Literature festival venues named

Literature Festival

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The venues for the first Rochdale Literature & Ideas Festival have been announced. The venues will host over 40 live events during the celebration of literature, drama, dance, music, theatre, film and visual arts in October.

The main festival venue will be Rochdale Central Library at Number One Riverside. The new library and first floor Hollingworth conference suite will stage the majority of performances, including talks by the Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy and television personality Gyles Brandreth. The ground floor Bean Coffee shop will also be hosting events.

Warm up events will be held earlier in October at Littleborough Library, Darnhill Library in Heywood and Langley Library in Middleton.

Additional highlights on the line up include Dragons’ Den winner Mark Champkins, poet Simon Armitage, MOBO award-winning rapper Akala and former Coronation Street star Kevin Kennedy. The festival will also showcase performances and art from local groups.

Most events will be free, and for others there will be a charge of up to £5 per person. Advance booking will be required for some performances to guarantee a seat.

Tickets will be available soon.

The event is organised by Rochdale Borough Council, funded by the Maskew Bequest and the Arts Council’s Grants for the Arts Award.