Line-up announced for Feel Good Family Picnics

The line-up has been revealed for Feel Good Family Picnics being held in Rochdale, Middleton, Littleborough and Heywood this summer (Tuesday 29 July to Friday 1 August).  

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

Spectacular outdoor shows new for 2025 include ‘Scrumptious!’ - a fun, playful piece of theatre about friendship and ice cream, with hilarious songs, dancing and storytelling from the Beggars Belief Collective.  

Frolicked Outdoor Theatre will present their imaginative new show ‘The Alchemist’ - a light-hearted, magical, slightly-slapstick puppet show for all ages that has already captivated audiences across the UK.  

‘Stop Toi’ is a concert featuring two jugglers and a drummer with a crazy playlist, mixing smooth jazz with garage rock, throwing balls, twisting rings and performing crazy stunts. Visitors can sing along and experience this extraordinary act as the trio attempt to demonstrate the meaning of life.  

Thingumajig Theatre will present two shows on their mobile stages full of surprises, fun, music and heart-warming stories – The Story of the Scary Noise and The Magic Samovar.   

Look out for Damoclès, a participatory performance by Cirque Inextremiste exploring risk, trust, and collective co-operation. Audiences will become both witness and actor, experimenting with tools of co-ordination and shared decision-making. Billed as a unique social experience, questioning how we act together, build trust, and explore leadership in uncertain situations.  

Tit for Tatt Circus will present two shows each day. ‘Now I become D/Deaf’ is a visual spectacle, featuring a clown turning his own hearing loss into something extraordinary, tackling cultural boundaries and personal identity with moments of chaos, sincerity, interconnectivity and utter nonsense, showing a world where the loudest actions are lost in translation and the tiniest looks become deafening. The second performance - ‘A Knight Away’ features Sir Kuss and his loyal (if somewhat grumbling) squire on their well-deserved time off! Expect games, comedy and stupidity in equal measure.   

At 2pm each day a stunning carnival will travel around the parks led by international carnival arts company Global Grooves, reflecting this year’s theme of ‘co-operation,’ covering the arts, culture, communities, togetherness and the power of shared experiences. Expect more giant puppets, costumes, funky beats, flags and high energy dance, animated by local communities and professional street performers.  

Live music will be provided by Feel Good Family Picnic favourites Flat Cap Brass, who play fun and friendly arrangements of popular nineties and noughties pop songs as you’ve never heard them before.   

Rochdale’s M6 Theatre Company will present their popular play ‘The Street Where I Live’ - a captivating story for younger children and their families, exploring the warmth and diversity of a unique community, capturing the friendships, adventures and surprises that take place there. Each child will receive a free story book to take home, enabling them to revisit the story as often as they like.  

Visitors will be able to try a range of popular sports and games with staff from Your Trust, and Cartwheel Arts will host craft workshops. 

Also new for 2025 will be a ‘Youth Zone’ featuring a range of activities including a special edition of the Teenage Market, with a variety of stalls and performances. The Teenage Market gives local young traders and performers aged between 13 and 25 years old a chance to showcase their creative products and talents. 

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

Once again Feel Good Family Picnic organisers want the event to reduce its impact on the environment as well as showing visitors ways to reduce your carbon footprint, save energy and be kinder to our planet so they’ll be 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.  

More on the line-up will be revealed later in July.  

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

The Feel Good Family Picnic will be staged at Rochdale Town Hall Square on Tuesday 29 July, Limefield Playing Fields in Middleton on Wednesday 30 July, before moving to Littleborough’s Hare Hill Park on Thursday 31 July. The final stop will be Queen’s Park in Heywood on Friday 1 August.    

Councillor Sue Smith, cabinet member for communities and co-operation at Rochdale Borough Council, said: “We have another fantastic line-up this year with lots of exciting new attractions as well as a few favourites from last time. The Feel Good Family Picnic will be four magical days out in beautiful settings, all free and it’s the perfect opportunity to entertain and educate your children or grandchildren during the holidays. 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 event 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. As well as sponsorship from automotive dealer Premier Kia it is supported through the government’s Shared Prosperity Fund and Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA).   

The Feel Good Family Picnic is part of a spectacular line up of festivals, live performances, exhibitions and art during Rochdale’s year as Greater Manchester Town of Culture 2025-26. The title, awarded by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, celebrates the town’s rich history, creativity, talent and diverse arts scene. Find out more at www.rochdale.gov.uk/TownOfCulture    

Plan your visit to the Feel Good Family Picnic at rochdale.gov.uk/FamilyPicnic and like FeelGoodFamilyPicnic on Facebook.