The Four day Weekend Starts Here
It’s been months in the planning, and has involved many late nights and heavy negotiating but, at last, Ambition Festival is here.
Limited tickets remain available for the most hotly anticipated event in a packed Croydon summer schedule. The first Ambition Festival is certain to put the town firmly back on the cultural map as it offers an exciting programme of music, spoken-word, dance, theatre, song and comedy that’s guaranteed to find favour with every member of the family.
The festival boasts top international acts – such as Soul ll Soul, Mad Professor, Tinariwen and Lee “Scratch” Perry – performing alongside emerging artists from across the UK, many of whom have already built solid reputations on the festival and local gig circuits.
The four-day weekend kicks off on Thursday (23) with Lee Perry and Tinariwen at Fairfield and a live dubstep orchestra in Croydon Minster; and Friday, Saturday and Sunday will see performances in a number of venues around the town centre, many of them free of charge.
The full programme of events and details of ticket availability can be found at www.ambitionfest.com
Most of the outdoor stages around Fairfield and the Town Hall will be family-friendly, with a wide mix of music, great food and craft stalls, and a safe vibe thanks to a kilometre of security fencing creating a festival arena in the heart of the town for the weekend.
To keep everybody amused, there will be a host of entertainment specifically geared to the younger part of the audience . . . take a wander through the sunken parts of The Queen’s Gardens, go down into Old Town to see what’s on offer, or head over to the amazing Colourscape experience outside Fairfield.
Ambition has given birth to a brand new part of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival with the commissioning of the Blundabus. Many people will have seen this otherwise normal London double-decker being transformed into a bar and comedy venue in The Queen’s Gardens and North End over the past few weeks.
It has already hosted sold-out comedy and spoken-word nights in the lead up to Ambition and tickets are still available for some of the shows – but get in quick because it has only a 35-seat capacity for each performance! Tickets can be booked here.
And, in South End, there is a fringe festival all of our own as the team behind Gastropub Live is bringing together fine music and fine dining to liven up the Restaurant Quarter as well as hosting an amazing gig at St Paul’s Church, Croham Road. Tickets can be booked here.
Check the website for full details – www.ambitionfest.com
Councillor Timothy Godfrey, cabinet member for culture, leisure and sport, said: “Ambition Festival will bring the town centre to life, providing four days of top-grade entertainment for all the family.
“This summer, Croydon has hosted some great celebrations, including the South End Food Festival, the Ping! table tennis event, the Pearl Izumi cycle races and a range of district-centre festivals.
“Ambition is the icing on the cake and I’d like to see the town centre thronging with people having a great time enjoying the huge range of entertainment we’re laying on.”
