Happy new year to all of our friends, volunteers, neighbours and supporters! January can be a difficult month – cold, grey, dark and wet – but we’re already over halfway through and we’re keeping our spirits up by looking ahead to all of the exciting plans we have in the works for 2026. We can’t wait to share them with you! In the meantime, we’re reminding ourselves of sunnier times, take a look back everything we did in 2025:
Winter
We kicked the year off installing a stage in the Gipsy Hill Station ‘Coal Drop’ Garden. After salvaging the original risers from the Crystal Palace Bowl stage, a team of volunteers scrubbed down the frames to remove the dirt and rust before refreshing them with a new lick of paint. After a busy and tiring February weekend the new stage was installed and ready for performers!
Spring
After a long winter, we were excited to see flowers blooming in the Gipsy Hill Station Garden as the warmer weather returned. Huge thanks as ever to all of those who volunteered in the garden this year with watering, planting, pruning and weeding. Please get in touch if you can spare some time this year to help it looking great!
Summer
On Saturday 7th June Friends of Gipsy Hill hosted a Bob Marley tribute event, helping raise funds for a new pétanque court. The evening marked 45 years to the day since Bob Marley and the Wailers played the Crystal Palace Bowl, and was the first event on the new Coal Drop Yard stage in the Gipsy Hill Station Garden!
In September the refurbed boards of the new Coal Drop Yard stage were graced once again, this time as part of Friends of Gipsy Hill Garden Party. In the Buffer Stop & Sidings Garden the local scouts hosted classic fete games and ran a cake stall, all raising money for their upcoming trip to Gambia, and there were crafts and planting workshops. On the Coal Drop Yard stage the afternoon kicked off with music from Kate Proudlove, followed by stories and history of the area and a staging of The Norwood Gypsies play, with SE19’s favourite local DJ Tunji playing old school tunes to close the party. The day was part of the Railway 200 celebration event, marking 200 years since the opening of the modern railway, with support from the Mayor of London’s Community Weekend.
Autumn
The arrival of autumn could only mean one thing – time for the now hotly anticipated annual Friends of Gipsy Hill Oktoberfest! The Gipsy Hill wenches were back, this time serving up an exclusive beer from Gipsy Hill Brewing Co. (only available at the event!) in special edition earthenware steins. The fabulous DDFK Oompah Band provided Bavarian-inspired entertainment throughout the afternoon, and there was traditional fare from The Gipsy Hill Smokehouse. It’s becoming THE event of the year, don’t miss out in 2026!
Christmas
In November the Gipsy Hill Community Tree was put up, thanks to a success crowdfund campaign and our local sponsors. Throughout December there were performances at the tree from Crystal Palace Brass Band, Palace Acappella + Crib Notes Choir, and Christ Church Gipsy Hill, bringing some festive joy to Gipsy Hill!
What a year!
After an incredible year, we’re excited for even bigger and better things to come in 2026, as well as all of the usual Gipsy Hill fun that brings so much joy to this corner of South London! A big thank you to all of the wonderful local volunteers who gave up their time in 2025 to keep Gipsy Hill blooming, dancing, and feeling merry. Look forward to seeing you all in and around the Gipsy Hill, the Station Garden, and Gipsy Road this year!
Friends of Gipsy Hill 