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Stockport to host huge vintage fair with market stalls, live music, and classic cars

It's to celebrate 15 years of The Vintage Village.

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 14th May 2025

A huge vintage fair is taking over Stockport town centre this summer with market stalls, live music, classic cars, and more.

So Retro Events and Stockport‘s beloved The Vintage Village are joining forces to bring Greater Manchester residents a vintage ‘extravaganza’ next month, with the hall packed to the rafters with vintage stalls selling everything from clothing and homeware, to ceramics, artwork, antiques, vinyl records, and loads more.

Taking over the historic Stockport Market Hall to celebrate 15 years since The Vintage Village opened in the town, fair-goers will also have access to a free vintage styling zone where they can try on loads of outfits and accessories from different decades.

From 50s frocks to 70s jumpsuits, find your style and grab a photo in your retro gear.

You’ll also have the opportunity to have your hair authentically-styled by The Vintage Beauty Parlour on the day too, so if you’ve always fancied a victory roll or kiss curl, then is is your chance.

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Once you’ve browsed the vintage delights of the stalls and been styled to perfection, you can hop on a vintage bus for a free ride around Stockport town centre, thanks to Belle Vue Coaches, and if that’s not enough entertainment for one day, then outside the Market Hall, there’s live music from all-female vocal harmony group The Villanelles.

Plus, there’ll be classic cars and scooters to ogle at throughout the day, and Stockport-based dance school Revolution Dance will be jiving away and hosting a free dance class in the afternoon too.

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Stockport is hosting a huge vintage fair with market stalls, live music, and classic cars / Credit: So Retro Events

So Retro Events founder, Michelle Barratt, says she is delighted to be collaborating on this event to celebrate The Village Vintage’s milestone birthday.

“I used to attend The Vintage Village as a customer,” says Michelle. “I love what [they have] created and it inspired me to start So Retro, so it’s fantastic that we can now work together and create a huge celebration of vintage at the incredible building that is Stockport Market Hall.”

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So Retro x The Vintage Village is taking over Stockport Market Hall next month on Sunday 15 June from 10am through to 4pm, and tickets cost £3 on the door – with under 12s going free.

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Find out more here.

Featured Image – Perry Merrity (via Unsplash)

What's On

Kylie Minogue in Manchester – tickets, times, setlist and more for ‘Tension’ tour

Thomas Melia Thomas Melia

The unofficial Queen of Australia and Britain’s adopted pop princess, Kylie Minogue, is bringing her dance tracks to Manchester, taking up residence in AO Arena for two nights of pop perfection.

Whether you first got to know Kylie from her stint on Neighbours, her delicious range of branded wines or her marvellous discography, it’s safe to say this star has built quite a legacy.

She loves coming across the pond to the UK and Manchester, specifically, playing the legendary AO Arena over 30 times, and we’re grateful for every single one, especially these two upcoming shows.

Playing a whopping 30 shows means seeing lots of lovely faces, and this Aussie pop star is no stranger to a big crowd or two, so much so, she has one of the top 10 biggest gigs in Manchester music history.

Kylie has played at AO Arena, Manchester over 30 times and we're certainly not complaining.
Kylie has played at AO Arena, Manchester over 30 times and we’re certainly not complaining.

Now Kylie is returning with her long-awaited ‘Tension Tour’ which features the huge phenomenon that is ‘Padam Padam’ as well as her newest single ‘Lights Camera Action’.

Kylie Minogue UK tour dates

  • Fri 16 May – Glasgow, UK – OVO Hydro
  • Sat 17 May – Newcastle, UK – Utilita Arena
  • Mon 19 May – Manchester, UK – AO Arena
  • Tue 20 May – Manchester, UK – AO Arena
  • Thu 22 May – Liverpool, UK – M&S Bank Arena
  • Fri 23 May – Sheffield, UK – Utilita Arena
  • Mon 26 May – London, UK – The O2 Arena

Are there tickets left for Kylie at AO Arena?

If you’re ready to get into the ‘Real Groove’ with this Aussie act, there are two Manchester dates you can get tickets for, and if we didn’t know any better, we’d say she did this ‘Especially for You’.

Fancy spending a night like this with Minogue and her crew on Monday, 19 May? You’ll be able to find tickets HERE.

Better still, if you fancy seeing her back to back or can’t make the first date for whatever reason, she’ll be playing again just 24 hours later.

Kylie Minogue ‘Tension’ tour setlist

According to her most recent gig recorded on the ever-trusty Setlist.fm, anyway…

  • Lights Camera Action
  • In Your Eyes
  • Get Outta My Way
  • What Do I Have to Do?
  • Come Into My World
  • Good As Gone
  • Spinning Around
  • Taboo
  • On a Night Like This
  • last night i dreamt i fell in love
  • Better the Devil You Know
  • Shocked
  • Things We Do for Love
  • Dancing
  • The Loco-Motion
  • Hold On to Now
  • Cupid Boy
  • Kiss Bang Bang
  • Chocolate
  • 2 Hearts
  • The One
  • Where the Wild Roses Grow
  • Say Something
  • Supernova / Real Groove / Magic / Where Does the DJ Go?
  • Confide in Me
  • Slow
  • Timebomb
  • Edge of Saturday Night
  • Tension
  • Can’t Get You Out of My Head
  • All the Lovers
  • Padam Padam
  • Love at First Sight

What are the stage times for Kylie in Manchester?

Kylie is heading to AO Arena, Manchester for two nights of the 'Tension Tour'.
Kylie is heading to AO Arena, Manchester for two nights of the ‘Tension Tour’.

If you’re head is ‘Spinning Around’ trying to work out your plans ahead of the big night, fear not as doors open from 6pm with the show commencing at 7:30pm.

Support comes in the form of Jodie Harsh, a London-based drag queen and music producer, who’ll be tailoring a DJ set especially for both nights of the ‘Tension Tour’.

AO Arena has a curfew of 11pm, meaning you can watch this pop princess in action and don’t have to wait ‘A Second to Midnight’ to hear all her timeless hits. Last pun, we promise…

How to get to AO Arena

Tram

For those of you heading to AO Arena, luckily, it’s connected to Manchester Victoria Station and it has an integrated Metrolink stop to make your life even easier.

Head along the pink, light blue or yellow lines directly to the Victoria stop, and you can get off the tram literally spitting distance from the arena. You can find the full map HERE.

Train

Considering this live entertainment venue is situated right in the middle of one of Manchester’s most frequented stations, concertgoers should find no problem getting to the arena, wherever they are.

Bus

A variety of buses cover AO Arena and Victoria Station on their route, such as the 2 bus, which stops just a one-minute walk away from the venue.

A full list of buses and their routes can be found HERE.

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@the.manc When are you next heading to the @AO Arena? 😱 #themanc #manchester #aoarena #preshow #entertainment #gigs #music #liveshow ♬ Love You So – The King Khan & BBQ Show

Getting there by car and parking

The Arena has its own official CitiPark, with 958 car parking spaces, including 40 Blue Badge parking bays, which can be booked in advance.

Alternatively, anyone attending a gig can park at their nearest train station and jump on a train service or the various Metrolink park and ride facilities.

Walk/cycle

Greater Manchester now also offers the option to hire bikes through the Beryl app, with riders able to locate, unlock, get to their destination and then safely lock up the bike all through an easy-to-use app.

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About the AO Arena

The AO Arena has a few strict policies to keep gig-goers safe, so make sure to check entry requirements carefully before you travel.

For example, only one small bag per person is allowed, and bags like backpacks, travel cases and laptop bags are not permitted inside the arena.

All bags are scanned on entry to check for prohibited items like laser pens, flares, projectiles, weapons, drugs and alcohol, and even selfie sticks.

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For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images – Publicity Pictures (supplied)

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Five mindful activities for you to enjoy in Greater Manchester this Mental Health Awareness Week

Danny Jones Danny Jones Mental Health Awareness Week activities Greater Manchester

This month, among many other important observances, we here in Greater Manchester and all over the country are celebrating Mental Health Awareness Week, and there are plenty of ways for you to join in.

One of our New Year’s resolutions for 2025 was to ‘take better care of up there’; it’s important that you treat your brain like any other organ and muscle and look after it properly.

Between work and our personal lives, it can be easy for us to neglect our psychological health and wellbeing with the stresses of the everyday, but what better time to make a conscious effort to properly focus on it than Mental Health Awareness Week?

With that in mind – pun very much intended – we put together a quick little list of accessible, affordable and even some completely free things for you to do in and around Greater Manchester.

Five ways to take care of your mental health this week

1. Free yoga at Printworks

Having already started one of our days this week with yoga at the Printworks, we can confirm we definitely left feeling immensely relaxed.

Not only that, but given that these very bendy sessions are completely free to the public (to be fair, doing yoga pretty much anywhere is free, but you get the point), there’s really no reason not to give it a go.

With safety in numbers for anyone self-conscious of stretching in sight of passers-by, and Europe’s largest digital ceiling to make the experience even more mesmerising, we really can’t recommend it highly enough.

2. Casual charity 5k and quiz

Exercise really does work wonders for the old noggin’ when you need it, we firmly believe that, and so does doing something nice for a good cause.

That being said, this month’s Run The Streets event has swapped their usual ‘run and rave’ format for an even steadier plod with much-loved Sale-based run group, MileShyClub.

In an effort to keep things on a much calmer level after the laid-back social 5k around Manchester, they’ll be swapping out the typical club vibes for a casual little quiz. Find out more down below.

3. Community run and pub

In fact, this particular Manc writer would go as far as to say that running has probably been the single most transformational thing for mental health full stop, whether that’s solo or with other lovely people.

So it’s a bloody good job that Greater Manchester is absolutely packed to bursting with running clubs, and if ending an evening jog with a quiz doesn’t quite sound like you’re thing, then a post-run pint might.

The likes of Manchester Road Runners have regular sessions throughout the week, including their flagship meet-up at The Wharf on Wednesdays, and as a community with dedicated mental health ambassadors to turn to, we can vouch for their commitment to mindfulness.

This massive Manchester running club where jogs finish at the pub is the best
These keep getting bigger every year, but they never stop looking after each other.

4. ‘The Drop’ gig at an exciting new Manchester venue

Now, enough exercise for a bit, how about saving your legs for some dancing, or at least some light two-stepping? Yeah, you know want to…

We’d say listening to live music is up there with getting your body moving when it comes to blowing away cobwebs; it’s one of those things that can help express those feelings you might otherwise struggle to put words to, and that’s what ‘The Drop’ series is all about.

Teaming up with mental health through music charity Headstock, The Drop sees artists of all different genres and profiles spotlighted at local venues, with the latest coming up at the brand-new Renae bar.

5. Chill one of Greater Manchester’s many amazing green spaces

Last but not least, sometimes the best thing to do is nothing at all, and both within central Manchester and the boroughs beyond, you’ll find some of the most beautiful places to reconnect with nature.

Be it a stroll around your local park, walking the dog around a lake

@the.manc Welcome to a park that’s (dare we say) miles better than Heaton Park 👀 📍 Drinkwater Park, Prestwich #themanc #manchester #prestwich #spring #park #dachshund ♬ original sound – The Manc

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It goes without saying that this is by no means a comprehensive list of brilliant things you can do to give your brain so well-deserved TLC for Mental Health Awareness Week 2025.

Go on a hike, pet a pup, take a day off (pulling a sickie if you need, we won’t tell anyone), have that extra brew, cook your favourite meal, or better yet, have one of our region’s many marvellous restaurants make it for you.

Please use resources like Manchester Mind and SHOUT if you need them; call Samaritans on 116 123, use the NHS (111 service), and if you or someone you know is in crisis, please dial 999 immediately.

As the saying goes, it really is the little things that go along sometimes, and if you take nothing else away from this list, just know that you are loved, everything will be ok, and most importantly, no one is alone.

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — The Manc Group

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