Open House – Build / Play / Wear / Draw Croydon
20th - 21st Sep 2025 , 11:00am - 4:00pm - The Queen's Gardens, Croydon
On Sat 20 & Sun 21 Sept, reimagine and recreate Croydon through a series of free, drop-in creative workshops. Part of this year’s Open House Festival.
You BUILD Croydon
Build your own version of Croydon – past, present or imagined, using raw clay.
Clayground Collective is dedicated to using clay to connect people with the world around them. They will lead an interactive hands-on installation inspired by Croydon’s skyline. This clay panorama will keep growing across the two days, developing your vision of the town.
Shape Croydon’s landscapes and form its buildings with the unlimited creative potential that one tonne of raw clay has to offer!
If you would like to take any of the clay home at the end of the installation you are welcome to join us at 4.30pm on Sunday for collection.
You PLAY Croydon
Use upcycled materials to envision your own built environment. In this activity, young people (age 8+) will be given the opportunity to shape their own spaces. MATT+FIONA aim to empower participants to build structures and spaces that reflect what they would like to see in the world around them. Using materials like cardboard, netting and vinyl, these structures will form over the course of the day, allowing young people to take inspiration from Croydon and use their imagination to become architects of their own environment.
You WEAR Croydon
Craft your own wearable hat based on the iconic No. 1 Croydon building (formally the NLA tower but more fondly known as the 50p building), and other famous Croydon landmarks. Participants can bring their ideas to life by constructing buildings with folded, rolled and cut paper, on a headband or full crown.
You DRAW Croydon
Drawing Together: Nature and the Big City with Neal Vaughan
Artist Neal Vaughan leads relaxed charcoal drawing workshops capturing nature and the big city. Celebrating the spaces where nature meets urban environments, this drop-in session for all ages will focus on what it is like to live in Croydon. Recreate the immediate surroundings in your own drawing and join a collaborative drawing where you can add to the work of others
Open House Festival 2025
Sat 13 – Sun 21 Sept
Explore the borough’s architectural icons and historical gems, with over 20 free events!
