Bromley’s 60th anniversary

The London Borough of Bromley is celebrating its 60th anniversary throughout 2025 and encourages residents, businesses and partners to mark the occasion and become part of this collective celebration of the borough’s history.

A programme of activities is being delivered by the council, primarily through the borough’s much-loved library network.

Guided walks, Library Lates activities and an interactive art trail are amongst the celebrations taking place. Residents are also invited to come together at any of a number of Bromley 60th birthday parties being held across libraries, just as many do at library coffee mornings on a regular basis.

A table listing the programme of activities taking place for Bromley’s 60th anniversary. Column 1 shows when the activity is taking place, column two shows where the activity is taking place, column three shows who orignaised the activity, column four shows what the activity is and column five shows the activities costs.
When?	Where?	Who?	What?	Cost
Saturday 29 March 10am to 3pm	Bromley Town Centre	Quest Soul Theatre / Creative Junction	Interactive Art Trail Music, art and interactive experiences have been arranged at stops around the town centre, creating an enjoyable celebration of Bromley for the 60th anniversary. Find out more about the Interactive Art Trail	Suggested donation £2
Sunday 30 March 1pm to 2:30pm	High Elms Country Park	BEECHE	Bioblitz Day - 60 for 60 Join a special guided session exploring the beautiful woodlands in search of 60 species of various wildlife, to mark Bromley’s 60th anniversary. Sign up to Bioblitz Day	£7 per child
Throughout April, during library opening hours	Central Library	Bromley libraries event	'The Formation of Borough 19' Exhibition A special exhibit looking at how Bromley emerged from the initial plans for ‘Borough 19’ to grow into the thriving borough of today. Expect a showcase of the borough’s history and key highlights from the last 60 years.	Free
Thursday 3 April 11:30am	St Pauls Cray Library	Bromley libraries event	Talk and Virtual Walk: ‘A History of Bromley in 5 Buildings’ Much can be learnt from the architecture and heritage around us. Find out more about the borough from a virtual tour of five key buildings and the important history behind them.	Free
Friday 4 April at 11:30am and Wednesday 16 April at 5:30pm	Mottingham Library	Bromley libraries event	Talk and Virtual Walk: ‘A History of Bromley in 5 Buildings’ Much can be learnt from the architecture and heritage around us. Find out more about the borough from a virtual tour of five key buildings and the important history behind them.	Free
Saturday 5 April 2pm to 3:30pm	Penge Gate entrance to Crystal Palace Park	Penge Heritage Trail	Penge Heritage Trail - Guided Walk Take a guided tour around the iconic landmarks and hidden gems of Penge, finding out about the high street pavement plaques, the oldest house in Penge, and George Orwell’s local connections. Find out more about Penge Heritage Trail - Guided Walk	£6.13 booking required
Wednesday 23 April 6pm to 9pm	Central Library	Bromley libraries event	Library Lates Zine Workshop Get creative and create Zines about your life in Bromley. Whether through poetry, prose, collage or crayon, a simple sheet of A4 paper can become a ‘Zine’ to carry memories and stories. Either take home your Zines to look back on later or donate these to become part of local history through the Bromley Historic Collection.	Free
Saturday 3 May 10am to 4pm	Bromley Town Centre	Bromley Civic Society	Broom Day! Exhibition Find out more about the flower behind Bromley’s name at a fascinating exhibition in the Glades. Then follow as the Mayor leads the guided walk from The Glades at 11am to the see the broom in flower on St Martin’s Hill.	Free

Birthday parties for Bromley

Come together with fellow residents in our libraries to celebrate Bromley’s 60th birthday, and enjoy light refreshments and friendly conversation, just as many do at library coffee mornings on a regular basis. These welcoming events are taking place at:

Mottingham Library, Friday 4 April, 2:30pm
Petts Wood Library, Saturday 5 April, 11am to 12pm
Chislehurst Library, Saturday 12 April, 10am to 1pm
Orpington Library, Wednesday 16 April, 10am to 11:30am
Central Library, Thursday 24 April, 10:30am to 11:30am
Shortlands Library, Monday 28 April, 2:15 to 3:15pm

Schools dress up like it’s 1965

Across the borough, schools are being encouraged to celebrate the 60th anniversary in their preferred way, including being invited to hold a non-uniform day where students dress up like it’s 1965 and learn more about what life was like back when Bromley was formed. Alternatively, some schools may be holding a ‘green day’, where students are encouraged to wear green items to celebrate Bromley’s green identity, with over 160 parks and open green spaces across the borough. The fun is not limited to schools and other groups are also encouraged to hold their own celebrations and please do share these, including any nice photos, with us at culture@bromley.gov.uk.

A children’s art competition is also being held, with schools invited to design an A4 60th birthday card for Bromley, or perhaps design a birthday cake for Bromley on an A4 sheet instead. Entries can be submitted collectively to the school’s local Bromley library or sent by post to: Bromley Civic Centre, 2 Westmoreland Road, Culture and Regeneration, Floor 3, Bromley, BR1 1AS

Join Bromley Scouts for Bromley’s 60th

Bromley Scouts are launching a ‘60 in 60’ initiative, aiming to recruit 60 volunteers this year to celebrate Bromley’s 60th anniversary. Whether you can spare the occasional evening to lend a hand or are prepared to join the adventure on one of their camps, get in touch to find out more and after the necessary checks, you could soon be helping your local group! Those with skills, hobbies or an interesting job that could help or be shared with a local group are especially sought.

Bromley Scout District is the largest in the United Kingdom with over 3000 active young people enjoying activities each week, which is made possible thanks to the contribution of many volunteers across the borough. There are many more young people keen to join the fun and more volunteers will help give more young people across the borough the chance to get structured activities that provide them with key skills for life.

Find out more at Bromley Scouts.

There are plenty of further opportunities for volunteering across the borough.

Bromley’s history

On 1 April 1965, the London Borough of Bromley was formed as five towns or districts (Bromley, Beckenham, Chislehurst, Orpington and Penge) came together to create one local authority, which coincided with the formation of the other London boroughs across the capital.

Mayor’s 50 mile walk

The Mayor of Bromley will lead commemorations as the first citizen of the borough. As well as joining festivities around the borough, the Mayor has completed a 50 mile walking challenge around the boundary of the borough for Bromley’s 60th anniversary, while also raising money for his charities and encouraging residents to get out and explore the borough.

Find out more about The Mayor’s 60th anniversary walks.

Mayor’s tree planting for Bromley’s 60th

As Bromley approaches its 60th anniversary date on 1 April, the Mayor has completed a special tree planting to mark the occasion.

The tree was planted at Cyphers Gate in Beckenham, the site of past Mayoral tree plantings, including for Her Late Majesty's Platinum Jubilee.

Resident groups, businesses and partners that are interested in holding their own events or activities for the 60th anniversary are encouraged to get in touch and share their plans, which can also be displayed on this page, so residents can find out more and get involved.

Get in touch