Rochdale Borough Council

We've some great FREE demos and workshops located on the ground floor of the town hall.

Demonstrations

Chocolate Making Creations

• Demonstrations at 11.30am and 1.45pm

Claire Gilbertson, founder and creator of Mr Bee and Mr Bat, the artisan chocolatier from Heywood provides an insight into the origins and production of chocolate along with tastings and chance to try different flavour combinations.

Spectacular Family Science Show – by Mad Science

• Shows start at 1pm and 3.15pm
• Fun and interactive
• Educational, meeting science curriculum standards
• Led by trained, reliable, and dynamic instructors
• 20 minutes duration
• Loved by children of all ages

An exciting, high-energy science show with a food and drink theme. Meet the Mad Scientist, experience the 'wow factor' and plenty of audience participation.

Mad Science Funstation

• Between 12pm-5pm

Mad Science will also be outside the town hall with their pop-up 'Funstation' – giving you the chance to get hands on with their fun and exciting experiments.

Family stage

Shake, Rattle and Roll

• 40 minute sessions at 12.15pm and 2.30pm
• Suitable for ages 0 to 4

Brighter Sound present a music making session for children. Explore instruments, create sounds, sing songs, dance, move, socialise and make a big noise!! Give your little ones the opportunity to explore, learn and build their musical skills and understanding. Learn new songs, activities and games to continue to sing and play at home. Sessions are led by the brilliant Beth Bishop who has worked as a music leader since 2002 specialising in Early Years.

Music

It's not just about the food and drink - the festival also has a host of live music on the menu as you tuck in and enjoy the mouth-watering fare. An outdoor stage accompanied by a covered seating area on The Esplanade by Rochdale Town Hall will run throughout the day.

Joe Dunne – time to be confirmed

Rochdale's talented singer/songwriter played the main stage at Rochdale Feel Good Festival in 2017 after bagging second place in the annual 'Battle of the Bands' competition.

The Rochdale-based acoustic quartet, who specialise in their own versions of classic tracks by the likes of Bowie, T-Rex, the Red Hot Chilli Peppers and more return after proving a big hit on our stage last year.

Katie O'Malley - time to be confirmed

A voice that pours with emotion, this Rochdale singer/songwriter has played across the UK at numerous shows and festivals, including Green Meadows, Dot2Dot and many more. A familiar face on the Manchester acoustic scene, she's supported top 10 album selling Beth Rowley, country star Kimmie Rhodes, played alongside Aziz Ibrahim (Stone Roses, Simply Red) and worked with award-winning producer Simon Dine (Paul Weller, Noonday Underground).

Food and drink traders 

Inside our grade 1 listed town hall there'll be plenty of stalls as well as an outside food and drink village with live music performances all day.

You'll be able to enjoy lots of fantastic food and drink traders.  With everything from tasty burgers, wood fired pizzas, spicy sausages, mouth-watering cakes and the best street food around, you're in for a treat!

We're updating this list regularly but here's a little flavour of what you can expect so far:

Food and drink village

Stalls outside food and drink village:

• Busy Beans Coffee
• Gozleme Queen - Turkish breads with fillings
• Halloumination - halloumi fries with various toppings
• Issan Friends - Thai street food
• Jared Bullock - bar
• Jonny Duck - duck pancakes
• Latelier Vintage Box - cocktail bar
• Love is Churros
• Quirky Catering
• Sugar Chic Fudge
• The Bubble Box  - Prosecco bar
• The Rockin Buddha  - vegan and vegetarian Chinese street food
• The Wheel Bar
• The Wood Fired Pizza Place
• Troy - Greek street food
• What's your Beef - gourmet burgers

Rochdale Town Hall

Stalls inside Rochdale Town Hall:

• Amy Jinks - Rocky Road, fudge and pies
• Cakes by Alana
• Dabbawalayorkshire - Indian street food, vegetarian
• Fairtrade
• FatJax - chutneys and relish
• Greg's Busy Bees - the honey man!! - honey and wax candle making
• Harrison and Griffiths - Caribbean cakes
• Just the Cheese - cheese and pickles and chutneys
• Kandy Kitchen Creations - stew and soup packs
• Little Unicorn Face Painting
• MKS Food Distribution - olives, nuts and Turkish delights
• MrBee and MrBat - artisan chocolates
• R&G Authentic Thai Curry Paste
• Sea Straw - working with pubs, bars and restaurants to avoid single-use plastic and move to sustainable alternatives
• Sweet Dreams Desserts by Huma - cakes, cupcakes, tiffins, macaroons, brownies
• The Great British Cheese Company - cheese and chutneys
• The Sawley Kitchen - shortbreads, biscuits and puddings
• Zodiac bar is open from 12noon - 6pm

Enter our Natural History Adventure Cake Competition

Have you got what it takes to bake a showstopper worthy of being crowned the best cake? We're hosting a 'Natural History Adventure' themed cake competition at the festival.

With the world famous Dippy the Dinosaur visiting Rochdale, from February to June next year as part of a UK tour, we want you to come up with an idea for a tasty cake designed around the 'Dippy on tour – a natural history adventure' theme.

Categories and judging criteria

The cake competition will have 2 categories: 

1. Adults
2. Under 13s 

Both categories will be judged by top chef Andrew Nutter and local cake supremo Natasha Brown from Brown's Cakes.

Entries will be judged on taste, presentation and creativity. There'll be prizes for the winners and runners up.

How to enter

To enter the cake competition:

• Deliver your cake to the Great Hall at Rochdale Town Hall on Saturday, 16 March 2019 between 10am and 12noon.
• Present your cake on a disposable cake board.
• Clearly label your cake with your name and entry category.

The judging will take place from 12.45pm and winners will be announced on the family stage at 4:30pm during the festival and the prizes will be presented by festival partner Premier Kia, Rochdale.

Prizes

Adults

1^st Prize - A champagne experience gourmet dinner for 2 at Nutters Restaurant.

2^nd Prize - Afternoon Tea for 2 at Brown's Cakes.

Children (under 13)

1^st Prize - Afternoon Tea at Nutters Restaurant for the winner and up to 2 guests (parents/guardians), plus a signed cookery book from Andrew Nutter.

Plus, everyone who enters the competition will receive a 20% off voucher for food and drink in the seated area of Brown's Cakes.

Any questions?

Email us with 'Cake competition' in the subject line at foodfest@rochdale.gov.uk

Premier Kia

Our official partner is Premier Kia

The dealership based on Molesworth Street near the town centre will be promoting the event to their customers across the region and showcasing vehicles at the festival.

"We are proud to be sponsoring this festival for the first time, and it's virtually on our doorstep. Partnering at the festival is a great way for us to support the local community. There is a great food and drink offer in the town centre and I believe in promoting this to as wide an audience as possible, so events like Rochdale Food and Drink Festival are really important."

Ben Bird, general manager at Premier Kia.

Travel advice

Car parking

FREE parking for festival visitors is available at Hopwood Hall College car park from 7.30am-10pm on Saturday, 16 March 2019. Find Hopwood Hall College on Google Maps.

You can also find car parks located around the town centre. Find car parks in the borough.

Metrolink

Rochdale Town Centre Metrolink stop is a 5 minute walk from Rochdale Food and Drink Festival. Plan your tram journey at Transport for Greater Manchester.

Train

Rochdale Train Station is a 15 minute walk from the festival, or you can get the Metrolink straight into the town centre. Plan your train journey at Transport for Greater Manchester.

Bus

Rochdale Transport Interchange is a 5 minute walk from the festival site.  View departure times at Rochdale Interchange at Transport for Greater Manchester.

Smoking and vaping

We want to create a welcoming environment for everyone, so the festival will be a smoke and vape-free zone. Everyone is asked not to smoke or vape, to keep the air clear and inspire a smokefree generation.