Greater Manchester’s popular classic car boot sale is returning this summer, and there’ll be loads of vintage gems.
After venturing to the North for the first time in its history last summer, proving to be a smash-hit success with retro fashion-loving crowds, the Classic Car Boot Sale is set to return to MediaCity once again this July.
It’s all sounding set to be a vintage, pre-loved, and classic car enthusiast’s ‘paradise’, and it’s even being described as being ‘a festival in its own right’.
The hugely-popular event – which has been held bi-annually in London since 2011 – assembles more than 150 of the finest vintage and sustainable fashion, accessories, and homewares traders from across the UK, and gathers them all in one location so thousands of shoppers, collectors, and petrol heads can fill their boots.
The event is a celebration of nostalgia, style, and sustainability, where classic cars, vintage and secondhand fashion, and a diverse music lineup all come together.
ADVERTISEMENT
There’ll also be an array of independent street food served from vintage vans across the two-day event too, alongside the unmissable Bus Bar, delivering non-stop tunes spanning lots of genres – with a special nod to the 90s, as Manchester gears up to welcome Oasis back home.
Promising to be the ultimate vintage shopping experience, the unmissable Charity Super.Mkt will also be making a return with a pop-up raising money for a number of different charities, including the RSPCA, British Heart Foundation, and Emmaus.
ADVERTISEMENT
The Classic Car Boot Sale is returning to MediaCity this summer / Credit: The Classic Car Boot Sale (via Unsplash)
New for this year is the Best in Show Catwalk, where the best dressed attendees are picked out to show off and chat about their outfits.
“We couldn’t be more excited to bring The Classic Car Boot Sale back to MediaCity for its second year,” commented Wayne Hemingway MBE, who is the founder of HemingwayDesign and co-founder of The Classic Car Boot Sale, ahead of the event this summer.
“MediaCity is a fab location for an event like this, and we can’t wait for the people of Manchester and Salford to dive into this unforgettable experience again.
“With Oasis performing across the city that same weekend, it’s the perfect time for music lovers to immerse themselves in Manchester’s electric atmosphere.”
The Classic Car Boot Sale will be taking over MediaCity on 12 and 13 July, and you can find out more information about how to get involved here.
Featured Image – Supplied
Shopping
First look at Topshop in Manchester as beloved brand returns to British high streets
Daisy Jackson
Topshop is officially back on British high streets, and if you’re old enough to remember the struggle of contorting yourself into a pair of Joni jeans, you’re going to want to pay attention to this news…
The iconic fashion giant shut its stores back in 2021, leaving a huge hole in shopping centres across the nation.
But now Topshop and Topman are back in stores, with 32 new Topshop retail spaces and seven new Topman locations launching today.
Mancs will now be able to shop cult denim, statement jackets, and trend-driven wardrobe staples (just like the golden days of Topshop) at the Trafford Centre.
It’s all thanks to a new nationwide partnership with John Lewis, which will see a curated edit of around 130 styles available in-store across womenswear, menswear and footwear.
In store, that includes a full range of jeans (including those beloved Joni and Jamie jeans, plus more modern barrel-leg styles), graphic tees, knitwear, bomber jackets, and dresses.
There are Topshop retail spaces inside John Lewis at both the Trafford Centre and in Cheadle, but our closest Topman will be across in Leeds.
John Lewis has also become the exclusive UK physical retailer for Topshop footwear for SS26.
Inside Topshop at the Trafford Centre in ManchesterThe iconic Joni and Jamie jeans are back
Michelle Wilson, managing director of Topshop, said: “Today is about making it easier for customers to access the Topshop and Topman pieces they love.
“From our cult denim to new‐season footwear, you can see it, feel it and take it home the same day. Partnering with John Lewis brings Topshop back to high streets across the UK with the level of service our customers expect.”
Peter Ruis, managing director of John Lewis, added: “Topshop and Topman are brands with enormous cultural relevance, and their return to physical retail is something our customers are genuinely excited about.
“This partnership reflects our focus on bringing iconic names, strong style and compelling experiences into our stores.”
First Look: Matcha Made and The Trafford Centre makes for a perfect marriage
Danny Jones
Greater Manchester’s newest matcha spot just dropped, and we know it’s an easy pun, but it really does feel like a match made in heaven.
Just picture the scene: there’s a big birthday or holiday coming up, so you’ve arrived at The Trafford Centre early to get in a full day of shopping, eating and being generally leisurely – but you need an early caffeine fix and maybe some light, fluffy yet still filling pastry to keep you going.
There are very few places better to start this kind of day than at Matcha Made, who’ve just opened up in the North West’s massive and most famous shopping mall.
Fronted by a lovely lineup of smiling staff who couldn’t do enough for you and are more than happy to give you advice or simply plug their own recommendations, we can see ourselves coming back here for the service alone.
They’ve arrived in the big leisure complex just in time for February half-term, too, meaning any parents needing an alternative caffeine hit can fuel up right here.
Specialising in the Japanese and super healthy green tea craze that currently has the UK in a chokehold, only directly out of a tap – almost like a zen twist of draught beer taps – the art is not only in how green the raw matcha itself tastes but in the flavours and finishing touches.
This stylish pastel green hatch might not be the only place to get your matcha on in The Trafford Centre, but it might just be the best already.
It was immediately apparent that the staff had a clear favourite: the Biscoff foam version, but they said their simple but sweet and satisfying strawberry one has also proved to be one of the most popular.
There’s plenty of fruity options to choose from; they’ve got their own take on the fellow contemporary trend of banana pudding for anyone looking for a fix, and even ume plum, or you can just go for a straight-up coffee or hot chocolate as well.
So yeah, even if your partner isn’t quite ready to admit they’re a secret ‘matcha girlie’, then they can spend a little bit more time lying to themselves over this side of the menu.
Whether you want it topped with cream, shavings or a light dusting of cocoa powder, you can make this little drink just about as decorative as you like.
Besides being more reasonably priced than we were expecting, given the ongoing matcha boom, you’ve also got the big bonus of a fridge stocked with bakes from local favourite La Chouqette. Sold.
Emily Sergeant -
7th April 2025 
