Armed Forces Community Celebrated at Rochdale Festival 2026

Key Points

• The Rochdale Festival of Remembrance is scheduled for the 16th of October 2026 at Rochdale Town Hall.
• The event will honour members of the Armed Forces community, such as serving military, veterans, service families and cadets.
• According to Rochdale Town Hall, the event time will be from 6.15 pm to 10pm with the main programme from 7pm to 10.30pm.
• The programme includes, amongst other activities, military bands, marches, speeches and service of remembrance.
• Also, a pie and pea supper will be served during the occasion.
• Everyone is encouraged to attend but bookings are required.
• The tickets will cost from £20 through the booking process of the event.
• The Rochdale Borough Council will be organising the event.
• This comes as a result of several Armed Forces commemoration events held in Rochdale.

Rochdale (Manchester Mirror) September 12, 2026 – residents are due to gather at the town hall for an evening of remembrance featuring military music, marching bands, speeches, a formal service and a traditional pie and pea supper.

The event details published by Rochdale Town Hall state that doors will open at 6.15pm, while the event itself will run from 7pm until 10.30pm. The venue lists the event’s overall time as 6.15pm to 10pm, meaning attendees should check the booking information for the confirmed programme schedule before travelling.

The festival is intended to honour members of the Armed Forces community who have served or are serving, including military personnel, veterans, their families and cadets. Rochdale Borough Council is identified as the event organiser, and the event listing says that everyone is welcome to attend.

What will happen at Rochdale Town Hall?

According to the Rochdale Town Hall event listing, the evening will combine ceremonial activities, music and community participation.

The programme will include:

• Military music.
• Marching bands.
• Speeches.
• A service of remembrance.
• A pie and pea supper.

The published description says the event will recognise the work of the Armed Forces community past and present. It does not identify the individual speakers, military units or musical groups scheduled to appear.

The event listing gives Rochdale Town Hall as the location, at The Esplanade, Rochdale, OL16 1AZ. Tickets are advertised from £20, and advance booking is required through Your Trust. The listing also provides hello@RochdaleTownHall.co.uk as a contact address for enquiries.

The venue has stated that the event is suitable for everyone. However, its general event disclaimer advises people under 18 to ask a parent or guardian before attending an activity.

When and where is the remembrance event?

The Rochdale Festival of Remembrance is scheduled for Friday, October 16, 2026, at Rochdale Town Hall.

Rochdale Borough Council’s events page also lists the event for Friday, October 16, describing it as a gathering at Rochdale Hall to recognise the Armed Forces community past and present.

The town hall’s own event page gives the more detailed practical information. It lists the venue as Rochdale Town Hall, The Esplanade, Rochdale OL16 1AZ, and states that tickets cost from £20. The listing says doors open at 6.15pm and that the event runs from 7pm to 10.30pm.

Because the two published time references are not identical, people planning to attend should rely on the booking confirmation or contact the venue directly for the final schedule.

Who is being honoured?

The event is focused on the wider Armed Forces community rather than only currently serving troops.

That community includes:

• Regular service personnel.
• Reservists.
• Veterans.
• Service families.
• Cadets.
• People who support the Armed Forces community.

A previous Rochdale Times report on Armed Forces Day described the Armed Forces community as including currently serving troops, service families, veterans and cadets. The report also referred to regular and reservist soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines, both past and present.

The October festival is therefore part of a broader pattern of local recognition. It is designed to provide a public setting where the borough can acknowledge military service and remember those connected with the Armed Forces.

The published information does not state whether a particular regiment, campaign or individual will be commemorated at the event. It presents the festival as a borough-wide remembrance gathering.

Why is Rochdale holding the festival?

The stated purpose is to recognise the work and service of the Armed Forces community.

Rochdale Town Hall’s event listing says the borough is coming together to recognise the Armed Forces community past and present. Rochdale Borough Council’s events page uses similar wording, describing the event as a way to recognise the work of the community.

The festival also follows other Armed Forces-related activity in Rochdale during 2026.

In a report published by the Rochdale Times on June 23, the newspaper reported that Rochdale Council planned to raise the Armed Forces flag at Rochdale Town Hall as part of Armed Forces Day celebrations. The report said the council viewed the event as an opportunity to show support for serving personnel, service families, veterans and cadets.

The same report attributed a statement to the council saying that the flag-raising would recognise the service of regular and reservist soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines, past and present. The council also said it was proud of its work throughout the year to support the Armed Forces community.

The October festival is separate from Armed Forces Day, which takes place in June, but both events share the purpose of recognising military service and encouraging public participation.

What other Armed Forces events have taken place in Rochdale?

Rochdale has held public events involving serving personnel, veterans, council representatives and residents.

The Rochdale Times reported that Armed Forces flags were raised at Rochdale Town Hall and Middleton Memorial Gardens during Armed Forces Week. According to the report, Mayor of Rochdale Councillor Faisal Rana attended alongside Armed Forces personnel, veterans, dignitaries and residents.

The event included speeches, the Kohima Epitaph and the raising of the Armed Forces flag. These activities provided a formal opportunity to recognise the commitment and sacrifice of service personnel.

The newspaper also reported that the charity Get Together After Serving was organising an Armed Forces Day event at Springfield Park. The event was described as open to all ages and free to attend, with a community picnic, live music, military vehicles and equipment, a football match, activities for children and young people, stalls and wellbeing information.

Get Together After Serving said the event would give children and young people an opportunity to meet veterans, ask questions and learn about service life. The charity also said that support information would be available for veterans and their families.

Those earlier activities provide context for the town hall festival, although the available information does not confirm that the same organisations, performers or speakers will be involved in the October event.

How can people attend the event?

People wishing to attend must book tickets in advance.

Rochdale Town Hall lists tickets from £20 and directs potential attendees to book through Your Trust. The venue’s listing also gives hello@RochdaleTownHall.co.uk for enquiries.

The event is advertised as suitable for everyone. Attendees should check the final booking information for details about seating, accessibility, ticket availability, the supper arrangements and the confirmed finishing time.

The published listing does not provide a full breakdown of ticket categories or explain whether concessions are available. It also does not list the names of the performers, speakers or participating military groups.

The time information should also be checked before attendance. The listing states that doors open at 6.15pm and that the programme runs from 7pm to 10.30pm, while the headline event details give the time as 6.15pm to 10pm.

What has Rochdale Council said about the Armed Forces community?

In the earlier Rochdale Times report, the council said Armed Forces Day was an opportunity to support women and men who make up the Armed Forces community, including serving troops, service families, veterans and cadets.

The council also said the celebration recognised the service of regular and reservist soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines, past and present. The report attributed those comments directly to Rochdale Council.

The council’s previous message was connected to the June Armed Forces Day programme rather than the October Festival of Remembrance. No separate statement from an individual council representative has been published in the available event information for the October festival.

Accordingly, the confirmed details of the October event are those provided by Rochdale Town Hall and Rochdale Borough Council’s event listings.

What information has not yet been announced?

The available listings confirm the date, venue, broad programme and ticket arrangements, but several details have not been published.

These include:

• The names of speakers.
• The names of marching bands.
• The military units or organisations attending.
• The order of the service.
• The identity of any presiding religious or civic officials.
• The precise menu and supper arrangements.
• Seating and accessibility details.
• The number of tickets available.
• Any concessions or free places.
• Whether the event will be recorded or broadcast.

The absence of these details does not indicate that they will not be part of the event. It means only that they are not included in the published information currently available.

Background to Rochdale’s Armed Forces commemorations

Rochdale’s recognition of the Armed Forces community forms part of a longer local commitment to supporting current and former service personnel.

A Rochdale Borough Council report states that the council signed an Armed Forces Community Covenant in 2012. The covenant was intended to provide mutual support between the borough and the Services and to help ensure that members of the Armed Forces community were not disadvantaged in society.

The council document said the covenant could involve giving special consideration to sick, injured or bereaved service personnel and helping them access services such as healthcare, housing and education. It also referred to the sacrifices made by members of the Armed Forces and their families.

The Rochdale Development Agency has also reported that the covenant aims to encourage communities to support activities that help current or former Armed Forces personnel integrate into civilian life. It said people encountering difficulties with council or partner services could seek further information through Rochdale’s Armed Forces support arrangements.

The planned Festival of Remembrance is consistent with that background. It is a public remembrance event rather than a service-access programme, but it provides an opportunity for the wider community to recognise military service and meet others connected with the Armed Forces.

How could the festival affect Rochdale residents and the Armed Forces community?

For serving personnel, veterans, service families and cadets, the festival is expected to provide a formal local occasion for recognition and remembrance.

For residents, the event offers an opportunity to attend a civic gathering involving military music, marching bands, speeches and a remembrance service. The organisers have stated that everyone is welcome, so attendance is not limited to members of the Armed Forces community.

The event may also help maintain public awareness of the different groups connected with military service. Earlier Rochdale events highlighted that the Armed Forces community includes not only serving troops but also veterans, families, reservists and cadets.

The immediate practical effect for residents will be the need to book tickets and travel to Rochdale Town Hall on October 16. People should check the confirmed event timetable because the published listing contains different references to the finishing time.

The longer-term effect cannot be confirmed from the available information. The event’s published purpose is remembrance and recognition, and no announcement has been made about new council services, funding or policy changes linked specifically to the festival.