The fourth annual Croydon Fun Weekend — Friday 23 to Sunday 25 January 2015

The Croydon Fun Weekend is an annual celebration of things to do in Croydon. It takes place on the last full weekend of January each year.

It's not associated with any formal or informal organisations — it's organised solely by me (Kake) with the aim of showing my friends some of the things that are great about living in Croydon.

Most of the weekend is open to anyone who wants to come along, but (for reasons of space and security) the parts that take place in my house are restricted to people I've already met in person.

Photography policy

Photos are great in general (and you can put them in our Flickr pool afterwards if you like) — but please don't take photos of other Croydon Fun Weekend attendees unless you have their explicit permission.

The 2015 programme (see also: 2019 programme)

Friday 23 January 2015

noon–5pm
Child-friendly lunch/snacks and play at Beanies in the Whitgift Centre (note: Beanies soft play was previously located on Middle Street, just off Surrey Street, but by the time of the Fun Weekend it will have moved to the Whitgift Centre). As part of this, at 2pm Susan Oliver will be giving us an introduction to quilling, a type of decorative papercraft.
5:30pm-7:15pm
Drinks at the Royal Standard, 1 Sheldon Street, CR0 1SS. Accessibility: A step to get in, possibly another step to get to seating and toilets (depending on where we find space). Small, narrow spaces inside.
7:30pm onwards
Dinner at Mazi, 81 London Road, CR0 2RF. Vegetarian and vegan options are limited, but include lentil soup, hummous, various salads, stuffed vine leaves, and vegetarian pide (available with or without cheese). Accessibility: Two steps to seating and a flight of stairs to the toilets. Please let me know by noon on Monday 19 January if you want to come to this, so I can let the restaurant know how many of us there will be.

Saturday 24 January 2015

Morning
A pervasive game in the Dingwall Road area: Rubble, run by Kevan Davis. Meet at 11:15am next to J B Shakespeare, 67 George Street, CR0 1LD (come out of the main entrance of East Croydon Station, turn right, cross a side road, pass Pret and Boots, and it's just past Albemarle Bond). Accessibility: The game is played on foot on pavements and across car parks with some crossing of not-at-all-busy roads. It will take about half an hour. Players who can jog around will be at an advantage over walkers for the scavenger-hunt side of the game, but it's still enjoyably playable by someone walking slowly. The game partly involves looking for and picking up playing cards, which will be blutacked to walls and scenery within easy reach for someone standing — no climbing required.
12:30pm-1:30pm
Lunch at the Surrey Streatery on Surrey Street. Vegetarian options available. Accessibility: Step-free to enter and to reach accessible toilet. Surrey Street itself will be crowded and busy due to the street market. The venue is indoors and we have a table booked.
1:30pm-6pm, Team Shop/Cook
Shopping for food on Surrey Street Market and in the independent shops on Church Street and London Road, followed by cooking at my house. There will be no overall plan for the cooking, so if there's something you particularly want to make then go for it. Non-cooks are welcome at this too, particularly if you're up for entertaining children while their usual carers do some cooking. Please note that due to the venue this activity is only open to people I've already met in person. Accessibility: Most of the places we'll be shopping will be crowded and busy. Some will have steps to get in. See below for access to house; also, the kitchen has no low surfaces.
1:30pm-6pm, Team Pub
Pub crawl designed by bob walker and led by Ewan Munro. Meet at the Surrey Streatery for a 1:30pm start.
6:30pm onwards
Teams converge for dinner at my house, cooked earlier by Team Shop/Cook. Please note that due to the venue this activity is only open to people I've already met in person. Vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options will be provided. Accessibility: A few shallow steps and a 90-degree turn to get in. Narrow hallway, two more shallow steps, and a 90-degree turn to the toilet.

Sunday 25 January 2015

12:30pm–1:30pm
Lunch at Uncle Lim’s, 1123–1124 Whitgift Centre Upper Level, CR0 1UZ. Vegetarian options available. Accessibility: Step-free via Whitgift Centre lifts.
2pm onwards
Walk led by Paul Sowan: Follow the horses! Ambling along Croydon’s first three railways. Meet at Waddon Marsh tram stop at 2pm, and finish some time later at Station Road, West Croydon.
5pm onwards
Drinks and dinner at the George, 17-21 George Street, CR0 1LA. We should be here by 5pm, likely even earlier. Standard Wetherspoons menu including vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free options (see special diets menu builder on the Wetherspoons website). Accessibility: No steps to get in, and it’s step-free to all the seating (via a ramp for the back part). There’s a RADAR-locked accessible toilet on the ground floor, though access to this is often cluttered with people.