We’re delighted to announce we’ve received ongoing funding from Postcode Neighbourhood Trust! Over the next 3 years this funding will go towards supporting our core work to bring events, workshops, and ongoing projects to life which amplify often unheard voices in the community, enabling more women to take part, share their stories, and feel connected through Carnival art.
This Funding awarded by Postcode X Trust and raised by Postcode Lottery players (thank you!)
Image: Andrew Hayhurst
Come paint silk with us this March! We’re looking for volunteers to come help us finish paint some beautiful silks for a great project for Roots Rotherham. We’ll also be prepping lots of costume pieces to be made for the parade (cutting, sticking, painting).
Dates & Times:
Thursday 19th March: 1pm – 8pm
Friday 20th March: 11am – 4pm
Saturday 21st March: 11am – 4pm
Where: Studio 3*, The Vale, Vale Mill, Micklehurst Road, Mossley, Greater Manchester, OL5 9JL
No experience needed.
Suitable for ages 14+ (Under 16s must be accompanied by an adult).
*There is no step free access to Studio 3, so please bear this in mind when booking onto the session if you have physical access needs.
Email [email protected] to sign up
We want to extend a MASSIVE thank you to our amazing team of volunteers who bring so much energy, skill, and joy to our work. It delights us to have members of our wider community spending their time with us doing something they love. Whether working with Global Grooves, Cabasa, The Vale*, or a mixture, we couldn’t do it without you. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to come along and raise a glass with us whilst checking out some of the brilliant adventures that happen here at The Vale.
Date: Wed 28th January 2026
Times: 7pm – 10pm
Cost: FREE EVENT
Where: The Vale, Micklehurst Road, Mossley, OL5 9JL
Timings of the Night
7pm: arrivals and chatting time
7:30pm – 10pm:
– meet some of our newest puppets and their makers, and grab a selfie!
– get your feet tapping with a short performance from the Global Grooves Youth Bloco
– watch showreel footage from our latest new shows, hot off the press!
– hear from our brilliant volunteers and participants about their experiences with us
– updates from Global Grooves, Cabasa, and The Vale about exciting projects coming up
*Global Grooves is the Carnival organisation behind the creation of the Vale, and Cabasa are a key partner organisation based in the same Carnival centre.
Young people across Greater Manchester are helping to design and make a new touring exhibition of naturally dyed silk flags celebrating nature, place and the power of libraries.
Led by Cabasa CIC with ten library services, Flying the Flag for Green Libraries pairs professional artists with local children and teens to co-create designs, then bring them to life using batik and tie-dye during Green Libraries Week (27 October–2 November). The project is funded by Libraries Connected North West.
Over the summer, Cabasa worked with youth groups to sketch themes inspired by fungi networks, local wildlife and community green spaces. This autumn, those designs are being transformed into silk flags using natural dyes, with hands-on artist-led workshops suitable for ages 10+ and family groups. The ten finished flags, one for each Greater Manchester authority, will tour libraries to inspire more young people to connect with creativity and climate action.
Upcoming youth workshops include (free)
Earlier co-design activity also took place at Stretford Library in August, where young people helped develop the Trafford flag that will now be dyed and exhibited during Green Libraries Week.
“Flying the Flag…” places youth voice at the heart of climate creativity – giving young people practical making skills, a platform to share what matters to them, and a visible presence in their local library.
How to join in: Workshops are free and all materials are provided. Check your local library’s website or social media for booking details and additional dates across Greater Manchester.
Cabasa CIC is proud to be a lead partner in Creative Careers, a new programme led by Global Grooves supporting young people aged 14–25 to explore future pathways in the arts.
As the lead visual arts partner, Cabasa is delivering hands-on creative training across Oldham, Rochdale and Tameside, giving young people the chance to develop practical skills in sculpture, carnival arts, sustainable design and textiles.
Working alongside professional artists, participants will gain real-world experience, learn about creative careers, and help shape public artworks and events in their communities.
“It’s about opening doors and showing that creative careers are possible,” said Emily Wood, Artistic Director, Cabasa CIC. “We want to help young people build skills, confidence and a sense of what’s possible within the visual arts.”
Creative Careers is part of a wider regional programme led by Global Grooves, one of Arts Council England’s National Portfolio Organisations, supporting the next generation of artists and producers across Greater Manchester.
Find out more and sign up via Global Grooves: www.globalgrooves.org/whats-on/creative-careers-sign-ups-are-open/
Are you a professional performer or have experience in dance/theatre/movement/stilts/Carnival/circus etc)? If this sounds like you then we’d love to hear from you.
We’re running a short evening training session in October and it will be a chance to find out more about Cabasa and our gigs, try out some of our costumes, back pack wings, large puppets, and to meet the team.
Training will be provided as part of this informal audition process at our studio in Mossley, Tameside. We are particularly keen to hear from local performers to Greater Manchester.
We are an outdoor arts organisation so performers will need to be resilient and manage in all weathers.
Date and time: Thursday 10th October 7pm – 9pm
If you’d be interested, email [email protected] and tell us a little bit about your performance experience.