A new music festival focused on bringing guitar bands back to Croydon sold out its main night last weekend.

The inaugural Cro Cro Land, organised by the creators of The Croydonist blog, was full to capacity on Saturday, with a line-up that attracted music-lovers from across the UK, as well as more than 70 industry professionals.

This brand new event at Urban Xchange was supported by Croydon Council through its cultural partnership fund, which offers arts organisations match-funding for local projects, and funded by Arts Council England.

Croydon residents Julia Woollams and Angela Martin developed the festival to celebrate the borough’s music history as the birthplace of punk, with a line-up featuring 40 of the UK’s most exciting indie and alternative bands and DJs across three stages.

"We’ve been blown away by the positive response to Cro Cro Land," Julia Woollams said

“The festival would not have been possible without all our collaborators, with everyone pulling together to create a day where artists, festival goers, supporters, volunteers, mentees and crew all felt part of the friendly and celebratory atmosphere.”

It was billed as a gender-balanced event, with the organisers making an effort to represent women in both the line-up and the backstage crew.

Through a partnership with local charity Lives not Knives, Cro Cro land offered a programme of work experience and training for young people throughout the event.