History of the Trust

The Crystal Palace Park Trust formed in 2016 as a group of local people who are passionate about regenerating the park for the benefit of everyone.

We want to secure a sustainable future for the park and deliver improvements that benefit the whole community.

We are working with Bromley Council to shape plans for the park and to become established as custodians with responsibility for managing the park.

Events

As part of the transition towards becoming custodians of the park, we are aiming to work in partnership so that in 2021 we may be able to promote a number of events in the park, providing funding for the Trust to do its work to improve the park, including resources for maintenance, management and upgrading of park facilities.

We are committed to ensuring any money the Trust raises through events in the park stays in the park, improving Crystal Palace Park for everyone who uses it.

Who we are

At the moment the Crystal Place Park Trust is run entirely by volunteers, we have ten local trustees and several specialist advisors. All members were recruited through a competitive process with a focus on setting up a board with all the skills required support the park into the future. For more detail about the trustees please click here.

Crystal Palace Bowl

Established in 1961, Crystal Palace Bowl is an iconic yet dormant South London venue within Crystal Palace Park. An outdoor amphitheatre with nearly 60 years of live music heritage and a legacy as a performance space stretching back more than a century. It has a unique sculptural permanent stage designed in 1997 by Ian Ritchie Architects, which won numerous awards and was nominated for the prestigious RIBA Stirling Prize.

From prog to punk, rock to reggae and pop to the Proms, the Bowl has played host to some of the most eclectic acts in British festival history, most famously at the ‘Garden Party’ and GLC events that ran throughout the 1970’s and early 80’s. Pink Floyd, Bob Marley, Elton John, Lou Reed and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra have all performed memorable shows at the Palace.

In the past decade however, the Bowl has mostly been inactive and sadly fallen into a state of disrepair. In early 2021 the management of the venue transferred from Bromley Council to the Crystal Palace Park Trust, who are now developing ambitous plans for it's future use.