Social impact developer CAPITAL&CENTRIC is inviting locals to an exciting ‘Sunday Social’ this weekend ahead of the site’s upcoming £60m restoration.
The boutique food and music event, held in conjunction with Stockport stalwart Foodie Friday, will take place underneath the iconic arches of Stockport Viaduct.
CAPITAL&CENTRIC are planning to create 250 new homes at the historic Weir Mill – as well as a shiny new river frontage with café-bars, delis and independent shops.
The surrounding courtyard and green space will all be open to both residents and wider public.
Foodie Friday regulars I Knead Pizza, ArtiSam and Somtam Street will be plating up the food alongside a fully-stocked bar.
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The afternoon will also be packed with live music performances from local band Fuzzy Sun, DJ Clint Boon, Duncan Wallis from Dutch Uncles, Neil Summers from Manchester’s Proper Magazine and The Vinyl Frontier.
Tim Heatley, co-founder of CAPITAL&CENTRIC who recently appeared in BBC documentary Manctopia, said: “The site’s been neglected for years but we’re bringing it back to life. This is a great chance to get people down to Weir Mill so they can get a feel for the community we’re looking to create.
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“With the viaduct in the background and sat alongside the River Mersey, it really is an incredible location. We want this to be the first of many events we host as we transform the site into a thriving new neighbourhood with homes, bars and restaurants.
“The Sunday Social is exactly the sort of vibe we’re going to be creating at Weir Mill with independent food and drink and a chilled place for families and friends to hang out.”
Under current local lockdown rules in Stockport, people are permitted meet in groups of up to six from multiple households providing they are outside.
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The event will take place in two sessions from 12pm-3pm and 3pm-6pm; with table bookings required in advance.
Visitors will be provided with a free drink on arrival and table service throughout – with the option to order grub directly via the Dines app.
Joe Barratt, Foodie Friday founder and organiser, added: “As many people will be aware, we can’t currently run Foodie Friday at Stockport Market due to the restrictions in place as a result of the coronavirus crisis, so we’re delighted that we’re able to partner with Capital & Centric on the delivery of a smaller, more controlled street food event at Weir Mill.
“We hope this will provide the people of Stockport with a taste of the much-missed Foodie Friday experience and give people an opportunity to see how the area around Weir Mill could be creatively animated with street food and live music in the future.”
Tickets are £5 each person and sold in table bundles and include a free arrival drink. All ticket proceeds will go to the Greater Manchester Mayor’s homelessness charity.
For more information and tickets, visit Eventbrite.
What's On
Victoria Baths is ‘resurrecting’ its popular spooky silent disco this Halloween
Emily Sergeant
Halloween is on its way, and Silence of the Baths is being ‘resurrected’ for another year.
Returning for a ‘fright night of thrills’ after a sell-out debut in 2023, and then for a smash-hit revival of three of Manchester’s most iconic fallen nightclubs in 2024, Victoria Baths has announced that Silence of the Baths will be returning for its third year, transforming the stunning Grade II-listed building into one of the spookiest settings this Halloween.
For the popular one-off event, Victoria Baths is set to ‘show its darker side’, as the pool halls, Turkish Baths, and labyrinth of spaces undergo an epic Halloween makeover.
Victoria Baths is teaming up with Girls on Film for one of the best nights in the city this Halloween, as the historic space becomes a ‘haunted haven’ of glamour and ghosts.
Partygoers are encouraged to dress the part and wander through the empty pools and haunted corridors as each space is transformed into spooky playground filled with ghouls, spiders, bats, and coffins – but most importantly, good times.
From the balcony above the former pool, the Girls on Film crew will take over the silent disco with a trio of DJs on three different channels.
Hattie Pearson will be on Channel 1, Meme Gold on Channel 2, and the Channel 3 will have DJ MXw0rld.
Victoria Baths is ‘resurrecting’ its popular spooky silent disco this Halloween / Credit: Chris Payne (via Supplied)
As mentioned, ticketholders are being encouraged to ‘dress to distress’ on the night, not only because it’s Halloween, but also because the person with the most haunting look has the chance to win a Halloween Swag Bag.
There’ll be plenty of elixirs and spirits to sip on all night long, and don’t forget to strike a pose against the Baths’ iconic backdrop.
The Silence of the Baths III: The Return will take over Victoria Baths on Saturday 25 October, with doors creaking open from 7:30pm, and tickets are now on sale here and setting you back £20 each (plus a booking fee).
The event sold out last year, so early ticket purchase is recommended
All ticket purchases support the work of The Victoria Baths Trust to preserve Victoria Baths, so that communities can continue to enjoy this inspiring building.
Featured Image – Chris Payne (via Supplied)
What's On
Legendary musical CATS is coming to Manchester on its UK tour next year
Emily Sergeant
Legendary musical CATS will be taking to the stage here in Manchester next year.
A brand-new production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s global sensation, CATS, will embark on a major UK tour from summer 2026 following an open-air residency at Regent Park in London – including dates at Manchester’s prestigious Palace Theatre in November.
Based on Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats by T.S. Eliot, with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, CATS is one of the longest-running shows in West End and Broadway history.
The show originally premiered at the New London Theatre in 1981, where it played for 21 record-breaking years and almost 9,000 performances.
Since its world premiere, the musical has been presented in more than 54 countries, translated into 23 languages, and has been seen by more than 77 million people worldwide – collecting a number of awards along the way.
Legendary musical CATS is coming to Manchester on its UK tour next year / Credit: Feast Creative
This new production of CATS is produced by Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, with Michael Harrison for Lloyd Webber Harrison Musicals, as part of Drew McOnie’s second season as Artistic Director, and it marks the third Andrew Lloyd Webber title produced by the venue in the last decade.
Unfamiliar with the show? CATS tells the story of the Jellicle cats.
From Euston station to Victoria Grove, the strays and rebels of London gather under the Jellicle moon in the hope they’ll be the chosen one.
With a legendary score featuring well-known songs like Old Deuteronomy, Macavity: The Mystery Cat, TheJellicle Ball, and, of course, the chart-topping hit Memory, this brand-new production of CATS is gearing up to be one of the best theatrical events of 2026.
“I am very excited to see a totally new production of CATS back on the stage where it belongs,” creator Andrew Lloyd Webber said on the show’s return. “I can think of no-one better than Drew McOnie to bring a new vision to the world of the Jellicles.”
Casting and the full creative team is set to be announced in due course, as is the on-sale date and link for tickets, so keep your eyes peeled.
The Manc -
8th September 2020 
