A new music festival developed with the aim of bringing guitar bands back to the borough has been hailed a great success.
Croydon’s inaugural Cro Cro Land, organised by the creators of The Croydonist blog, was a sell-out on Saturday, with a line-up that attracted music-lovers from across the UK, as well as more than 70 industry professionals.
This brand new event at Urban Xchange was supported by Croydon Council through its cultural partnership fund, which offers arts organisations match-funding for local projects, and funded by Arts Council England.
Croydon residents Julia Woollams and Angela Martin developed the festival to celebrate the borough’s music history as the birthplace of punk, with a line-up featuring 40 of the UK’s most exciting indie and alternative bands and DJs across three stages.
It was billed as a gender-balanced event, with women fairly represented in both the line-up and the backstage crew.
Through a partnership with local charity Lives not Knives, Cro Cro land offered a programme of work experience and training for young people throughout the event.
“Huge congratulations to the organisers of Cro Cro Land. We were very proud to support this latest addition to Croydon’s cultural calendar, as a fantastic celebration of Croydon’s rich music history, and as part of our music city plans.
“The day was brilliant and there was a fantastic energy within the venue and I very much hope we’ll be welcoming them back next year.”
Councillor Oliver Lewis, cabinet member for culture, leisure and sport
Julia Woollams said: “We’ve been blown away by the positive response to Cro Cro Land.
“The festival would not have been possible without all our collaborators, with everyone pulling together to create a day where artists, festival goers, supporters, volunteers, mentees and crew all felt part of the friendly and celebratory atmosphere.”
