Great free days out at Feel Good Family Picnic

Date published: 24 July 2024

If you’ve got children to entertain during the summer holidays, help has arrived, with the return of the Feel Good Family Picnics being held in Rochdale, Middleton, Littleborough and Heywood (Tuesday 30 July to Friday 2 August).

Visitors to the free family events sponsored by automotive dealer Premier Suzuki will be able to experience over 20 amazing different attractions each day, including live performances, music, theatre, sports and shows for children of all ages.

Spectacular outdoor performances include ‘Fussy Foodies: Battle of the Pans’ - a new interactive game show exploring how foods help define our cultural identity with music, laughs, audience participation and prizes up for grabs. It’s a celebration of food, music roots and culture, a kitchen party where the audience joins in with the fun, starring number one foodie ‘Messy Mama T’.

‘Teabreak,’ a new heart-warming show by live events company Trigger will be performed each day. It follows the journey of tea across continents and centuries onto our shores, with tea served from Trigger’s beautifully hand-painted Tuk Tuk.

‘Sports Day’ is a lively show featuring mad-cap PE teachers, Mr Stretch and Mr Armstrong. They’re are on a mission to get the nation fit using only their enthusiasm, a roving musical pommel horse and some PE kits rescued from the lost and found locker.

‘The Lost Opera’ is an interactive sound performance and dance show using the wonders of technology that you can watch as well as join in with on your mobile phone. Featuring three mysterious figures it is inspired by the Bauhaus Ballet of the 1920s.

Also making an appearance is Hieronymus the hippo – a puppet show guaranteed to get children laughing and thinking.

At 2pm each day a stunning carnival will travel around the parks led by international carnival arts company Global Grooves, reflecting the Olympic values of excellence, friendship and respect. Expect giant puppets, costumes, funky beats, flags and high energy dance, animated by local communities and professional street performers.

Live music will be provided by last year’s favourites Flat Cap Brass who play fun and friendly arrangements of popular 90’s and 00’s pop songs, along with The Stray Horns – a high energy band who will play your requests on the spot!

Master storyteller Gav Cross, who went down a storm last year, is also back with a brand new show mixing wonderful tales with his trademark silly humour.

Rochdale’s M6 Theatre Company will be in the storytelling tent this year, presenting the debut of ‘Even Stevens’ – a touching story from a handy man, gardener and chatterbox who travels around on his trusty old bike. There’ll be clowning, a fascinating story, thankfully a happy ending and lots of fun along the way.

You’ll be able to try a range of popular sports and games including track bikes, badminton, shotput, and archery with staff from Your Trust as well as boxing training with the team from Middleton Martial Arts Academy.

Skylight Circus will perform a range of spectacular feats including aerial tricks, stilt walking, juggling and clowning, with everyone invited to learn the skills led by professional circus artists.

Bring along your bicycle for a free check by Dr Bike (excludes Rochdale).

Once again organisers want the event to reduce its impact on the environment as well as showing ways to reduce your carbon footprint, save energy and be kinder to our planet so they’ll be lots of sustainable activities to see and try including upcycling, health and wellbeing, nature based craft activities and water saving tips. You’re encouraged to take your picnic waste home, and bring a water bottle as free refills will be available all day.

You’re very welcome to bring a picnic, but good value food and drink will also be available for sale.

Each Feel Good Family Picnic will be open from 12pm to 4pm.

Locations and dates

• Rochdale - Broadfield Park, Tuesday 30 July
• Middleton - Limefield Playing Fields, Wednesday 31 July
• Littleborough - Hare Hill Park, Thursday 1 August
• Heywood - Queen’s Park, Friday 2 August

Councillor Sue Smith, cabinet member for communities and co-operation at Rochdale Borough Council, said: “The Feel Good Family Picnic will be four magical days out in the beautiful setting of lovely parks and gardens. I’m looking forward to seeing lots of local people as well as visitors from across Greater Manchester, giving us the opportunity to showcase what the area has to offer.”

The Feel Good Family Picnic is staged by the council in partnership with Without Walls, a consortium of festivals and arts organisations bringing fantastic outdoor arts to people in towns and cities across England. It is sponsored by Premier Suzuki, supported through the government’s Shared Prosperity Fund and Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA).

Find out more about what’s on at the Feel Good Family Picnic.

You can also pick up a printed programme when you arrive, to plan your day.