This weekend, a special Sunday Social event with street food and live music is offering locals a chance to see Stockport’s historic Weir Mill up close ahead of its planned £60m restoration.
There’ll be Foodie Friday street food regulars including I Knead Pizza, ArtiSam and Somtam Street alongside live music from Stockport’s Fuzzy Sun, as well as DJ sets – including from Clint Boon.
The boutique street food and music event, held underneath the arches of Stockport Viaduct, will raise money for the Greater Manchester Mayor’s homelessness charity.
Stockport’s Fuzzy Sun will be performing acoustic sets from their new album, while Inspiral Carpet and XS Manchester DJ Clint Boon will be playing his favourite Boon Army tunes alongside Duncan Wallis from Dutch Uncles, Neil Summers from Manchester’s Proper Magazine, who will be dropping some Balearic pop beats, and The Vinyl Frontier, who’ll be going through the decades with some classic tracks.
Social impact developer Capital & Centric is teaming up with Stockport’s Foodie Friday to host the event, ahead of the redevelopment of Weir Mill.
Organisers say the event will be the perfect place for families and friends to meet and enjoy some socially distanced feel good vibes. Under new local lockdown rules, people can meet in groups of up to six from multiple households providing they are outside.
Visitors will be provided with table service for the licensed bar and will have the option to order food directly from the Dines app.
“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,” said Joe Barratt, Foodie Friday founder and organiser.
“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.”
There are plans to create 250 new homes as part of the planned £60m restoration, with a new frontage onto the river, spaces for café-bars, delis or independent shops, surrounding courtyards and green spaces – all open to the public.
“The site’s been neglected for years but we’re bringing it back to life,” said Tim Heatley, co-founder of Capital & Centric.
“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.
“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. So come down and check it out!”
The Sunday Social will be held on Sunday 13th September, 12pm-6pm in the courtyard at Weir Mill. There will be two sessions: 12pm-3pm and 3pm-6pm and tables must be booked in advance. Tickets are £5 each, which includes a free arrival drink, with all ticket revenue being donated to the Greater Manchester Mayor’s homelessness charity.