As the council and arts organisations from across Croydon work towards preparing a bid for Croydon to be the first London Borough of Culture, there is already a huge amount going on for anyone with an interest in performing arts events.

The Borough of Culture bid webpage is live at http://croydon2019.london/.

Cllr-Godfrey

Over the next fortnight there is a wide range of exciting shows on offer, and Councillor Timothy Godfrey, cabinet member for culture, leisure, and sport, said:

“The council is delighted to continue supporting the arts in Croydon, as we firmly believe this is the key to ensuring the success of the major regeneration plans currently being delivered across the borough. The next few weeks look brilliant and genuinely do offer ‘something for everyone’.”

 

LONDON MOZART PLAYERS

Croydon’s renowned chamber orchestra, The London Mozart Players, launch their new 2017/18 season this Saturday (21 October).

The first concert of the series celebrates new ties with the Hungarian Armel Opera Festival and the Virtuózok competition, which champions young classical talent and seeks performance opportunities for their finalists.

Eszter Holozsai will be the first soloist from the competition to join the LMP on stage in what is hoped will become an annual tradition.

DANCE CITY

Also on Saturday At Stanley Halls in South Norwood Dance City is taking place. The event is an all-day festival of modern street dance organised by Afro Unite UK and will be attracting performers and audiences from across the country.  Tickets are £10 and available from Eventbrite.

DIWALI MELA

Then on Sunday (22 October) the free annual Croydon Diwali Mela will be held in North End and Surrey Street.

Run by the Croydon Hindu Council, the day starts at noon with a procession accompanied by drummers and dancers from the Whitgift Centre (starting outside HMV) down to Surrey Street.

Stalls, children’s entertainment, and food, will be part of the fun, alongside live performances of music, dance, and drama.

The programme will run until 3.45 and admission is completely FREE.

CROYDON COMPOSERS

Next week (Friday 27 October) sees the Croydon Composers project stage a FREE showcase night in Scream Lounge.

The pioneering music project brings together Croydon’s aspiring composers to create cross-genre, cross-community collaborations.

Over the summer ten participants were selected to represent genres ranging from hip hop, choral folk, Indian classical music, and rock through to Turkish percussion and spoken word. The artists paired together to create five new compositions, each of which will be performed live on the night.

YOUTH ARTS TAKEOVER

Then, on Saturday 28 October, the Croydon Youth Arts Collective (CYAC) return for their second Youth Arts Takeover at the Croydon Clocktower.

This will be a day-long programme of free live music, film, interactive workshops and so much more for young people and families.

After the success of last year, the takeover aims to continue to raise the profile of youth arts and culture in Croydon. It has been developed by Croydon Youth Arts Collective (CYAC), a diverse group of talented young people from the borough who are invested in advocating for the importance of the arts.

Entrance is FREE and the day runs throughout the day. The full programme can be found at www.croydonyouthartscollective.co.uk.