We're pleased to update you that preparatory works for the #BackTheBowl project are now underway! In the past few weeks, volunteers from the Friends of Crystal Palace Park, Crystal Palace Park Trust and Idverde have been busy planting a new hedge along the side channel of the Concert Bowl. This will help beautify the park, increase biodiversity and wildlife habitats, and most importantly, act as a deterrent against the recurring illegal access and vandalism to the stage itself. With thanks to an additional grant from the Tree Council and Network Rail, nearly 400 varieties of Blackthorn, Hawthorn, Holly, and Dog Roses Special have been planted, with hessian bags donated by Volcano Coffee, Carnival Coffee and Mont 58 Coffee being reused as a safe mulch substitute. The hedge, which will be maintained by the Trust and the Friends, will grow at a rate of around 30-40 cm per year. This paves the way for the main works to lay a new hardwood stage surface to commence over the next few months. Stay tuned for more news!

Happy Valentines from the Palace! One year ago today the #BackTheBowl campaign was launched, attracting phenomenal support from across the capital and raising over £60k to kickstart a revival of the iconic Crystal Palace Bowl. We’re delighted to confirm that after positive discussions with our partners at the London Borough of Bromley, Crystal Palace Park Trust will soon obtain a lease for the Concert Bowl, assuming management for all event bookings at the venue and renovating the structure for community use. In the coming weeks, preparatory works will commence on-site to renew the ‘Rusty Laptop’ stage, these include: - Dredging the lake around the sides of the stage to help protect against ongoing vandalism to the structure. - Removing the current dilapidated stage surface, the timber from which will be recycled for use in other projects. - Laying a brand new, highly durable and sustainably sourced hardwood timber stage surface. This is the first phase in our plans to make the Bowl a truly vibrant and versatile venue, one that will be unique in London: combining popular events like South Facing Festival, with smaller scale arts and community focussed programming. 25 years after the ‘Rusty Laptop’ stage was inaugurated, we hope to finally unlock the potential of this remarkable space. None of this would be possible without the extraordinary support of the local community and all of you who pledged to the crowdfunder, plus the generous backing of the Mayor of London and the funds generated from recent events in the park – South Facing Festival, Wireless Festival, Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra and Lightopia. We want to thank all park users for their patience and understanding for any disruption caused during the works. We look forward to sharing more updates as the latest chapter for this historic venue begins!

Thank you SO much for your phenomenal support. Community power has done the Palace proud and ensured our sleeping giant will soon be stirring. The big Bowl comeback starts here! 🗓 3 months 🙌🏻 1,061 backers (including the Mayor of London) 💷 £61,800 raised 📶 114% to target 🥇The No.1 project currently on Spacehive 📰 Coverage in the FT, Daily Telegraph, Evening Standard, Vogue, NME, BBC Radio London, Time Out, Londonist etc We’re now working closely with Bromley Council and the Mayor of London's team to plan the renewal of the stage surface, with works expected towards the end of the summer. We look forward to sharing more updates as we go and simply can’t wait to get started...