BONKERS BOMBAY BINGO!!!

2 weeks ago saw the first ‘Bombay Bingo’ event take place at Champness Hall with huge success!

The event saw ‘What’s Occurrin’ Rochdale’ team up with the Indian Street Food Restaurant ‘Bombay Brew’ to bring a fun night of bingo, Indian food, games, live music AND a plethora of prizes to be won!

The 2 bingo hosts, added some brilliant character to the evening and bounced off each other well, making the audience have a laugh along the way. The evening included 3 games of bingo with opportunities to win prizes for a ‘line’ as well as a ‘full house’ – but it wasn’t just a simple win, the winner had the opportunity to take the winnings or gamble their prize to win an even better one - which saw winner walking away with 6 inflatable Elephants..! The socially distanced show even had audience members on stage to take part in live games such as Pictionary and a drinking game involved a pint of Newcastle Brown Ale! Some of the other prizes given out on the evening included tickets the ‘Milnrow Calling’ Festival being held on the 31st August at Milnrow Cricket Club and a 4 SLICE TOASTER!!

The bingo was not the only enjoyable part of the evening though, between the games the audience devoured a delicious Indian street food meal provided by Bombay Brew, a Samosa Smash followed by a Butter Chicken Kebab – yes curry in a kebab!! Also, the audience were treated to a full Indian themed bar on offer, with support from The Bombay Brew offering their own craft ale, cocktails and more!

The final game of bingo saw audience members with their bingo dabbers at the ready and their heads down with frantic game of ‘Speed Bingo’ - which despite gigantic, inflated balloons being bounced around the room – did not stop anyone from taking their eyes off their bingo cards!!

After everyone had calmed down from the concentration needed for the ‘Speed Bingo’, the audience were treated to some live music from The Shenanigans duo featuring Chris Addington and Cliff Woodworth, which was not a performance to miss! The band engaged the whole of the audience with some of their own twists on popular charts songs. Some of the audience were visibly moved by Chris’ vocals.

As organisers, we couldn’t have hoped for the event to go better and are looking forward to the next evening of ‘Bombay Bingo’ on the 4th December. In the meantime though, we are looking forward to transforming Champess Hall into a German Bierkeller to host ‘Oktoberfest Rochdale’ on the 17th and 18th of September, with live music being performed by the ‘Jager Maestros Oompah Band’, the North West’s leading German Oompah Band! We hope to see you there!

Little Glastonboro Update - 14th June 2021

There is a lot of speculation as to what Boris will say later.

If on the outside chance it is good news we will all be celebrating on the 26th June!

If as predicted there is a delay to stage 4 being lifted we will need time read all the guidance and consult with our local authorities before any decision about Little Glastonboro is made. We will endeavour to do this as quickly as possible and will contact ticket holders via email.

During this time we will do our best to respond to messages but replies may be delayed.

Above all else fear not as your tickets are safe. We have got a reserve date of the 31st July 2021 and the 25th June 2022 ready for next year.

A Night With Bruno Success!!

Last Saturday saw the return of live music to the revived Champness Hall in Rochdale. A socially distanced audience were treated to live music from not one but two live acts.

The Shenanigans duo featuring Chris Addington and Cliff Woodworth started the night. They were on top form engaging the audience in a range of popular song covers with their own twist. Chris had the audience in awe with his incredible vocals particularly during the song 'Shallow' by Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper.

We then all found out why the Bruno Mars tribute band are the UK's number one tribute band to Bruno Mars. Taking to the stage in their Jersey Boy's style gold jackets with a fully choreographed show, they got the hall dancing in their seats! It's not until you listen to a whole 90 minute show that you appreciate how many massive hits Bruno Mars has had. There was something for everyone with the age of the audience ranging from 12 to 80!

It's fair to say that the arts industry has been hit hard by the pandemic, but it was great to see the people out in force to show their appreciation on the first weekend of the national restrictions easing.

As organisers, it would be remiss of us not to acknowledge the incredible support we received from the trustees at the Champness Hall who helped to bring our shared vision of a rejuvenated hall to fruition. It could also not have happened without our bar sponsors from the Flying Horse Hotel. It is not uncommon at large events like this to see bars serving cans and bottles only, however we were treated to a full bar including hand pulled ale, ABK Pilsner, and cocktails. We are also incredibly grateful for the support and guidance we received from Rochdale Council to help us deliver a Covid safe event.

Check out our what's on guide to find out about more events in Rochdale and if you have an event you would like to list for free please get in touch.

We are now looking forward to returning to the Champness Hall on the 17th and 18th September for Oktberfest Rochdale when we transform the hall into a German Bierkeller with the extraordinary Jager Maestros Oompah Band. Before that though we have our two music festivals to brighten up your summer, Little Glastonboro (26th June) and Milnrow Calling (29th August). We hope to see you there!

Photos curtesy of Michael Cliffe Photography.

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