Unique colour and sound experience set to hit Rochdale Town Hall Square

Rochdale Town Hall Square will explode in a riot of colour next month, with the arrival of a unique event, which has toured all over the world.

Colourscape, a colour and sound show, will take over the space in front of the Grade I listed building over the early May Bank Holiday weekend.

Visitors of all ages are invited to wander around specially created inflatable structures which will be filled with radiant colour, while discovering musicians and dancers along the way.

During the experience, musicians Ansuman Biswas, Sylvia Hallett and Michael Ormiston, will lead the public on a unique journey of the elements of Air, Earth and Water with unusual instruments including Tibetan Singing Bowls, an amplified bicycle wheel and waterphones to link with themes of the environment.

The organisers behind Colourscape, Eye Magic Trust, have toured it around the world, with audiences in London, China, Amsterdam, and Iceland taking part in the unique experience.

The event is part of a fun-packed weekend of celebrations, with the Rochdale Science Extravaganza also taking place inside the town hall. Organised by the Rochdale Science Initiative and Rochdale Town Hall, The Science Extravaganza will feature an array of hands on activities, interactive exhibitions and mind boggling scientific demonstrations for young and old alike. As part of this, people can enjoy a sensory installation, where they can create their own music and colour with laser movement sensors.

In addition, a live animal experience will allow people to get up close and personal with an array of different species. Visitors can also meet superheroes from the world of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics), including professors from the University of Manchester and the Royal Society of Chemistry.

The Colourscape experience is taking place on Town Hall Square on Saturday 4 and Sunday 5 May  between 11am and 4pm, with the music playing between 11.30am and 3.30pm.

Tickets for Colourscape, priced at £4 for adults and £2 for children, can be booked via the town hall website.

The Rochdale Science Extravaganza is taking place in Rochdale Town Hall on Sunday 5 May, from 11am to 4pm. It’s free and there’s no need to book.

The event is one of many which are being staged at the town hall following its reopening in March, after an ambitious multi million pound lottery supported revamp.

Rochdale Town Hall manager, Caroline Storr, said: “The restoration of the town hall and its surrounding area was about much more than preserving and enhancing its beauty and historic features; it was also about creating a staging post for the community to come together and enjoy first rate events and experiences.

“We’re delighted that Rochdale audiences will be able to enjoy these unique experiences over the early May Bank Holiday weekend and we will be putting on lots more events throughout this year and in the future, as part of our brand new town hall offer.”

The Bank Holiday events are expected to further boost visitors to the town hall, which  welcomed 15,000 visitors within a month of opening in early March. Over 450 people enjoyed tours of the building in that time, while more than 20 events have also taken place, including concerts from the Black Dyke brass band, a major light show, an African fashion show and several weddings.

The town hall is open seven days a week (except on Bank Holidays), from 10am to 4pm. People can pop in and take a look around for free, or book onto a tour for a more in depth experience. A pop up café is also open on the first floor, close to the Great Hall, with the new restaurant, the Martlet, expected to open in the summer.

People can book for the Colourscape event and find out more about the wider new town hall offer at: rochdaletownhall.co.uk