{"id":523221,"date":"2025-10-23T22:28:21","date_gmt":"2025-10-23T22:28:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/523221\/"},"modified":"2025-10-23T22:28:21","modified_gmt":"2025-10-23T22:28:21","slug":"this-greater-manchester-town-is-getting-its-very-own-festive-ice-rink-for-the-first-time-in-decades","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/523221\/","title":{"rendered":"This Greater Manchester Town Is Getting Its Very Own Festive Ice Rink For The First Time In Decades"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCredit: Rochdale Borough Council<\/p>\n

Save<\/p>\n

The countdown to Christmas<\/a> is on, and one Greater Manchester town is certainly getting into the festive spirit by revealing its seasonal event programme<\/strong>. Starting from next month, Rochdale<\/strong> will not only welcome back the spectacular Ignite Fire Festival<\/strong> and host a festive lights switch-on<\/strong>, but it will also see an ice rink<\/strong> arrive in the town.<\/p>\n

Ignite Fire Festival, which was staged for the first time in 2023, will once again transform the square and gardens around Rochdale Town Hall<\/strong>. The event has now been extended to include beautifully restored pathways and parkland on Broadfield Slopes, plus more dazzling displays and activities for all the family<\/strong>, including an ice rink<\/a> and Christmas market<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"fireCredit: Rochdale Borough Council Ignite Fire Festival returns, bigger than ever <\/p>\n

Ignite Fire Festival runs from Friday 21st November to Sunday 23rd November<\/strong> with three, free night-time spectacular shows from 5pm to 8pm, delivering a magical trail of fire and lights<\/strong>. Thousands of people are expected to attend the event, and organisers Rochdale Borough Council have said this year\u2019s will be the biggest yet.<\/p>\n

Fiery displays, blazing sculptures and illuminated installations<\/strong> created by artists and pyrotechnicians from multi-award-winning outdoor arts specialists, Walk the Plank<\/strong>, will be open to walk through each evening.<\/p>\n

\"igniteCredit: Rochdale Borough Council A magical landscape of light and fire <\/p>\n

A free immersive experience<\/a> for all ages, Ignite will feature the world premiere of Bubbles of Love, a new kinetic sculpture<\/strong> by Felix Rowberry and the mesmerising animatronics<\/strong> of Paka\u2019s Fire Dragon, both part of Walk the Plank\u2019s Fire Garden. Lotus flowers will erupt with flame<\/strong>, and strange birds will rotate slowly or burst into life.<\/p>\n

Sounds will be heard as cogs turn and flaming sculptures<\/strong> hiss as the gardens become a magical landscape of light and fire. On the Friday evening, there will be a torchlight procession<\/strong> to launch the new Broadfield Slopes, which will highlight new paths and planting around the Broadfield Slopes.<\/p>\n

Mesmerising new displays and performances <\/p>\n

Each evening, a fire drawing<\/strong> designed and made by residents will be ignited, alongside flaming hot performances<\/strong> from some of the North\u2019s top talent. Back again for 2025 is Drum Machine \u2013 the 20-strong drumming collective, who will be bringing their techno-infused beats to the event.<\/p>\n

Every evening, \u2018Fireflies\u2019 will be delivered<\/strong>, as part of the Culture Co-op programme with Rochdale\u2019s Skylight Circus Arts and interactive arts group Travelling Light Circus, alongside local residents trained up especially for the festival, performing mesmerising fire spinning feats<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\"musiciansCredit: Rochdale Borough Council A new ice rink to add to the festive fun in Rochdale <\/p>\n

This festive season will see an ice rink by Santa\u2019s Village<\/strong> introduced to Rochdale, and will open for the first time at the Ignite Fire Festival. Located on Rochdale Town Hall Square<\/strong>, promising a magical experience for all ages and skill levels, it will run until January 4.<\/p>\n

Each skating session lasts up to 45 minutes of frosty fun \u2013 and prices start from \u00a39.50 for children<\/strong> and \u00a313.50 for adults<\/strong>. Tickets can be booked here<\/a>. There will also be hot food, mulled wine and other seasonal drinks.<\/p>\n

\"rochdaleCredit: Rochdale Borough Council Rochdale Christmas lights switch-on <\/p>\n

Father Christmas and his special guests, including the Mayor of Rochdale Councillor Janet Emsley, will officially switch on the lights at 5.30pm on<\/strong> Sunday 23rd November<\/strong> in front of the town hall after the traditional countdown.<\/p>\n

Ignite Fire Festival is part of a spectacular line-up of festivals, live performances, exhibitions and art during Rochdale\u2019s year as Greater Manchester Town of Culture 2025-26<\/a><\/strong>. The title, awarded by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, celebrates the town\u2019s rich history, creativity, talent and diverse arts scene.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Credit: Rochdale Borough Council Save The countdown to Christmas is on, and one Greater Manchester town is certainly…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":523222,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8813],"tags":[748,35745,393,4884,132406,2465,16,15,59345],"class_list":{"0":"post-523221","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-manchester","8":"tag-britain","9":"tag-christmas","10":"tag-england","11":"tag-great-britain","12":"tag-ice-skating","13":"tag-manchester","14":"tag-uk","15":"tag-united-kingdom","16":"tag-winter"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115425844707039093","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/523221","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=523221"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/523221\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/523222"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=523221"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=523221"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=523221"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}