Surprised! is a vibrant weekend festival filling Croydon with colour, movement and music, celebrating Asian arts, community and culture. Across two days, the town centre will come alive with street performances, largescale puppetry, live music, dance, craft workshops for all ages and a selection of food stalls, offering something for everyone.
Inspired by Henri Rousseau’s tiger painting Surprised! — currently on display in The Whitgift Centre as part of The National Gallery: Art On Your Doorstep, the festival brings together artists, performers and communities from across the UK for a joyful, familyfriendly programme.
Programme Overview
Street Performances (Croydon’s North End)
A lively mix of roaming performances animates North End and Whitgift Square, including:
• Sonia Sabri Company – The Peacock & The Princess
An outdoor walkabout inspired by Indian and Persian miniature painting.
• Inspirate – Ancient Giants
Large-scale puppets retelling the South Asian epic battle between Hanuman the Monkey God and Ravana the Demon King.
• Vietnamese Family Partnership – Vietnamese Lion Dance
Traditional lion mask and costume performance, with family workshops to try on the costume and learn the dance.
• Bollywood Brass Band
A pioneering brass band roaming North End with highenergy Bollywood hits and irresistibly danceable rhythms.
Music (North End Bandstand)
Curated by Shri Sriram and Drum the Bass, the music programme spans traditions and contemporary sounds, featuring:
• The Sound of China
• Hengām Ensemble performing Iranian classical music
• Djanan Turan Quartet
• DJ Bobby Friction (TV & BBC Radio Presenter) with a set celebrating British Asian and South Asian music across the decades
Dance (Whitgift Square Stage)
Curated by Anusha Subramanyam and Beeja Dance Company, the dance stage showcases traditions from across Asia, including:
• Chinese Fan Dance (UK China Performing Arts)
• Chhau Tiger Dance (Rhythmotion)
• Moroccan and Turkish dance
• Flamenco–Bharatanatyam fusion (Fin de Fiesta) blending Spanish and South Indian styles
• Balinese and Sri Lankan masked dance
Workshops (North Square)
All workshops are free and 2 hours long, offering handson activities for all ages:
• Origami
• Chinese knotting
• Mask making
• Anatolian Tile Painting
• Henna hand painting
• Vietnamese Lion Dance workshop
• Balinese dance workshop (Lila Bawa)
Food
A vibrant selection of food stalls will line the streets, offering flavours from across Asia throughout the weekend.
Further information and full programme can be found here: https://www.culturecroydon.com/event/surprised/