Considering this movie theatre is flanked by the likes of Tiger Tiger and a Weatherspoon's, the…read moreclientele inside is not nearly as loud, drunk and obnoxious. We frequent this place often and have never had an issue of poor cinema etiquette amongst our fellow movie goers. However, poor planning of putting the theatre in the same indoor shopping/entertainment mall as two dance clubs (Retro is next door as well) means you hear the thumping bass of music throughout your movie through the walls. Considering how much you pay for a movie - and that what you are paying for is the "experience" - this is enough to keep me from ever coming back on a Friday or Saturday night again. Warning: Due to the aforementioned nearby businesses, if you go in for an early, 7 or 8 p.m. show on the weekends, brace yourself to exit to a street full drunk 18 year olds, shouting, wobbling and giggling their way around. It is truly a sight to behold.

I'm really sorry, I'm not a fan of this place on the two or three occasions I've gone to films…read morehere, they've been blighted by the feral brats who either chose to hang out here, or perhaps live, rat-like, under the seats, surviving off dropped sweets and drinks.

Every year, usually during a weekend in July, Croydon holds a free festival. They have several…read morestages and, on the main stage they have been able to get some very good acts to headline. This year they had the Stereo MCs and Finlay Quaye amongst others. In previous years they have been able to get Jimmy Cliff, The Specials. So it's always worth turning up to hear some old classics and it's all free! On Sunday, the wonderful open space of Lloyd Park is turned over to the Croydon Mela. As the name suggests, this part of the festival has an Asian bent to it with Indian music headliners. This year it was Sukshinder Shinda while the smaller stages had traditional Asian music and some local dance troupes. Every year they also have a funfair with the usual rides and arcade games. This is always popular with the kids, of course. At the very least it's a great excuse for a family day out and everybody is well looked after in terms of facilities; queues for the toilets are very short, there are playgroups and activities to amuse the younger kids and the stalls are great for anyone who just wants to wander around. They always seem to have something quirky aswell. This year there was the Movieplex: World Cinema in a Nutshell. This was a completely mad tour around the works of Shanta Rao Dutt (possibly not a real person) ending with one of his short film from the 1920s. Luckily, the weather held out this year but it does become a bit problematic if the heavens do decide to open as there are very few places to shelter and the ground becomes a very shallow mudpool.

This venue has been around forever, well forever in my lifetime…read more They always house a variety of different events from the usual Christmas pantomime to Swan Lake. They have a couple of bars in there depending on what shows are on will affect which bars they open. Sometimes the staff are not sure which one is open until told by the evening supervisor. Speaking of bars I was at the venue for a show and with my ticket you were meant to get a discount on wines, beers and spirits, however the bar staff were oblivious to this and it was not until a supervisor came along they knew what was going on. I have been to several productions in this venue from school performances to performances from seasoned actors and have always enjoyed them. They often have art exhibitions in the upper part of the venue and sometimes these are free to view but not always. What I like about the venue is that they have, what I consider to be a friends of Fairfield Halls work force. These people look as though they are retired (apologise if they are not and I am doing them a disservice) who man the stairs and lobby areas directing people to the right areas of the venue for there activity. In terms of parking there is limited parking at the front of the venue which is £5 for an evening stay and I have no idea about the prices during the day. I would say that East Croydon station is a 5/10minute walk dependant on your speed and it is also served by good public transport out front. There is a car park below the venue and I believe you can get discount for parking their when you buy something from one of the concessions within the food area, but I cannot remember which it is, sorry. A good venue to see a show or a tribute band or the local schools production, my it be around forever, as long as I am anyway.

A useful venue with a large hall or two and a variety of smaller rooms.read more

Braithwaite Hall is part of the Croydon Clocktower. It is one of the few places in Croydon where…read moreyou can find slightly off the wall, fringe theatre and it's a perfect venue for this sort of thing. It's quite a small space - which means it's intimate - and the seating can be arranged in a variety of ways to suit the performances. I've been to see several shows here in the last few months, ranging from circus acts to jazz/blues fusion via a one man physical performance and puppetry - all very different and slightly strange. Sometimes, when the houselights are up, you can still see the booklined walls of the gallery and the dark wood panels where they haven't quite curtained everything off properly. The Croydon Clocktower is very well placed in Croydon, being close to East Croydon station and even closer to bus and tram stops. If you've got a bit of time to spare before or after a performance there is always some kind of exhibition that you can peruse and, just outside the Braithwaite Hall (and David Lean cinema) is a cosy cafe where you can happily kill some time. All this inside the Clocktower - as well as the library which is quite large. This is a true pearl in Croydon amidst the naff nichtclubs and bland high street shops that are around the corner.

This local cinema has been in operation for a while now. It's based in a school and utilises the…read moremain hall as the cinema itself. It shows a variety of films from mainstream commercial films to older independent films, documentaries, mini film festivals, special one of events. They have a small 'pop' up area as you enter the school foyer where you can purchase cold drinks, both alcoholic and none alcoholic drinks, hot drinks, popcorn and chocolate to name a few. The quality of the projection and sound is very good, perhaps not the quality of a big name brand cinema but good enough for a small intimate venue (that it is what it is). The one area that could really use some work is the seating, for short school assembles the seats work but once you are sat there for, upwards of 90 minutes (standard movie length, if they can do something about that then it would be 4 stars!!), it can become an issue for ones derrière!!