🌞 Weather
Friday April 24 - 19°C, sunny. gorgeous spring day, perfect weekend ahead (17-20°C Sat/Sun)
How Iconic is 1 Croydon??
🍄Happy Friday, Croydon! ️ It's 19°C out there with spells of sunshine and a light shower possible later perfect excuse to explore the borough before the weekend kicks in. And what a weekend it is: a world-first retail opening on Purley Way, a ska festival taking over the borough, and a mayoral race so tight it could come down to fewer than 100 votes. Let’s get into it.
📰Morning Pulse
IKEA x Decathlon: A World First Opens in Croydon Today
Decathlon has opened inside IKEA Croydon on Purley Way (CR0 4UZ) a world-first retail partnership. The 1,188 sq metre store opened at 11am this morning. The first 100 customers receive a free Quechua backpack plus a £20 voucher. Family activities continue on Saturday including a climbing wall, face painting and DJ sets. Worth a trip to Purley Way this weekend. (Inside Croydon)Mayoral Race: Fewer Than 100 Votes Between Perry and Davis
With just 13 days until polling day (Thursday 7 May), a new poll shows Labour's Rowenna Davis is fractionally ahead of incumbent Conservative Jason Perry with fewer than 100 votes separating them. It's the tightest mayoral race Croydon has ever seen. Every vote will count. Make sure you know where your polling station is. (Inside Croydon)Brick by Brick: Council Writes Off £68m as Housing Company Folds
Croydon Council's housing company Brick by Brick officially entered Members' Voluntary Liquidation on 1 April 2026. The council is writing off £68 million having borrowed £200 million in total. The company never turned a profit. It's a sobering end to an ambitious project meant to solve Croydon's housing crisis. Questions remain about accountability. (Croydon Council)
📅 Friday Focus: Your Croydon Weekend Guide
THIS IS NOT CROYDON FEST (Fri–Sun, 24–26 April) A ska and punk festival running across the weekend. Saturday headliners: Catbite and Bim Skala Bim. Sunday: Voodoo Glow Skulls and Against All Authority. Brilliant music, brilliant atmosphere.(This Is Not Croydon Fest)
THE RNB FESTIVAL Saturday 25 April, 3pm–8pm Memory Box Cocktail Bar on High Street Croydon. Free-spirited RnB vibes, cocktails, and a great independent bar flying the flag for Croydon’s nightlife.(Tickets)
ADDINGTON HILLS Free, dog-friendly, panoramic views across London. Best on a clear morning. Take a flask. Perfect for a Saturday or Sunday walk. Parking on site.(Addington Hills)
BOXPARK CROYDON Packed weekend programme as always. Check boxpark.co.uk/croydon for the latest listings.
💛 Today’s Heartbeat The Croydonist Turns 🔟
The Croydonist Croydon’s beloved hyperlocal blog is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. They’ve spent a decade championing the borough’s culture, food, art, and community with warmth and genuine love for this place. A free exhibition runs at Click Clock Art Gallery, Clocktower Café, from 9–29 May. Go and celebrate a decade of local storytelling.
🏪 Local Business Spotlight Memory Box Cocktail Bar
Memory Box Cocktail Bar on High Street Croydon is one of the borough’s standout independent venues. This Saturday they’re hosting the RnB Festival from 3pm a free-spirited afternoon of great music and premium cocktails. If you’re looking for somewhere to take a friend this weekend, put this on your list.(memoryboxcroydon.co.uk)
⚡ Pulse Points
🛒 Decathlon is now open at IKEA Croydon (opened today, April 24) first 100 customers get a free Quechua backpack + £20 voucher. Family activities Saturday including climbing wall, face painting, DJs. (FashionUnited)
🗳️ 13 days to the Croydon Mayoral Election (May 7) Jason Perry (Con), Rowenna Davis (Lab), Ben Flook (Reform), Richard Howard (Lib Dem) among 8 candidates. Postal vote deadline has passed if you're voting in person, May 7 is the date. (Croydon Council)
🎨 Croydonist turns 10 free exhibition at Click Clock Art Gallery, Clocktower Café, running May 5–29. Celebrating a decade of Croydon's creative community.(Croydonist)
🦆 Sanderstead's Gruffy gets a duck house the Sanderstead Residents' Association centenary is being marked with a brand new duck house at The Gruffy pond. Only in Croydon.(Inside Croydon)
That’s your Croydon Friday sorted. Got a tip on a local event, a new opening, or a business worth spotlighting? Hit reply I read every one.
If someone forwarded this to you and you want it in your inbox every morning, subscribe here.
Have a great weekend see you on Monday. 🎉
Croydon Local Pulse