Headliners announced for Croydon Ambition Festival

Croydon Borough Council has confirmed the acts that will headline the Ambition Festival in July. These are Soul II Soul, Grammy award-winners Tinariwen and dub-reggae producer Mad Professor.

However, the identity of the “very special guest” who will perform alongside Mad Professor remains a mystery to all but a few select insiders. A further 100 artists have also been booked to play across 30 stages and venues during the long weekend, including alumni from the local BRIT School such as Natalie Shay.

The local theme will continue, with local record labels One Tree Music, Great Sheiks and Air Balloon taking the opportunity to show off their own artists. In addition to music, festival-goers can also enjoy theatre, dance and spoken-word performances, with a mixture of well-established names and up-and-coming local talent on offer.

Tickets will go on sale imminently for the four-day event, which will kick off on July 23rd at the Arnhem Gallery in the Fairfield Halls. However, tickets for some of the larger events are not set to be released until mid-April.

To make sure the whole weekend has a genuine festival vibe, there will also be outdoor bars, street food and craft stalls dotted throughout the venues.

Locals will even have the chance to get involved, with dance workshops on July 25th and 26th.

As Timothy Godfrey, the council’s cabinet member for culture, leisure and sport, explained: “This is all part of Croydon’s continuing journey to regain the cool factor. East London might be where most of the hipsters hang out right now, but you only have to look around to see that Croydon is where many of them live, making up part of our vibrant and diverse community. We’ve got loads of great venues and what this festival will showcase is why we’re brilliantly placed to become the next hotspot on London’s cultural landscape.”
Thanks to council funding, many of the events will be free to attend, ensuring that as many local people as possible can enjoy the fun.

Published 30th March, 2015

© 2015 Estates IT Limited