Croydon Summer Festival

Lloyd Park in South London hosts the Croydon Summer Festival this weekend featuring events centred around two of London’s largest ethnic groups, with the African Caribbean Family Festival taking place on Saturday 14 July and the Croydon Mela on Sunday 15 July.

The African Caribbean Family Festival features various music acts and groups on two stages including on the Main Stage reggae legend Jimmy Cliff and pioneering soul/R&B group Soul II Soul, while the Sunshine Stage has among others Senegalese singer Nuru Kane and his band Bayefall Gnawa and S.W Storm who fuses Caribbean soca, rock, bhangra, R&B and Turkish music.

On both days they’ll be a Community Stage with performances by Croydon’s up and coming musicians, dancers and performers, a Digital Funfair, a Croydon Schools’ Festival Flags and a Kids’ Area. Also on Saturday moving around the park will be the Tony Charles Steel Band, the Carnival of Curiosities human circus and Icarus, a giant beach patrol.

Raghav headlines the Mela Main Stage on Sunday, mixing Bollywood, R&B and rap in English and Hindi. Also performing are Bee2 Bhangra, Dhol Academy, Khan Brothers Qawwali, Swami Desi Rock and Radio 1 DJ’s Bobby Friction and Nihal. The Mela’s Classical Stage has classical Asian music and dance performed by the likes of sitar master Baluji Shrivastav. Stilt walking cricketers Artizani will also be on site at the Mela.

The Croydon Summer Festival is free to attend and runs from 1pm-8pm each day. Lloyd Park is about seven miles south of Peckham, East Croydon and South Croydon are the nearest train stations.