The Furzedown Festival starts today – bigger and brighter than ever, with a unique calendar of events celebrating the community of Furzedown.

Now in its 17th year, this year’s festival is themed around Love Furzedown and the series of summer events kicks off on 9 June and will encompass everything from garden gigs, dog shows, history walks and a book talk and signing with renowned author and journalist Gordon Corera. The festival aims to celebrate all the reasons why Furzedown is a truly great place to live, showcasing the diverse nature of the community and the reasons why it’s one of the top five places to live in London. For the full calendar of events go to: furzedown.net/events

The flagship free event of the Festival – the Big Day Out – takes place at the Furzedown Recreation Ground on Saturday 16 June, 12pm to 8pm. Over 3,000 Furzedownians are set to come and enjoy a day of fantastic live entertainment; delicious international food and drink stalls; the Love Shack bar; a hotly contested cake competition; sports & craft demos; a full range of stalls, local businesses and charities represented, as well as the perennially popular donkey rides and giant inflatables for the children. For the full schedule of the day go to: furzedown.net/events/big-day-out

The festival is run entirely by a group of volunteers from the Furzedown Community Network (FCN) and supported by local businesses and donations.

Dawn Thomas, Chair of Furzedown Community Network said, “The Big Day Out is a date that Furzedownians look forward to every year and we’re delighted that through the support of our team of volunteers and sponsors to be able to put on such a fantastic event that shows off our fabulous community. As well as coming to the Big Day Out, I would encourage everyone to take a look at the full calendar of events from spoken word, to garden gigs, to the re-opening of Mitcham Lane shops. Everything during the festival is about celebrating what we love about Furzedown and there really is something on offer for everyone.”

The FCN is a local self-funding community group run by members of the community, with a focus on creating events that are as diverse and inclusive as possible. The Committee runs an active chat room with over 4000 subscribers making it and the events put on an invaluable source of local community engagement.