Crystal Palace Overground Festival

The Crystal Palace Overground Festival is in its eighth year. Four days of free arts, music and comedy take place each June in Westow Park, South London. Tickets are free and the festival relies on volunteers, sponsorship, fundraising and the support of the local community. Festival organizers hold monthly drop-in meetings so local residents can get involved and the Facebook event page acts as a virtual community gathering about everything to do with the Crystal Palace area.

Above: High energy Punk and Soul Band The Floodliners from South East London rock the crowds at The Crystal Palace Overground Festival in June 2013.

Angie Davila

Above: Saxophonists from the Horn Section of the Hornets; a collective of top funk musicians.

Angie Davila

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Above: The trumpet player from the horn section of the Hornets performing to an excited audience.

Angie Davila

Above: A fun family day out. The festival was recently nominated Best Grass Roots Festival and Best Small Festival 2013.

Crystal Palace Subway

The Subway was constructed in August 1865 to serve as an entrance for first class passengers to the Crystal Palace railway station. It was used as an air raid shelter during the Second World War but was closed to the public in 1954.

Angie Davila

Above: Visitors to the Crystal Palace Subway were mesmerized by the beauty of the Byzantine style Pillars. The subway was opened to the public for a two-day event in September 2013 as part of an Open House London event. Hundreds of applicants applied to look around and the lucky winners were selected by ballot system.

Angie Davila

Above: In the past the subway provided a spectacular backdrop for music videos. It has begun to be used for this purpose again, most recently by a group of young filmmakers. The Crystal Palace Subway is now in its first year of Heritage Lottery Funding and the community group Friends of Crystal Palace Subway is compiling a detailed historic account of the subway; ‘Inspired by the Subway’.

Angie Davila is a singer-songwriter, artist and photographer.

See our first 'In pictures' story about a youth dance project in Nottingham, UK.

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