Wednesday 20 – Wednesday 27 August
Join us for a fun-filled week in Rochdale Town Centre! This festival is made by the people of Rochdale Borough, for everyone. You’ll find exciting activities like making art, playing games, sharing stories, and much more – all created by our amazing local communities.
Come and explore the pop-up space near Touchstones on Rochdale Town Hall Square and discover what happens when we all work Side-by-Side. There are plenty of ways to get involved, so let’s create something special together.
A special thanks to Rochdale Town Hall for kindly hosting us for Side-by-Side whilst Touchstones is closed for redevelopment.
Thanks to Art Fund: Reimagine Grant, Arts Council England, The Big Give’s #ArtsForImpact, Creative Lives through Know Your Neighbourhood Partnership Grant, DCMS, Rochdale Boroughwide Council, and Rochdale Town Hall for helping make this happen!
Side by Side 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.
EVENTS
There are many events at Side-by-Side where you don’t need to book in advance and can just drop in on the day. For events that require advance booking, this is to ensure you are guaranteed a place and won’t miss out.
All our bookable events are Pay What You Can. Free tickets are there for those who need them, or you can choose to pay £2.50, £5 or £7.50 per ticket. Any income generated from these tickets will go towards further community-led work with Touchstones.
EXHIBITIONS
BROWSE THE PROGRAMME
ABOUT
Creative Lead Harry Meadley:
“Side-by-Side is a new arts festival for the borough of Rochdale that is about bringing together, working together and being together. It is not a Do-It-Yourself festival, but a Do-It-Together one – created to widen participation, foster inclusion, and address social isolation.
It is a chance to experience and celebrate artworks, performances, events, workshops and activities created by people from across the borough. But more than that, it is an invitation to get involved – not just now, but in shaping the festivals to come.
So whether as a visitor, spectator, participant or future collaborator, we look forward to welcoming you in and sitting or standing side-by-side with you.”