COMMUNITY EVENT SAT 27TH SEPT 12PM TIL 10PM
Blackrod Cricket Club, Blackrod BL6 5DD
WELCOME TO BLACKROD
Blackrod Town Council
SCAN
TO VIEW FREE FESTIVAL PROGRAMME
House of Strength
Strongman Competition
Blackrod Community Groups & Retail Stalls
First Aid Tent
Dog Show
Registration
Exotic Petting Zoo
Toddlers Soft Play
Live Music & Entertainment
Creative Corner
Inflatables for all Ages
BLACKROD
Toddler Rides
Toilets
Armstrongs
Lorry Cab Display Food &
Entrance & Exit
Blackrod Town Council extends heartfelt thanks to all our sponsors and supporters for helping make this event a wonderful success
We extend our sincere thanks to the many local businesses, groups and organisations who have generously supported this wonderful community event – both financially and by offering their time and support.
Your support provides essential funding that helps keep this event free for everyone to enjoy, especially during these challenging times.
Thank you for helping us bring the community together.
SPONSORS
Armstrongs Group
Sunbelt Rentals
Nightingale Electrical
Northstone
J Dickinson & Sons
Lostock Skip Hire
S Cattteral
Jemma Clare
Photography
Morgan’s Coffee Bar, Blackrod
CLICK ON COMPANY TO VISIT WEBSITE
SUPPORTERS
Horwich & Blackrod
Community Events CIC
Blackrod Cricket Club
Vanity Fur Doggy
Daycare and Spa
The Drum Room
Bolton Council
Festival
Tots & Kids
Toddler’s Soft Play Activities: (0 – 5years).
12PM - 4PM
FREE SOFT PLAY – OPEN TO ALL
Come along and enjoy a fun-filled session designed especially for young children!
Let the little ones explore and play with:
Soft Play equipment | Hoppers | Didi Cars
A great opportunity for children to burn off some energy, make new friends, and enjoy safe, supervised play.
Children must be accompanied by a responsible adult at all times.
No booking required – just turn up and join the fun!.
Inflatables & toddler rides
They’re big, they’re bright, and they’re bouncy!
12PM - 4PM
FREE FUN FOR ALL AGES!
Get ready for a fantastic time with a selection of inflatables and toddler rides to keep everyone entertained – from the tiniest tots to energetic older kids!
Bouncy castles, obstacle courses, and more for all ages | Smaller, gentle rides specially designed for toddlers | Safe, supervised fun that everyone can enjoy.
It’s the perfect way for children to burn off all that extra energy while having an unforgettable day of excitement and laughter.
Don’t miss out – come bounce, climb, and slide your way to fun!
Torr’s Exotics
Petting Zoo
And the best part? It’s completely FREE! 12PM - 4PM
TORR’S EXOTICS – EXHIBITING AT THE FESTIVAL OF BLACKROD!
Come and meet our amazing Torr’s exotic animals up close! Join us for fun, handson encounters and learn all about these fascinating creatures from their expert team. A perfect experience for all ages – interactive, educational, and completely unforgettable!
Don’t miss your chance to explore the wild side at the Festival of Blackrod! Backed by a knowledgeable and experienced team, we prioritise the wellbeing of our animals while delivering unforgettable, hands-on experiences. Whether you’re meeting one of our animals for the first time or deepening your understanding of exotic species, you’ll leave with a stronger connection to the natural world.
At Torr’s Exotics, learning is always interactive, inspiring, and unforgettable.
NIGHTINGALE
ENERGY
Cut your bills and power your home with clean, renewable energy. Our solar panels and battery storage solutions allow you to generate your own electricity day and night, saving money and reducing reliance on the national grid. With Nightingale Energy, you get exper t installation, reliable systems, and friendly service from a local company you can trust.
WHY NIGHTINGALE
Friendly aftercare
Trusted family run business
Tailored systems designed to suit you
Over 13 years experience installing Solar PV
MCS-cer tified installation with full warranties
Carbon Footprint Energy Tariffs
Reduce your carbon footprint by using clean green renewable energy
Smar t tariffs to claim for expor ted generation or cheap night tariffs
Face Painting
And the best part? It’s completely FREE! 12PM - 4PM
Children love having their faces painted because it lets them use their imagination and become something fun or magical, like a superhero, animal, or princess for the day.
Festival of Blackrod Creative Kids Corner
Come and let your kids express their creativity through drawing. Drawing helps nurture imagination, builds confidence, and helps them communicate thoughts and emotions they may not yet have words for. It supports cognitive development, and problem-solving, better still, they have lots of fun whilst doing it.
Why not bring your own Picnic?
Or you can take advantage of the Food & Drink vendors we have on offer – Taka Taka Mam, Carr’s Pasties, Burgers & Hotdogs, Coffee and Icecream Van.
Unfortunately, no alcohol can be brought into the Festival and must be purchased on-site.
Bring your own chairs!
We only have a limited amount of chairs for this year’s Festival of Blackrod, so we kindly encourage all visitors to bring their own for comfort and to enjoy the day.
KINDLY SPONSORED BY
WIN
A NINTENDO SWITCH 2
Entry Forms will be available on the day
Festival
of Blackrod On Stage
12PM - 9.45PM
LIVE MUSIC ALL DAY!
A jam-packed day of live music and entertainment to suit young and old alike.
ARTISTS ON STAGE TIME
Dance Mode Freestyle Academy 12.05pm – 12.30pm
Ukes Together 12.35pm – 1pm
Blackrod Community Choir 1.05pm – 1.30pm
Band with No Name 1.45pm – 2pm
De Lacy Drive 2.15pm – 2.45pm
Jan G Line Dancing 3pm – 3.25pm
Sing Space Musical Theatre Choir 3.30pm – 3.55pm
Rhapsody Academy of Performing Arts 4.05pm – 4.30pm
Liam Martin is Simply Ed 4.50pm – 5.35pm
KOJO 5.45pm – 6.30pm
Waiting Forever 6.50pm – 7.35pm
The Dents 7.55pm – 8.40pm
DJ Andy 8.50pm – 9.45pm
Mr Kyle Adams (in the Club House) 1.00pm – 2pm
FESTIVAL FINISHES 10PM
Take a look at the following pages for a full run-down of each act.
Dance Mode
Freestyle Academy
LIVE On Stage
12.05pm
Genre
The academy specialises in freestyle dance - an expressive, high-energy style that blends modern moves, street influence, acrobatics, and performance technique.
Ukes Together
LIVE On Stage 12.35pm
Genre
The ukulele has a sound that’s instantly recognizable – light, playful, and full of joy. Its strings ripple like laughter in the breeze, carrying a warmth that lingers with tenderness, as though each note is smiling.
Blackrod Community Choir
LIVE On Stage
1.05pm
Genre
A community choir that effortlessly unites voices in harmony, filling the air with energy and joy. Unforgettable performances that light up the community.
Band with No Name
LIVE On Stage 1.45pm
Genre
They have been playing together for a year as part of an initiative by Horwich music school, The Drum Room Yamaha Music School. They will be performing some classic rock that everyone will know.
De Lacy Drive
LIVE On Stage 2.15pm
Genre
Rooted in classic country traditions, their music blends rich melodies with modern influences, creating a sound that is both timeless and fresh.
Jan G Line Dancing
LIVE On Stage 3pm
Genre
Experience the excitement of line dancing live on stage! Highenergy steps, twirls, and laughter collide in a spectacular, footstomping show for all ages. Don’t miss the fun!
Sing Space Musical Theatre Choir
LIVE On Stage 3.30pm
Genre
Brings the stage to life! Sing, dance, laugh, and shine together, performing show-stopping numbers while sharing joy and excitement in every energetic performance!
Rhapsody Academy of Performing Arts
LIVE On Stage 4.05pm
Genre
Where creativity, talent, and fun collide! Experience stage magic in every lively, show-stopping performance, as students sing, dance, and act with energy, confidence, and joy that lights up the stage.
Liam Martin is Simply Ed
LIVE On Stage 4.50pm
Genre
Fantastic local tribute artist making it big on the scene for his performance as Ed Sheeran sing all his greatest hits!
Kojo
LIVE On Stage 5.45pm
Genre
A three-piece band covering funk and soul to produce an uplifting and inspiring sound. Their repertoire combines catchy originals with ingenious Kojo reworks of popular songs.
Waiting forever
LIVE On Stage 6.50pm
Genre
Indie folk tinged with Celtic Rock.They will be covering some classics that everyone can join in with and some material of their own, thrown in!
The dents
LIVE On Stage 7.55pm
Genre
Four piece band made up of local lads, they will be performing mod revival, indie, pop and rock tracks that we all know and love.
DJ Andy
LIVE On Stage
8.50pm
Genre Expect high-energy tunes, dance floor fillers, from 80’s, 90’s and 2000’s pop classics to contemporary anthems!
Mr Kyle Adams
LIVE in the club house 1pm - 2pm
Genre
With Sinatra being his go to guy ,expect plenty of Soul, Motown and swing music from the 40’s to present day!
Festival
All makes and models of pooches welcome!
STARTS 1PM til 3.30PM Registration 12pm-12.45pm
FREE ENTRY
DOG SHOW CATEGORIES
ƒ Musical Sits
ƒ Prettiest Pooch (Females)
ƒ Handsomest Hound (Males)
ƒ Best sausage/ ball catcher
ƒ Best trick
ƒ Temptation Egg alley
Best in Show
This year’s Dog Show will be run by
Competition Finals!
IN A BATTLE OF BEASTS
STRONGMAN HAS COME TO BLACKROD
After the qualifiers at the Festival of Horwich in August we now have the finals here in Backrod!
Athletes will compete against one another in a series of 5 events, each more gruelling than the last!
EVENT 1 Log Press for reps
Where precision meets power! Strongman’s signature lift! Athletes will hoist a cylindrical beast from the ground to over their head as many times as possible.
EVENT 2
Deadlift for reps
The iron gauntlet! A war of attrition. Athletes will lift a loaded bar as many times as possible.
EVENT 3
Farmers Carry
HAS BLACKROD
This wouldn’t be strongman without both a grip and moving event?! Athletes will carry two equally weighted implements heavy enough to make your bones question their life choices.
Every step is a new challenge as the athletes grip screams, their traps burn and their lungs feel like they’re imploding!
EVENT 4 Bag Throw
Wanna see a human trebuchet? We got ya! Each athlete will throw a range of heavier sandbags over a 4m bar.
Whoever defies gravity and sends the bags hurling through the air like a meteor fastest, wins!
EVENT 5
Stone to Shoulder Atlas stones. The embodiment of strongman. See a rock, lift a rock.
The stone to shoulder is one of the most savage and primal lifts in strongman. Lift a stone from the floor to your shoulder.
Entry Deadline 10th August 2025
Blackrod has so much to offer from sports and recreational activities, musical and creative talent, charities, community groups and organisations.
...and let’s not forget we are surrounded by beautiful countryside with the West Pennine Moors and Rivington on our door step.
Festival of Blackrod Exhibition Displays
The following pages perfectly illustrate how diverse and exciting Blackrod is when it comes to culture, heritage and community activities.
Blackrod has a history spanning over 4,000 years, around the same time Stonehenge was built with the discovery of a Stone Age Axe here in black in 2000BC!
Our villages name has evolved over the past 700 years – it is thought to be derived from two old English words “bleac” and “rod” the former meaning black or bleak and the latter a clearing or Holy Rood (the Cross of Christ). The first mention of the town dates to 1189, when it was recorded as Blacherode, in 1220 it became ‘Blacrode.
Around 80AD, a Roman Agricola Fort was discovered in Blackrod alongside an ancient Roman road. The location of this fort
was discovered in what we all know as Castle Croft during a archaeological dig.
In the first ever Blackrod Census, carried out in 1801 the population was a mere 1,623. The largest growth in the villages population was between 1961 (3,606) - 2001 (5,300), seeing a 47% rise. By 2021 the villages population had grown to 5,345.
The Festival of Blackrod’s History and Community Groups exhibition displays will be situated inside the cricket Pavilion .
THE MAYOR’S CHARITIES!
As the Mayor of Blackrod, my chosen charities are Bolton Wanderers in the Community, Childhood Eye Cancer Trust and Bolton Hospice.
These charities mean a great deal to me and I hope throughout my tenure as Mayor I can raise lots of money to help them make a real difference in our communities and further afield.
Charity buckets will be located at the Blackrod Town Council Gazebo.
Thank you for your support!