Rochdale’s Dumpling Day celebrates community and culinary traditions

A celebration of community, culture and culinary traditions heads to Rochdale this month as the town’s Dumpling Day returns for a second year.

Taking place on Sat 14 Jun from 11am – 3pm at the Ukrainian Centre, the free community event was created by Touchstones, part of Rochdale charity Your Trust, to celebrate culinary influences across the many diverse communities living in the region.

This year’s Dumpling Day follows the success of last summer’s launch event, which brought together people of all ages to share food, stories and traditions.

The day will include dumpling tastings from Ukrainian, Bangladeshi and Nigerian cooks among others. There will also be activities like crochet and Argentinian weaving, live music, and the chance to hear from the Touchstones Museum team, who’ll be sharing more about the much-anticipated Dining Room Project.

Mark Doyle, Director of Arts, Heritage and Wellness at Your Trust, said: “Dumpling Day is a real celebration of everything that makes Rochdale so special – our people, our heritage, and the stories we share around food. Last year’s inaugural event was a huge success, and we can’t wait to welcome everyone back this June for another day of discovery, creativity and connection.

“There will be something for everyone, so whether you’re curious about world cuisine, want to get stuck into a hands-on activity, or just fancy a good day out with friends and family, we hope to see as many people there as possible.”

Dumpling Day marks the start of Refugee Week and also draws on the history of Wakes Week – a traditional summer holiday in Lancashire mill towns.

This event is free to attend, and no booking is required. You can find more information here.