Merhaba Festival Returns to Rochdale Town Hall Square
Merhaba, meaning 'welcome', is a family-friendly festival celebrating world music, art, and halal food from the Islamic world. The event takes place on Saturday, August 1, from 11am to 5pm at Rochdale Town Hall Square, The Esplanade, Rochdale. Entry is free, with food and drink available to purchase.
Attendees can enjoy homemade street food from Rochdale's diverse community, including Turkish, Pakistani, Ethiopian, and many other dishes. Live music from regional bands, artisan markets with handmade crafts, and art workshops with children's activities and games are also featured. Free fairground rides will be available throughout the day.
Created by the Islamic Arts Co-op, Merhaba aims to bring everyone together for a day of community cohesion, togetherness, and fun. For more information, email info@theculturecoop.org.
Two Poetry Anthologies Celebrate Rochdale's Town of Culture Year
Two new poetry anthologies, inspired by Rochdale's year as Greater Manchester Town of Culture, have been published. The first, 'Weaving Words', is a 120-page collection capturing the uniqueness of the borough, with poems celebrating local people and places. The second, 'Poems to change the world', is aimed at children. Both books include over 65 new poems from a total of 96 local poets.
Rochdale's Poet Laureate Sammy Weaver led writing workshops with residents and over 650 young people, drawing on Rochdale's co-operative history as inspiration. Many of the poems feature in the anthologies. Each book costs £10 and is available at any of the borough's 16 libraries or at Rochdale Pioneers Museum on Toad Lane.
Councillor Sue Smith, cabinet member for communities and co-operation at Rochdale Borough Council, said: 'These two limited edition anthologies are such a fascinating souvenir of a moment in time. They will make you think and make you laugh. We've so much creativity and talent within our diverse communities that needs sharing so I'm so pleased now they've been published, so many more are now able to enjoy reading them.'
Sammy Weaver added: 'These beautiful collections of poems really reflect our people, places and the moments that make this borough feel like home. The feedback and reviews we've had so far has been amazing.' The anthologies include illustrations by local artist Mark Rothwell and community artist Phoebe Foxtrot, as well as a painting by Elizabeth White.
The project was funded by National Lottery project grants from Arts Council England and Flexible Funds, the council's township funding, delivered by Rochdale Borough Council's local libraries and Rochdale Development Agency. It was part of Rochdale's year as Greater Manchester Town of Culture, which ran until April 2026.
The Drop: New Theatre Showcase at Heywood Civic
An open invitation to drop in at Heywood Civic all day on July 18 from 12 noon to see unexpected stories, original performances, and the next hottest ticket in this new theatre showcase. One ticket grants full access to drop in and out as you wish or stay all day.
The event features work by local talent from Your Trust and Rafia Hussain Productions' Rochdale Future Theatre Makers programme, including Leah Wild, Sam Jamil, and Becky Kershaw, presenting the outcome of months of mentoring and workshops. New work from across the region and beyond, as well as Edinburgh Fringe Festival previews, will also be hosted.
The full line-up includes: 11am - Leah Wild: On the Heather Grows + Q&A; 11.30am - Theatre in Flow: The Baobab Tree extract + workshop; 12.45pm - Sam Jamil: God's Gift extract + Q&A; 2.30pm - Becky Kershaw: FIX script in hand; 3pm - Out of Kilter: Flux; 3.30pm - Natalie Bellingham: Marie Chou-Fleur; 4pm - Somnambulist Internationale Alone at 6 reading; 7pm - Left for Dead Theatre: Brick; 8.30pm - Black Bright Theatre Company: The Hunger work-in-progress.
Tickets are priced at £6 standard, £5 for those who need it, or £7 for those who want to support the programme. The venue is accessible with a viewing platform and wheelchair/pram access. Tickets available at heywoodcivic.co.uk.
PoolEra Wins Young Creatives of the Year
PoolEra, a high-energy indie/alt four-piece from Rochdale, have won Young Creatives of the Year. The band, consisting of frontman Ed Jamil, lead guitarist Seb Parry, bassist Calum Lucas, and drummer Alfie Duke, are making serious noise across the music world with their original sound.
2025/26 has been massive for the band. After being selected for the Factory Sounds programme, they worked alongside industry mentors and recorded a live version of 'Tonight' at Adidas Abbey Road Studios inside Co-op Live. The studio version of 'Tonight' will be released shortly on all streaming platforms. PoolEra were also chosen for Rochdale Music Stories presents Kenion Street Album Launch Concert, where they reimagined OMD's iconic track 'Electricity', receiving great praise from OMD's Andy McClusky.
Outside of gigs and studio sessions, PoolEra are committed to supporting the next wave of talent, working with youth groups and creating opportunities for emerging artists. They headline The Castle Hotel, Manchester on Saturday, July 31. Tickets are available online. Follow PoolEra on Instagram and TikTok, and stream their music on Spotify and all major platforms.
