London Borough of Culture – a lasting legacy

Croydon’s landmark Clocktower was transformed into a beacon of light, and the town centre was brimming with colour and activity as Croydon Remix – the finale of our year as London Borough of Culture – took place at the end of March.

It was wonderful to see street performances, concerts, puppetry, dance, art shows and the light show, all centred around The Clocktower and town centre area, that reunited many of the artists and community groups for a fitting celebration of This is Croydon, which has proven to be a hugely inclusive, collaborative, and vibrant year.

Since we launched London Borough of Culture in April last year, Croydon has hosted a varied programme of events that have brought communities together and shone a spotlight on our rich cultural heritage, of which we are very proud.

Among the highlights were: Citizen UK, Croydon’s Caribbean Influencers exhibition, a performance from the National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine; and a festival of Deaf, Disabled and Neurodivergent artists. Croydon Stands Tall, saw Croydon BID (Business Improvement District) and local businesses collaborate with artists and schools to create a town centre trail of colourful giraffes; while Rewind: This is Croydon’s Music exhibition, explored the borough’s incredible music heritage and continues at the Museum of Croydon until 7 September.

Being London Borough of Culture 2023 has boosted pride in Croydon as a place to live, work and visit and it has showcased our incredible people, talent, and history. It has enabled new opportunities and ways of working – in terms of how we invest in young people, in the local cultural sector, and given a boost to the regeneration of our town centre.

In just 12 months, we have reached an audience of more than 500,000 people. More than 85% of our schools have taken part, giving young people of all backgrounds access to creative education. There have been more than 12,000 development opportunities for young people, including performances, hands-on participation, and co-creation, with many more attending events and exhibitions.

The delivery of the year has been powered by more than 90 partner organisations in a truly collaborative partnership between the council and the cultural sector.

Detailed work to quantify the economic impact of the year is still underway. However, it has increased footfall to our high streets and local businesses and brought cultural funding into the borough that we are building on as part of the legacy of the year.

The number of Arts Council National Portfolio Organisations (NPO) in Croydon increased from 1 to 6, representing a tenfold increase in annual NPO funding to the borough. In addition to this and investment from the Greater London Authority (GLA), the London Borough of Culture secured more than £600,000 from Arts Council England and £485,000 from National Lottery Heritage Fund towards programming the year and its legacy.

The work that went into staging the festival, and its legacy will continue, and the memories will be preserved for future generations through a digital archiving project made possible by The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Ten young people will be trained in archiving, digital skills, research, and exhibitions. This will create digital archives of our year as London Borough of Culture – so residents and visitors will be able to see what happened in 2023-24 for many years to come.

See the This is Croydon website for cultural events in 2024: https://www.culturecroydon.com/