A festival of stories, an open-air art gallery, and a retelling of the Magic Flute to create Rotherham’s first opera are among the highlights unveiled for Rotherham’s landmark year as Children’s Capital of Culture in 2025.
The first season of the year-long programme will include large-scale events, workshops, classes and a few surprises along the way. Marking Rotherham’s tenure as the world’s first Capital of Culture, the year kicks off with Otherham Winter Festival, a free, world-class cultural experience in the heart of Rotherham town centre. February will see the return of youth music festival, Signals, while March will culminate in Roots: Rotherham Street Carnival, a carnival parade filled with celebrations across the borough.
At a preview event on 5th December, leaders of the project took to the stage to make a series of announcements for 2025, including a new £1.12m investment from Arts Council England, adding to a £1m investment from South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority received earlier this year. There will also be a further commitment to employing and nurturing young creative talent in the borough.
Councillor David Sheppard, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Social Inclusion and Neighbourhood Working at Rotherham Council, said: “This is a special moment for Rotherham and its young people. We have collaborated with children and young people from across the borough over the last five years, supporting and championing their talents and creativity and we couldn’t be prouder of the programme of events, festivals, activities, classes and experiences we’ve created together.”
Other festival year highlights announced included collaborations with the Royal Horticultural Society, National Gallery and Royal Ballet & Opera House, as well as Gallery Town, a reimagined outdoor art gallery from Flux Rotherham; a youth literature festival led by Grimm & Co; a touring film programme with Sheffield DocFest; a pop-up three-day skate park, roller rink and parkour course; and a borough-wide urban sports celebration, which will include a baton relay across all 130+ schools in Rotherham.
Grace Bower, from Whiston, is one of the young people steering the festival year. She added: “There’ll be events all year round, designed by young people, like me, for the whole town to enjoy. I’m on the Youth Programming Panel, where young changemakers from across the borough collaborate and ensure our plans speak to the community. We’re buzzing to be shaping the future of Rotherham! 2025 isn’t just about one epic year – it’s about creating something that lasts and showing Rotherham’s young people that this town is full of possibilities. It’s about time we showed the world what Rotherham can do.”
Alongside the events and activities, the year will be supported by an extensive school Creative Learning programme, which will enable every child in the borough to take part. And this month, another six trainee spots are being opened up in the Children’s Capital of Culture employment programme, which gives young people aged 16 to 25 the chance to work in South Yorkshire’s creative industries, with more job opportunities for young people to be announced across the rest of 2025. Alumni of the traineeship programme have gone on to secure jobs at Netflix and Channel 4.
Rotherham announced its journey to become the world’s first Children’s Capital of Culture back in 2022. Since then, it has engaged over 260,000 people in youth-led activities, and employed 112 young people in creative industry traineeships.
Sarah Christie, Programme Manager for Children’s Capital of Culture, said at the event: “Children’s Capital of Culture is a reality because of Rotherham’s visionary children and young people, and a group of partners and funders who got behind their ambition.
“2025 is going to be packed full of colourful, creative events that celebrate Rotherham’s identity through the fresh ideas of our young people – but it’s not just a year-long festival. All our activities have the aim of developing children and young people’s skills, aspirations and future opportunities, improving their mental and physical health, and enabling them to feel prouder than ever of where they’re from – our wonderful borough of Rotherham.”
For further information, visit www.childrenscapitalofculture.co.uk.