02 Oct Croydon Food and Music Festival 2025: A true taste of the community
One month on since the Croydon Food and Music Festival and it is still being talked about as a day of heart, with the Croydon community gathering to celebrate its uniquely diverse community through a day of feasting, music and dancing.
The festival took place in the busy Restaurant Quarter, which was transformed into an alfresco dining experience, attracting around 9,500 visitors from across the borough and beyond. Festival-goers had 45 stalls to choose from, including 35 food and beverage stalls offering a global culinary experience, including American, Canadian, British/English Modern, Indian, Sri Lankan, Dutch, Armenian, Greek, German, Italian, Spanish, Mexican, Venezuelan, Filipino, Thai, Japanese, Vietnamese, Jamaican/Caribbean, Nigerian, Kenyan/Ghanian, Persian and more.
In addition to the food, the festival also featured a live music stage, where local bands and musicians performed throughout the day. The lineup included a mix of genres, from gospel and RnB to metal and punk rock. The crowd was particularly delighted by the opening act, Singology Choir, a network of community choirs across London, founded in 2004 by acclaimed choral director Mark De-Lisser, with a mission to unite people through the joy of singing. They played many current songs across gospel, pop, and soul and setting the high-energy tone for the day. Equally as impressive was our closing act, DJ SK & DJ Shaq D, who ended their set on a Bob Marley song, drawing the crowd together for a moment of oneness and joyful swaying to end the Festival.
After a year’s break, this year’s festival was much anticipated, and it didn’t disappoint. Face painting and roaming entertainers, like a lively comedy circus performer and jovial stilt walkers, left the crowds in awe and amazement, as positivity radiated throughout the festival.
Executive Mayor of Croydon, Jason Perry, said:
“It was fantastic to see our community come together to celebrate Croydon’s rich culture and creativity. Thank you to the organisers and local businesses for putting on another great event”
The love for the Festival was seen clearly across social media too, through engagement during the four-month campaign period from June to September. The Croydon Food and Music Festival gained 620 new followers, 361K impressions (post’s visibility), and received 3.5K post engagements. Comments left on the pages were heartfelt and encouraging, with top comments saying, “Thank you for bringing back community to Croydon,” “Please can you do this twice a year,” and countless messages about the incredible food and unforgettable day.
Kareen Davis, owner of KD Delights, a Festival trader, said: “Massive thanks for giving us yet another amazing event and giving me the opportunity to trade. Hopefully next year will be…bigger and greater.”
Aston Jones, House of Alchemy, a Festival performer, said: “We honestly had an absolute blast on stage. We had such an incredible audience and support throughout the show!”
Croydon Food and Music Festival 2025 is organised by the independent South Croydon Business Association and creatively delivered by White Label Creative. The 2025 festival has been partially funded by UK Shared Prosperity Funds and supported by the Executive Mayor of Croydon’s Festival Fund.