Saturday 14 November 2026
Croydon is getting festive early this year, as A Very Croydon Christmas returns to the town centre from 4 to 6 December 2026. Now in its fourth year, the event comes back bigger than ever, with market stalls, global traditions, music, outdoor arts, creative workshops and family activities in and around Katharine Street and Croydon Clocktower. It is run under the Culture Croydon banner, the council’s year-round programme that builds on the borough’s time as London Borough of Culture. Here are five things to know before you go.
1. It starts with a festive Night Market
The weekend kicks off on Friday 4 December with a Night Market running from 4pm to 9pm along Katharine Street and inside the Clocktower’s Braithwaite Hall. Stalls will feature fashion, arts, local produce, vintage vinyl and handmade gifts, so it is a handy chance to tick off some Christmas shopping. To keep you warm there will be a hog roast, mulled wine and Christmas cocktails. Performances, character walkabouts, DJs and workshops will bring the street to life, with the illuminated clocktower providing a backdrop to the festivities.
2. Giant illuminated characters will roam the streets
Some extraordinary festive visitors are heading to town across the weekend. Bjorn the Polar Bear, a life-sized arctic adventurer, makes a return visit to Croydon Clocktower on Sunday. Global Grooves bring Nandi, a towering illuminated bull whose name translates from Sanskrit to “joyfulness”, while Thingamajig Theatre leads a giant Barn Owl with a four-metre wingspan gliding above the crowds. Look out too for The Luzeros by Cusan Theatre, two giant Latin American carnivalesque figures, and Ski Sunday, whose glowing winter characters are inspired by alpine ski culture.
3. You can dance, drum and join in
From traditional dance to carnival spectacle, the programme celebrates cultures and communities from across the world. Visitors can join an energetic Folkdance Remixed Ceilidh and watch South Norwood’s own clog dancers, the Old Palace Clog. Jamaican Junkanoo walkabouts will bring Christmas carnival to the Clocktower, and Spark! by Worldbeaters will roam the streets in a playful illuminated drumming performance. Poems for Peace will be led by the Muslim Association, and new this year, poets Shaniqua Benjamin, Beverly Bossanga and Zhanai Wallace will run a poetry workshop so young people can take part.
4. There is a Christmas Concert and a 4.7m woven tree
A highlight of the weekend is the Christmas Concert in Braithwaite Hall, led by a brass quintet from the London Mozart Players with Pegasus Opera, who will invite the audience to sing along to global songs and Christmas carols. Elsewhere, the Christmas Wound & Woven Tree, standing 4.7m tall in Croydon Clocktower, invites visitors to try traditional English craft weaving and add to a communal artwork that will decorate the building all season. Other artist-led workshops include clay decorations with Eastern European motifs with Agata Nowak, Persio-Islamic illumination pattern painting with Zahra Halepota, and Mexican crafts with MexiBrits.
5. Families are well catered for
Families with young children can enjoy Baby Gospel, an uplifting interactive musical session full of festive favourites with chances to sing, clap and join in. Polka Theatre will run puppet workshops exploring the Chilean Mapuche myth of Wanglen, as well as Sensory Storytelling Workshops for SEND children and young people. Atelier Arzu will be face painting, and Daria Kulesh will share Christmas tales through musical storytelling. Jason Perry, Executive Mayor of Croydon, said: “This year’s programme offers something for everyone, from live performances and music to hands-on workshops and family activities, whilst showcasing the rich mix of cultures and traditions that make Croydon unique.”
Visit
A Very Croydon Christmas
In and around Katharine Street and Croydon Clocktower, Croydon town centre
Friday 4 December: 4pm–9pm (Night Market)
Saturday 5 December: 12pm–6pm
Sunday 6 December: 12pm–5pm
The full programme schedule will be published shortly on the Culture Croydon website.