Having not been held last year, the Crystal Palace Overground Festival is set to return this year with events being held in conjunction with the festival from 12th-18th June. Having started in 2006, the festival has grown and grown, with approximately 10,000 people visiting over five days back in 2015, as it seeks to create cultural events and activities that bring the local community together, and promotes Crystal Palace as an interesting and special place to live and work in. The event is entirely volunteer-driven and has grown to such an extent that it’s moving from Westow Park to the much larger Crystal Palace Park. Thankfully, the event is still largely free. We at South London Club love anything that promotes the diverse culture of South London, and we also love events that promote local independent business, so we’re definitely big fans of this event. To give you an idea as to what is on offer during the festival, we’ve gone through the programme of events and have worked out a short guide of what we reckon are the best bets for each day, starting with the last day of the festival.
sheku kanneh-mason
Sunday 8th June
£15
St John the Evangelist, Sylvan Road, SE19 2RX
Supported by Croydon’s London Mozart Players, BBC Young Musician 2016 Sheku Kanneh-Mason will be performing Haydn’s Cello Concerto in C in a special one-off show. Sheku is the first black musician to be named BBC Young Musician, and despite being one of the paid events at the festival, seeing a talent like Sheku in a setting like the beautiful St John the Evangelist is a performance not to be missed.
Tickets can be purchased from www.lmp.org
KIANJA AND BAND
Saturday 17th June
FREE
Youth Takeover Stage, Crystal Palace Park
18:15-18:45
Kianja is a very new and very fresh musician who has only just graduated from the BRIT School this year. Her soulful music is both sincere and groove-driven, and it is hardly surprising that she has been writing, producing, and performing her own music since she was 14. Get down to the Youth Takeover Stage and see a performer who most certainly has the potential to make a big impact on the UK music scene over the coming years. You’ll be able to say you saw her before she was big.
overground express
Friday 16th June
£8 Adult, £5 Concession
Antenna Studios, Bowers Yard, Haynes Lane, Crystal Palace, SE19 3AN
19:30
Hosted by prize-winning local poet Joe Duggan, the Overground Express is back for another year with a lineup of hard-hitting spoken word to properly kickstart the festival weekend. Confirmed performances from Zena Edwards, winner of the Hidden Creatives Award 2012, and Zia Ahmed, 2011 Roundhouse Slam winning poet, plus performances from special guests Matthew Caley and David Crystal means this event promises to be the main event of the Friday night. Sells out quickly so get on the tickets quick sharp, which can be found here.
SPORTS IN THE PARK
Thursday 15th June
FREE
Westow Park
17:00-19:20
Back again for another year, Friends of Westow Park’s annual sports event is set to get kids active with races, tennis and football among other things on the agenda. Local sports club will be there to introduce anyone to new sports and to encourage those attending to get involved. Ages from toddler to 15 years welcome and we can confirm that there will be prizes for the winners. The old adage is that winning isn’t everything, but really, we all know it is.
chakradance taster session
Wednesday 14th June
FREE
St Hugh's Community Centre, 42 Castledine Road, SE20 8PL
Currently wondering what Chakradance is? Never fear, now is your chance to find out by attending this taster session hosted by Sandalphon’s Slippers. Prepare to be taken on an inner journey using multi-sensory healing methods including Chakradance, sound healing, and mandala art. Numbers are limited so you’ll need to reserve your place, which you can do here.
BEYOND WORDS
Tuesday 13th June
£5 Adult, £4 Concession
Gipsy Hill Tavern
19:30
Fusing poetry, music, and theatre, Angela Bordie and Steve Halliwell bring their show Beyond Words to the Crystal Palace Overground Festival before it goes up to Hull for the City of Culture celebrations. Featuring Maurice Riordan, local poets Paul Carney, Racheal Joseph, Orlanda Marsden, Robin Pilcher, William Wylde; storyteller Lindy Armah; playwrights Claire Booker and Frank Mariani; and Salt Music, this promises to be quite the rip-roaring event. Tickets can be purchased on the door, so first come, first served.
connected yoga class
Monday 12th June
FREE
Crystal Palace Park
19:00
Meeting at the bottom of the main steps to the left of the Sports Centre, this free yoga session promises to be a wonderful event for yogis of all levels. If you intend to attend events throughout the week this could be the perfect start for you. The class will last one hour, and though it’s free, registration is a must and can be done here.
These are just a number of the events happening throughout the week and we’re sure that there is even more on offer that you will enjoy. The full festival programme can be viewed here.
Get down to Crystal Palace Park and enjoy one of the best free events you’ll find in South London all year.
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