The Festival of Park Talks and Volunteer Fair is a celebration of the park and the surrounding communities taking place on the iconic Concert Platform. Discover stories from the past and present through our programme of park talks and find out about volunteering opportunities in the local area.

The day's activities will be a mixture of indoors and outdoors and there will be free refreshments, snacks, and delicious vegetarian and vegan small bites to keep you energised throughout.

What you'll find

• Festival of park talks - the stories of the park's past and present told by local experts
• Volunteer stalls - discover opportunities to volunteer from the stalls of local people and organisations
• Free refreshments, snacks, and delicious vegetarian and vegan small bites
• Quizzes and fun activities for children and adults
• Supporting local food banks - bring non-perishable foods and personal hygiene products to donate on the day.

Book your place

The Festival and Fair are free to attend but talks must be booked in advance due to seating availability on the stage.

Click here to book your tickets.

You are welcome to turn up on the day to see if there is availability for a talk but we anticipate tickets will go fast!

Park Talks programme

Come and learn about our wonderful, weird and unique park from local experts. All talks last 20 minutes.

Places are free but tickets must be booked in advance.

11:15: The Great Exhibition and the Crystal Palace, Crystal Palace Foundation

11:40: The birth of the Crystal Palace Dinosaurs, Friends of Crystal Palace Dinosaurs

12:05: The 1854 Crystal Palace in Virtual Reality (session 1), Crystal Palace Museum  

12:30: Music at the Crystal Palace, Crystal Palace Foundation

12:55: The creatures in detail - then and now, Friends of Crystal Palace Dinosaurs

13:20: The Indies and the Crystal Palace, Crystal Palace Museum

13:45: Crystal Palace stories/anecdotes, Crystal Palace Foundation

14:10: The history of the Dinosaurs , 1853-present, Friends of Crystal Palace Dinosaurs

14:35: The 1854 Crystal Palace in Virtual Reality (session 2), Crystal Palace Museum

Volunteer Opportunities

There will be 12 stalls to learn more about volunteer opportunities in the local area:

• Bromley Borough Food Bank
• Bromley Well Young Carers
• Croydon & Lambeth Foodbank
• Crystal Palace Museum
• Crystal Palace Park Trust
• Excel Beyond Barriers, SEND Support Southwark
• Friends of Crystal Palace Dinosaurs
• Friends of Crystal Palace Park
• Invisible Palace
• Park Run Crystal Palace
• Junior Park Run
• St John's Ambulance

Many stall holders will be running activities suitable for children and adults so you can look forward to crafts, quizzes, badge making, and some physical activity!

Accessibility

Please note there is step-free access to the Concert Platform. A section of ground leading to the platform is on a slight incline and has a layer of loose wood chippings for drainage. The Concert Platform itself has even flooring and ramps to level access rooms at the back and a disabled toilet.

Due to capacity on the Concert Platform only assistance dogs will be able to be admitted with their owners!

Any questions?

Please contact Crystal Palace Park Trust on volunteering@crystalpalaceparktrust.org

Volunteer in the park

If you would like to get involved in the park by volunteering, take a look at our volunteer page.

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