A herd of life-sized safari animals on an epic journey arrived in Heywood on Friday, 4 July 2025, drawing crowds of over 9,000 people to the town.
THE HERDS were on a very public journey that has been making its way across Africa and Europe before heading to Greater Manchester to dramatise the climate crisis, highlighting animals travelling north to flee the climate disaster, produced by The Walk Productions as part of Manchester International Festival.
THE HERDS featured giraffes, antelope, lions and monkeys made from upscaled or recyclable cardboard and plywood. A dramatic way to put the focus on climate change, the animals began their 20,000km journey in Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of the Congo back in April.
After visiting Greater Manchester The Herds travel on to Scandinavia and then the Arctic Circle.
With a crowd of thousands awaiting their arrival in a residential area they made their appearance just after 7pm, along with musicians from carnival arts company Global Grooves. On a mission to find a way back to nature, in moving and uplifting scenes soon they found their way to the lake at nearby Queen’s Park.
‘spark conversations about our world’
Following THE HERDS appearance by the lake there was a live performance on stage at the park’s outdoor theatre by nine-piece Riot Jazz. The festival favourites drew another big crowd, with their lively mix of dancefloor anthems and aggro-jazz.
There was a busy Climate Co-Operators marquee in Queen’s Park with a range of organisations showing what is happening locally to tackle climate change and offering support to visitors to help them take climate action and reduce their carbon footprint.
Councillor Tricia Ayrton, cabinet member for climate change and environment at Rochdale Borough Council, said it had been an incredible moment for the town:
“To see this menagerie of life-size puppet animals and so many people coming out to support it here in Heywood was fantastic, and the lake in our beautiful Queen’s Park provided a perfect backdrop. There were so many young people in the crowd, which is so important. It’s vital that they understand and get involved, as events like this really do help to spark conversations about our world and ways we need inspire real change. The Herds creativity has the power to inspire, provoke thought and drive change and they are a stunning representation of the twin crises of climate change and biodiversity loss and the journey we must all make towards a brighter future.”
Heywood’s cafes, bars and restaurants were also kept busy during and after the event, welcoming an influx of visitors with special offers, extended opening hours and live entertainment.
Over 9,000 people came to see THE HERDS.
Manchester International Festival continues for the next 2 weeks with an array of world premiere arts events, including the premiere of world renowned artists Shilpa Gupta’s latest work ‘You Are The Place’ at the Rise Inavate Centre on Smith Street - a free multilingual sound installation taking in different perspectives in a piece about waiting, persistence and hope, featuring the voices of local residents.
THE HERDS visit to Heywood was produced by Rochdale Borough Council and Rochdale Development Agency in partnership with Heywood Town Board.
THE HERDS was 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 about Rochdale’s year as Greater Manchester Town of Culture.
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