Croydon town centre is set to come alive this weekend as a free festival celebrating Asian culture takes over North End, as reported by our sister title London Now.
The Surprised! Festival will run on Saturday, May 16, and Sunday, May 17, with all events and workshops offered free of charge.
Inspired by Henri Rousseau’s tiger painting Surprised!, the festival aims to fill Croydon with colour, movement and music, celebrating Asian arts, community and culture, London Now reports, where further details of the programme can be read.
The painting is currently on display in The Whitgift Centre as part of The National Gallery: Art On Your Doorstep.
The two-day event will feature street performances, large-scale puppetry, live music, dance, craft workshops for all ages, and a selection of food stalls.
Street performances will include a mix of roaming acts animating North End and Whitgift Square.
The Sonia Sabri Company will present The Peacock & The Princess, an outdoor walkabout inspired by Indian and Persian miniature painting.
Inspirate will retell the South Asian epic battle between Hanuman the Monkey God and Ravana the Demon King with large-scale puppets.
The Vietnamese Family Partnership will perform a traditional Vietnamese Lion Dance, with family workshops available for those who wish to try on the costume and learn the dance.
The Bollywood Brass Band will also be roaming North End with high-energy Bollywood hits.
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The music programme, curated by Shri Sriram and Drum the Bass, will span traditions and contemporary sounds.
Acts will include The Sound of China, the Hengām Ensemble performing Iranian classical music, the Djanan Turan Quartet, and DJ Bobby Friction, who will be spinning a set celebrating British Asian and South Asian music across the decades.
The festival's dance stage, curated by Anusha Subramanyam and Beeja Dance Company, will showcase traditions from across Asia.
This will include performances from the UK China Performing Arts, Rhythmotion, Fin de Fiesta, and more.
A variety of free workshops will also be available, offering two-hour sessions in activities such as origami, Chinese knotting, mask making, Anatolian tile painting, henna hand painting, and more.
A Vietnamese Lion Dance workshop and a Balinese dance workshop will also be on offer.
In addition to the performances and workshops, a vibrant selection of food stalls will line the streets, offering flavours from across Asia throughout the weekend.
The festival promises to be a joyful, family-friendly programme, bringing together artists, performers, and communities from across the UK.
It is organised as part of The National Gallery: Art On Your Doorstep initiative.
For further information and the full programme, visit culturecroydon.com/event/surprised.
