Key Points
- Festival Return: The Croydonites Festival of New Theatre is set to return for its 12th edition from 4 November to 21 November 2026.
- Summer Follow-up: The announcement comes following a successful summer edition, the Croydonites Fringe Festival, which took place in July 2026.
- Founding & Scale: Founded by Anna Arthur in 2015, the festival has showcased almost 150 artists and 270 shows across its 12-year history.
- Core Mission: The event aims to platform local Croydon talent alongside acclaimed national hit productions transferred directly from the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
- Featured Shows: Highlights include Fringe First Award winner Hannah Maxwell’s Turn Your Fcking Phones Off*, Katie Hurley and Sarah Hehir’s Man or Bear, and Victoria Melody’s Trouble, Struggle, Bubble and Squeak.
Croydon (South London News) October 17, 2026 – A theatre festival dedicated to showcasing Croydon’s local creative talent is set to return this winter, following the completion of its successful summer edition. The Croydonites Festival of New Theatre will return for its 12th year from 4 November to 21 November 2026. Founded by Anna Arthur in 2015, the festival was established to highlight local performers whilst bringing staples of the world-renowned Edinburgh Festival Fringe to South London. Across its 12-year history, the event has showcased almost 150 artists and presented 270 shows.
As reported by theatre journalist Michael Cole of Theatre Weekly, festival organisers have described the upcoming autumn iteration as their most ambitious programme to date, uniting acclaimed productions from across the United Kingdom with homegrown creative talent from South London. The 2026 festival will open on 4 November at The Front Room on St George’s Walk with Hannah Maxwell’s Fringe First Award-winning production Turn Your Fcking Phones Off*, an exploration of human connection and modern technology.
Additional features in the multi-week schedule include Man or Bear by Katie Hurley and Sarah Hehir, a theatrical work examining safety and survival, as well as Victoria Melody’s Trouble, Struggle, Bubble and Squeak, which addresses modern socio-economic issues surrounding food poverty. The programme will also incorporate commissioning pathways aimed at allowing local creatives to develop original performance concepts from early developmental stages through to public presentation.
What is the Croydonites Festival and what can audiences expect this November?
As detailed by reporting from StageLync, the festival continues its core mandate of championing adventurous new theatre, live comedy, digital media, and performance art across various cultural spaces within Croydon. Following the Croydonites Fringe Festival held across borough venues from 1 to 5 July 2026, the primary November festival extends the performance window across three full weeks.
As noted by the local publication Inside Croydon, the festival lineup encompasses acts ranging from award-winning drama and stand-up comedy to niche cabaret and local heritage tours. Alongside traditional stage performances, the 2026 schedule features a ‘Crollywood’ walking tour, taking attendees through local filming locations featured in high-profile film and television productions such as Batman, The Da Vinci Code, Black Mirror, and Taylor Swift’s Opalite.
Background of the Croydonites Development
The Croydonites Festival of New Theatre was launched in 2015 by producer Anna Arthur to address a historical gap in local performance opportunities for independent performance artists residing in South London. Initially established as a modest platform to connect local practitioners with wider London audiences, the event has steadily expanded its structural footprint over the past decade.
Over its 12 editions, Croydonites has operated as both a incubator for local writers, directors, and performers and an importer of Edinburgh Festival Fringe productions. The festival has expanded from single-venue showcases to a multi-venue model utilizing varied cultural locations across the borough, including The Front Room and the Clocktower Cafe. The introduction of the summer Fringe format alongside dedicated commissioning schemes reflects the festival’s long-term evolution into a year-round pillar of Croydon’s cultural infrastructure.
Prediction: How Will This Development Affect the Local Community and Arts Sector?
The return of the Croydonites Festival for its 12th edition is expected to impact several key stakeholder groups across the borough of Croydon:
- Local Performing Artists and Creative Practitioners: The continuation of commissioning pathways and performance opportunities provides local writers, actors, and directors with crucial professional exposure. By offering platforms alongside nationally recognized touring acts, the festival enables local talent to showcase work without incurring the high overhead costs typically associated with taking productions to national arts festivals.
- Local Cultural Venues and Hospitality Businesses: Night-time economy venues, independent theatre spaces, and surrounding retail and hospitality establishments across Croydon are likely to experience increased footfall between 4 November and 21 November 2026. Multi-venue scheduling encourages movement across the borough’s commercial districts during midweek and weekend evenings.
- Borough Residents and Arts Audiences: The festival provides local residents with access to award-winning national theatre and comedy without the requirement to travel to London’s West End or central arts hubs. The inclusion of ticketed walking tours and varied performance formats broadens accessibility for diverse local demographics.
