When heavy rain was forecast for Sunday 3 September, Thornton Heath Festival 2017 stood every chance of being a wash-out for the first time in a decade!  Key members of the Festival Management Committee, Tony Rowland, Cllr. Callton Young OBE, Cllr. Pat Clouder, Hon. Alderman Adrian Dennis, Karen Barnett and Cllr. Karen Jewitt were therefore on tenterhooks as Thornton Heath High Street was closed to traffic at 6am that morning, to make preparation for the day ahead.

Heavy lorries rolled in, ladened with the all important Fun Fair rides.  No Thornton Heath Festival is complete without them!  Then there was the arrival of the central stage, the stallholders and the band of volunteers who help the day run smoothly. All of this happened under the watchful gaze of our professional group of SIA approved security officers led by Renford.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Fortunately, rain did not come until the end of the Festival. And by then both revellers and performers alike were in the groove! So the band played on, singers sang on and the crowd danced on, full of the joys!  Indeed, this Festival eclipsed many others to become one of the most enjoyable yet!  Above are some photos of the best ‘people’ moments towards the very end of Festival as rain started to fall!  There were smiles all round!

Continue reading →

Thornton Heath Festival’s awesome spectacle of sound, colour, dance and food  takes place this weekend, Sunday 3 September. It will bring Thornton Heath’s diverse communities together for a fun-packed day by providing something for people of all groups, ages and backgrounds. An online Council poll voted last year’s event the best festival in Croydon by a large margin.

This year’s Festival will be our tenth anniversary!  Reaching this milestone is a tribute to the efforts of volunteers like Tony Rowland (Chair), Councillor Callton Young, Councillor Pat Clouder, Hon. Alderman Adrian Dennis, Karen Barnett and a small but changing group of others over the years.

Each year we aim to improve our offer. This year is no different. There will be live music from local band Skillosophi and local performers like Kimberley SK and X Factor star Leah McKenzie (pictured below) and Ben Brown from The Voice.

Continue reading →

The date of Thornton Heath Festival 2017 has been announced as Sunday, 3 September 2017.

As usual the event will run from noon until 6pm and take place on Thornton Heath High Street.  The road will be closed off for the day.

Speaking ahead of a meeting with Town Hall officials to get clearances for the event, Festival Chairman Tony Rowland said ‘the Management Committee is delighted to be delivering yet another fun-filled day for the local community!  The Festival is in its 10th year, has always been popular with local residents.

Festival Vice Chairman, Councillor Callton Young OBE, said he was” looking forward to helping to deliver yet another fabulous day for the community. A lot of exceptionally good talent is coming out of Thornton Heath at the moment and the Festival is an opportunity to showcase that and to bring in good acts from further afield to create a great party atmosphere.”

Continue reading →

Well, Well!  Thornton Heath was buzzing today as locals stopped to read banners, posters and flyers promoting this year’s Thornton Heath Festival which will take place on Sunday, 4 September.  The event will be held on Thornton Heath High Street.  It will start at noon and run throughout the afternoon, finishing at 6pm.  The street will be closed to traffic.

Organisers have lined up some great artists for the live stage performances.  Festival Vice Chairman, Councillor Callton Young OBE,  said “last year’s festival was great but this year’s will be fantastic!  There will be a distinct Soca vibe with Soca champions like Triniboi Joocie and One The Band, performing live – plus Notting Hill favourites Flagz Mas Band showing us how Soca is danced professionally and getting the crowd involved.”  Councillor Pat Clouder, who has been working with the Festival for ten years now, said “the event is a great way of bringing the community together.”

Continue reading →

Thornton Heath Festival is a not-for-profit body!  Funds generated from the 2015 Festival have been spent on new Christmas lights for Thornton Heath’s High Street! Everything made goes back into our local community!

The new lights will be switched on at the Clock Tower at 5.30pm on Saturday 21 November 2015.

The honours will be done by local singer Kimberley ‘SK’, who will also warm hearts with a few songs of Christmas cheer.

The Acts Christian Church choir will sing Christmas carols to add to the festive spirit.j Continue reading →