Greater London · England
Festival Paella Catering in South Croydon
Love Paella cooks paella street food for festivals, fairs, markets and community events across South Croydon and Greater London, with vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and halal options.
- School fairs and fundraisers
- Festivals
- Village fêtes
Planning an event in South Croydon?
Festival paella catering in South Croydon, cooked live
Paella in a bowl is perfect festival food, standing up or sitting on the grass. We cook vegan paella, giant-pan paella and chicken and chorizo paella, and we are regularly asked to cater feeding crew and volunteers and music and food festivals.
In South Croydon, street events mean planning access and closures. Send us the pitch and timings. We plan the timings around your day, whether that is speeches, a lunch break or a festival schedule.
- Area
- South Croydon (CR2, CR8, CR0)
- Area hub
- Greater London
- Diets
- Gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian, halal
- Also available
- Canapés, desserts, sangria and staff
- Price
- Quoted for your event
- Page updated
- 23 October 2026
Space, weather and the venue
We’ll agree the cooking spot with you before the day. It needs to meet a few simple requirements:
- Access for unloading at set-up
- Spacing from tents and other structures
- Your trader pack and site rules
As a London location, South Croydon is inside the Ultra Low Emission Zone, and parking takes planning: tell us about parking bays, permits or a driveway.
Not sure about your space? Send us a photo and we will tell you honestly before booking.
On the menu in South Croydon
- Chicken & chorizo paella
- Vegan paella
- Giant paella pans
- Seafood paella
- Churros
- Tapas
Perfect for your event in South Croydon
It copes with peak times, because it’s served from big pans.
If you’re planning any of these, we can help:
- Sports clubs and race days
- Village fêtes
- Feeding crew and volunteers
- County and country shows
School fairs, for a school like Purley Oaks Primary School, are a natural fit for a paella stall.
Questions to ask before booking
- Whether VAT is included
- Whether travel is included
- The deposit and payment dates
- What the price includes, item by item
Running an event in South Croydon
South Croydon is about 1 mile south of Croydon, in Greater London. For festival paella catering in South Croydon, we can cook in gardens, marquees, barns, courtyards and offices in and around South Croydon. South Croydon is one of 764 towns and villages in Greater London where we cook. Our nearest city page is London, about 10 miles away.
For visitors coming by rail, Sanderstead station is in South Croydon itself. If your event is in Duppas Hill, the organiser will need the landowner’s permission; we’ll supply our paperwork.
Here we cover the CR2, CR8 and CR0 postcode area, so your event can be anywhere in it. From Edgar Road, Bynes Road and Grange Road or anywhere nearby, we can cook there. If your venue is just outside South Croydon, we also cover Croydon (1 mile north), Coombe (1 mile north-east), Sanderstead (1 mile south-east), Riddlesdown (2 miles south) and Selsdon (2 miles east). Within a short drive, we also cover London (10 miles north), City of Westminster (11 miles north), Marylebone (12 miles north), Kensington (11 miles north-west), St Pancras (12 miles north) and Shoreditch (12 miles north).
Well-known places in the area include St George's Walk (1.4 miles north) and Purley War Memorial Hospital (1.2 miles south-west). Green spaces nearby include Roundshaw Downs and Duppas Hill.
- Local schools include Harris Academy Purley (0.6 miles west) and Rutherford School (0.8 miles north-east)
- Pubs nearby include The Purley Arms (under half a mile south-west)
- Other local spots include County Borough of Croydon (1.3 miles north)
How it works
Watching it cook is half the fun. Onion, garlic, peppers and tomato go in first, then the stock and saffron, then the rice, which cooks without stirring while your guests chat. Evening events in South Croydon have light until about 9:20pm at midsummer; after dark, we need a lit pitch.
- Send us your event details and pitch information.
- We confirm menu, pitch needs and documents.
- We set up on time.
- We cook in full view and serve all event.
- We clear and leave the pitch clean.
Preparing for the day
- Have a level space ready for the pans
- Send us final numbers and dietary needs in good time
- Plan cover in case of rain
Get a quote
We quote for each event separately, so the price fits what you actually want. To ask for one, use our quote form.
Related guides
The menu, dish by dish
Chicken & chorizo paella
A crowd-pleaser for meat eaters.
Vegan paella
Vegans get a hot, filling dish.
Should I cook it myself?
You can cook paella for a crowd yourself, but it takes practice. Large pans need the right burners, and getting the rice right for dozens of people takes experience. Read how to cook paella for a crowd.
Plenty of people try cooking paella for their own party. The usual problems are a pan too big for the burner, too much rice and stirring once the rice is in. If you’d rather be with your guests, we will do the cooking.
Planning for every diet
Paella is one of the easiest dishes for mixed diets, because every paella has its own pan. Here are a few tips for planning:
- Put picnic tables near the traders
- Check every diet is covered by the line-up
- Put all trader information in one pack
- Ask for allergen information at each stall
Allergen details are available at the stall, and each pan is labelled.
Bowls and forks for eating on the go.
Organising for someone else?
Venues frequently have their own rules about outside caterers: cooking areas, access times and documents. Send us your venue’s requirements and we’ll follow them.
If your event is in a public space, such as a park, check what permission you need first. We will provide any information the landowner or council asks for.
FAQs for South Croydon
Which station should guests use for South Croydon?
Sanderstead station, in South Croydon itself.
Could we have live paella in Duppas Hill?
Only if the landowner, normally the council, allows it. Check with them, and we’ll provide our paperwork.
Can you handle a lunchtime rush?
Service from the pan is fast, ideal for peak times.
Can you do sangria?
Sangria can be added, and we can staff a bar with your drinks.
Is the paella cooked on site?
Yes. Every paella is cooked from scratch on site, where your guests can watch.
Should we have more than one paella?
Most events have two or three: a meat or mixed paella, a seafood paella and a vegetable or vegan one. We will help you decide the split.
Can you cater for vegetarians and vegans?
Yes, and they’re popular with everyone. They have their own pans, stock and spoons.
Do you clear up afterwards?
Our cooking area is packed away and left clean. Table clearing is available with waiting staff.
Also near South Croydon
What else we do in South Croydon
Paella compared with other options
Burger and hot dog stalls are familiar but similar. A paella pan stands out in a food line-up. The cost per head generally falls as numbers rise, because the cooking set-up is similar for different sizes of event. Give us your numbers and we will quote.
Why book with us
- Drinks service on request
- Crockery and waiting staff if you need them
- Catering across Greater London, including South Croydon
- Every diet catered for, pan by pan
Read How we price And What paella catering costs.
- Cooked live in giant pans at your event
- Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and halal options
- Paella, tapas, canapés and desserts
- Sangria, bar staff, crockery and waiting staff