Great free days out at Feel Good Family Picnic

4 of the boroughs beautiful parks are being transformed into a spectacle of free theatre, puppetry, circus, dance, storytelling, music, sports and more. Visitors to the family events sponsored by automotive dealer Premier Suzuki will be able to experience over 20 amazing different attractions each day, for children of all ages.

Don’t worry about the unpredictable summer weather – almost all attractions will be in covered marquees and tents, with additional cover brought in should rain be forecast.

Spectacular performances include ‘Fussy Foodies: Battle of the Pans’ – an 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 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.

Mad-cap PE teachers, Mr Stretch and Mr Armstrong will be bringing their weird and wonderful show full of laughs to the Feel Good Family Picnic.

‘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 kit 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 3 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.

Another stunning carnival will travel around the parks led by international carnival arts company Global Grooves, reflecting the Olympic values of excellence, friendship and respect.

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 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 Flat Cap Brass and other acts.

Live music will be provided by last year’s favourites Flat Cap Brass who play fun and friendly arrangements of popular 90s and 00s 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 ariel 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.

The event is accessible to wheelchair users.

Councillor Sue Smith, cabinet member for communities and co-operation at Rochdale Borough Council, said:

“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 will be 4 magical days out in the beautiful setting of lovely parks and gardens.”

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). More on Premier Suzuki