the Oval a couple of years ago! Since then his mesmerising futuristic scenes have gained quite the presence in...
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A postcard to Croydon

14 June 2017

I seem to have spent much of the past month tutting in my impatient Croydon way at Italians taking an age to purchase their train tickets, or struggling to raise my backpack onto a...
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Viva la evolution

7 June 2017

This year Croydon Heritage Festival celebrates its fifth birthday with the theme of evolution. Some might say Croydon lives to evolve, as it’s always been rather good at it – from the times of Henry...
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Laughing all the way to the Cronx

16 May 2017

This June sees the return of the Croydon Comedy Festival, now in its third year, and the schedule looks very exciting indeed. We’re already plotting out who to see and have found we’re completely...
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The Wilds of West Croydon

14 March 2017

So when someone mentions Morris dancing, what do you think of? A quaint English village setting perhaps, with a team of men wearing white outfits, and straw hats with flowers. Or maybe bells on...
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Art O’Clock

7 March 2017

Artists starting out can often struggle finding affordable exhibition space with decent commission rates to allow them to earn their bread and butter. Thankfully, we’re blessed in Croydon with a hugely supportive community, and...
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Cro Cro Land

28 February 2017

Ah, the Oscars. The 89th Academy Awards 2017. The red carpets, the lights, the stars, the moment you realise you’ve given the wrong award to the wrong person… la la la la la… Don’t worry,...
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Illuminated letters (of our time)

13 February 2017

I LOVE neon and I LOVE letters and typography, so I was always going to love the new show on at RISE gallery: The Light Within. Neon, which for nearly a hundred years, has...
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From pilots to polar bears

9 February 2017

Next month there’s a theatre festival in town – that’s right folks, Croydonites Festival of New Theatre returns for its second year, running from 16 March to 1 April. A number of Croydon venues,...
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Matt’s Mystery Power Cut

25 January 2017

Matt Bannister is an illustrator who loves depicting the people and places of the Cronx. Living in nearby Wallington he’s regularly in our hood, searching for his next scene. We tracked Matt down to chat...
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Take off and bump off

11 January 2017

It’s that time of year again where we’re all skint, it’s cold outside and we’re most likely having an alcohol free month and/or have started some depressing new fad diet. Bets are on that...
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Smoothly does it

5 January 2017

Bleak winter mornings, limited daylight and a frosty chill in the air. That pretty much sums up January for most, although I do quite like winter, but that first month of the year is...
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Sweet ’16 in the Cronx

28 December 2016

We’ve reached that limbo part of December, between the mulled wine of Christmas and the prosecco of New Year’s Eve, when we’re all either curled up in front of trash telly, or sorting out...
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Making her mark in the Cronx

5 December 2016

Lis Watkins describes herself as drawing her way through life – she is an illustrator who lives just over the Croydon border in sunny SE20, but you can regularly spot her out and about in...
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Enter Utopia, stage right

31 October 2016

This year saw the two year closure commence of our beloved Fairfield Halls, raising many a concern for the theatrical decline in the borough that it would leave. We may have temporarily lost this...
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The epic adaptation of Oliver

16 October 2016

2016 has certainly been James Oliver’s year, with three solo shows, and more arranged for 2017 his art is becoming highly collectible, having sold over 150 pieces to date. Best known for his colourful...
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Croydon’s Box of Delights

26 September 2016

Croydon has been at the forefront of many exciting things in its time – world record breaking flights, innovation in aviation and rail – plus it has a rich history in arts and entertainment.  In fact, Croydon was...
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