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Category Archives: Borough of Culture 2023
CODA’s Alice Through Wonderland, Wandle Park, Jul 26-29
A D V E R T I S E M E N T
Wandle Park to be transformed into a summertime Wonderland
Something a little weird and a bit wonderful will be appearing around the bandstand in Wandle Park next week. In its 80th year, CODA, the Croydon Operatic and Dramatic Association, is performing Alice Through Wonderland, an innovative production of Lewis … Continue reading
CODA’s Alice Through Wonderland, Wandle Park, Jul 26-29
A D V E R T I S E M E N T
Constable comes to Thornton Heath in National Gallery tour
Here’s one way of getting the Tories to have our public libraries operating on a more regular, daily basis: stage a National Gallery exhibition. Thornton Heath public library, which under Conservative Mayor Jason Perry is routinely only open three days … Continue reading
Posted in Art, Borough of Culture 2023, Education, Libraries, Mayor Jason Perry
5 Comments
Having a giraffe! Business group spends thousands on statues
Town centre business group Croydon BID is spending thousands of pounds on a collection of oddly-decorated, mostly eight-foot-tall fibre glass statues of giraffes, which are due to be distributed among shops and on street corners later this summer, in the … Continue reading
£1.5m being spent on our Borough of not-very-much Culture
We are now well into the third month of Croydon’s year as the Borough of Culture. Waddyamean, you haven’t seen any publicity or signs of anything special being staged? Neither have we, so we sent KEN TOWL off to see … Continue reading
Posted in Art, Borough of Culture 2023, Business, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Ken Towl, Mayor Jason Perry, Mayor of London, Museum of Croydon, Music, Sadiq Khan, Theatre
Tagged Borough of Culture, Croydon, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Four Communications, Grey Label, Heritage Music Trail, Jo Gumb, Katharine Glass, Ken Towl, Mayor Jason Perry, Mayor of London, Mayor Sadiq Khan, Oliver Lewis, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Stanley Halls, Stormzy, White Label
7 Comments
Recognition at last: Coleridge-Taylor gets placed centre stage
The people behind Croydon’s Borough of Culture did not invite Inside Croydon to the press night for the prestigious new production at the Fairfield Halls. KEN TOWL got in anyway At last, we can see where some of the Mayor … Continue reading
Posted in Art, Borough of Culture 2023, Fairfield Halls, Ken Towl, Mayor Jason Perry, Music, Talawa Theatre Company, Theatre
Tagged Borough of Culture, Croydon, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Ken Towl, London, Mayor Jason Perry, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Talawa Theatre Company, This is Croydon
2 Comments
Croydon is made a national laughing stock, Part 94. And Part 95
No sooner had the nation’s best-selling satirical magazine had a good laugh (again) at Croydon’s expense after featuring the latest example of the council’s bungled handling of vast amounts of public money, than the borough has popped up again in … Continue reading
Podcast: Croydon Insider – the Borough of Culture Special
Posted in Art, Borough of Culture 2023, Boxpark, Croydon Insider, Fairfield Halls, Inside Croydon, Ken Towl, Neil Chandler, Under The Flyover
Tagged Borough of Culture, Boxpark, Cheryl Fergus-Ferrell, Croydon, Croydon Council, Croydon FM, Croydon Insider, Emma Hope-Fitch, Fairfield Halls, Ken Towl, London, Mayor, Neil Chandler, Under The Flyover
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There’s something for everyone to enjoy in our year of Culture
CROYDON COMMENTARY: The council’s cabinet member responsible for the arts, Councillor ANDY STRANACK, pictured above (he’s the one not wearing a tracksuit) outlines his plans for the Borough of Culture Last weekend saw the launch of This is Croydon, a … Continue reading
Musical open house brings crowds flocking back to Fairfield
CROYDON COMMENTARY: There’s been widespread praise for the performers and performances at the Fairfield Halls for the Borough of Culture opening event, which LEWIS WHITE thoroughly enjoyed I went to the Sunday session of the Oratorio of Hope at the … Continue reading
Year of Culture set to begin with an Oratorio of Hopelessness
CROYDON IN CRISIS: If, like us, you have been scouring the listings pages to find what’s planned for Croydon’s year as London’s Borough of Culture, you’re likely to be disappointed. But some of the PR deals surrounding the event have … Continue reading
Posted in Andrew Stranack, Art, Borough of Culture 2023, Community associations, Croydon BID, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Jo Negrini, Mayor Jason Perry, Mayor of London, Music, Oliver Lewis, Sadiq Khan, Theatre, Tony Newman
Tagged Andy Stranack, Borough of Culture, Boxpark, Caterina Loriggio, Conservative, Croydon, Desmond Dekker, Fairfield Halls, Four Communications, Jo Negrini, Justine Simons, Kristian Aspinall, Labour, London, Mayor Jason Perry, Mayor Sadiq Khan, Oliver Lewis, Tony Newman, Tory, White Label
6 Comments
Fairfield Halls struggling to sell tickets for Culture opener
Our veteran arts correspondent, BELLA BARTOCK, on the council-owned arts centre’s struggle to win back its old audiences There’s mounting, and justifiable, concern that the Fairfield Halls, despite the best-efforts of its new-ish operators, are failing to win back audiences … Continue reading
Posted in Art, BH Live, Borough of Culture 2023, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Improvement Board, Music, Neil Chandler, Tony McArdle
Tagged BHLive, Croydon, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Improvement and Assurance Panel, Improvement Board, London Mozart Players, Neil Chandler, Sheku Kanneh-Mason, Swedish Philharmonia, Tony McArdle
15 Comments
Windrush Generation’s exhibition is playing sounds of the 70s
After a week spent playing ‘silly games’ with the borough’s politicians, for a deserved break, KEN TOWL got serious about Lovers’ Rock Croydon’s musical heritage is immense. It is so rich and varied that the council is putting together some … Continue reading
Posted in Activities, Art, Borough of Culture 2023, Community associations, History, Ken Towl, Music, Whitgift Centre
Tagged Christine McNabb, Janet Kay, Ken Towl, Lovers' Rock, Sonia Williams, Whitgift Centre, Windrush Generation, Windrush Generation Legacy Association, Wraydette McNabb
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Arts Council backs project that will flag up Borough of Culture
South Asian arts organisation Subrang Arts has been awarded £23,661 by Arts Council England to deliver creative activities that will teach Croydon school children and local community groups about the rich cultural heritage of India. The project, called Kalasetu, will … Continue reading
It’s long overdue that Hurlstone’s music is heard once again
SUNDAY SUPPLEMENT: In the year when Croydon is London’s Borough of Culture, DAVID MORGAN suggests it presents an opportunity to revive some of the music of a once-admired composer Searching through some old press cuttings, I came across one from … Continue reading
Mayor Khan reveals brand identity for Borough of Culture 2023
The Mayor of London’s Borough of Culture 2023 has launched its striking look – under the banner of This is Croydon – and is inviting Croydon communities and audiences to get involved. The Borough of Culture is an initiative by … Continue reading
Pianist Kempf plans his homecoming with Estonian orchestra
Croydon-born Freddy Kempf, one of the world’s leading concert pianists, is to make a return to his home town next year in a special gala concert with the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra at the Fairfield Halls, where tickets for under-18s … Continue reading
Turmoil at Fairfield Halls as operating company suffers exodus
Our culture correspondent, BELLA BARTOCK, on changing times at the council-owned arts centre, and a diamond anniversary that has been forgotten by the council There’s yet more turmoil behind the scenes at the Fairfield Halls, where the chief executive and … Continue reading
Posted in Art, Ashcroft Theatre, BH Live, Borough of Culture 2023, Business, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Jon Workman, Mayor Jason Perry, Music, The Wreck, Theatre
Tagged BHLive, Borough of Culture, Bournemouth, Chris Symons, Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Jon Workman, Kevin Quilty, Mayor Jason Perry, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, Queen Mother, Tory
13 Comments
Ukraine’s national orchestra to play Croydon’s Fairfield Halls
The Fairfield Halls will stage one of the gala concerts in next year’s UK tour by the National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine, it has been announced. Croydon’s arts centre will be one of 17 venues in the tour, the first … Continue reading
Art projects can meet funders for culture year at Stanley Halls
Stanley Halls will be hosting a “Meet the Funders” session on November 3, to brief arts centres, arts groups and artists about how to access funding for projects when Croydon is London’s Borough of Culture in 2023. “Croydon in 2023 … Continue reading
Posted in Art, Borough of Culture 2023, Stanley Halls
Tagged Borough of Culture, South Norwood, Stanley Halls
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You’re having a giraffe! BID’s art-washing effort for Culture year
Croydon BID, the business improvement district which represents some of the biggest employers in the town centre, is planning to unleash more than 30 eight-foot-tall statues of giraffes around their area next autumn. It was Croydon BID that was behind … Continue reading
Posted in Art, Borough of Culture 2023, Business, Croydon BID
Tagged Borough of Culture, Croydon, Croydon BID, London Borough of Croydon, Matthew Sims
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Bailiffs instructed after council breaks High Court injunction
CROYDON IN CRISIS: The discredited council under Newman and Negrini won their bid for ‘Borough of Culture’ status by using material that senior staff knew to be stolen intellectual property. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES Katherine Kerswell, the chief exec of … Continue reading
Posted in Borough of Culture 2023, Business, Croydon Council, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Paula Murray
Tagged Adam Chamberlain, AdavoMedia, Borough of Culture, Croydon, Croydon Council, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Paula Murray, Tony Newman
4 Comments
