South London’s Cultural Hub
culture
Croydon has shaped British culture for decades, the birthplace of dubstep and creative home to Stormzy, RAYE, David Bowie and Amy Winehouse. In 2023 it served as London’s Borough of Culture, a programme involving 2,750 artists and creatives.
Home of the Eagles
A Sporting Success
Crystal Palace FC anchors Croydon’s sporting identity, and Selhurst Park is about to be transformed.
Croydon Council has granted full planning permission for a new Main Stand, raising capacity from 25,486 to more than 34,000, creating over 100 new jobs and delivering a nine-figure private investment in the heart of South London.
The club sits at the centre of a borough with exceptional sporting depth. Croydon has produced Olympic medallists across multiple disciplines: Joe Choong won individual gold in Modern Pentathlon at Tokyo 2021, trained at Whitgift School’s renowned academy; Joshua Buatsi took light-heavyweight bronze at Rio 2016 after training at South Norwood and Victory Boxing Club; and triathlete Alex Yee returned from Paris 2024 with gold and silver medals. Sprinter Donna Fraser competed at four consecutive Olympic Games; race walker Paul Nihill won silver at Tokyo 1964.
At grassroots level, the Croydon Harriers at Croydon Sports Arena produce national champions, the GLL Sport Foundation supports dozens of emerging local athletes, and the borough has won multiple London-wide disabled youth titles through the Panathlon Foundation.
A Creative Force in UK Music
Music & Legends
Croydon is the birthplace of dubstep and has produced or shaped Grammy winners Olivia Dean and FKA Twigs, Brit Award-winners RAYE and Stormzy, and musical legends David Bowie and Amy Winehouse.
The borough has an established reputation as a creative force in the UK music industry
A Stage for Every Story
Theatre & Arts
Fairfield Halls anchors Croydon’s cultural offer with a year-round programme spanning comedy, pantomime and theatre.
The arts and entertainment centre is home to Talawa, the UK’s foremost Black British theatre company, and the London Mozart Players, the longest-established chamber orchestra in the UK.
Stanley Arts adds a further dimension with a radically inclusive programme of performance and community engagement, while the borough’s growing street art scene has turned Croydon into an open-air gallery
9,500 Visitors, 45 Stalls
Food & Festival
BOXPARK, the new PLAYBOX, and the Croydon Restaurant Quarter, home to more than 30 independent restaurants, bars and eateries, are the foundation of Croydon’s food and culture scene, alongside the volunteer-led David Lean Cinema.
In 2023, Croydon’s Borough of Culture programme brought together 2,750 artists and creatives across a year of events celebrating the borough’s full cultural breadth
