Greater Manchester’s Town of Culture is preparing to mark the start of the festive season this November with a one-day Christmas celebration set to take place across the town centre.
Stockport’s Spectacular Sunday will be filled with a huge line-up of over 60 breath-taking shows featuring 220 artists alongside roaming acts, carnival fun, live music and festive food stalls. The all-day event will take place on Sunday, November 19 from 11am until 5pm.
Produced by carnival arts organisation, Global Grooves, Stockport’s Spectacular Sunday will keep Stopfordians and visitors alike entertained across the town centre. Locations set to host the variety of food, entertainment and music acts include Merseyway Shopping Centre, Market Place and The Underbanks.
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Organised as a collaborative celebration by Stockport Council, Totally Stockport BID and Merseyway Shopping Centre, the event has been created as part of a programme of events, bringing a year of culture to everyone in the town as Stockport celebrates being named Greater Manchester’s latest Town of Culture for 2023.
Cllr Mark Hunter, Leader of Stockport Council, said: “Our ever-popular Christmas event is even bigger and better this year to celebrate our Town of Culture status and to finish the year on a real high, with this free family-friendly event. Christmas is a magical time of year and our town centre will be transformed to bring some festive cheer to our many residents and visitors and showcase our fantastic town.
"This is the icing on the cake to a successful 2023 for our Town of Culture programme, which our local communities have really embraced, with so much more to come over the coming months.”
Over on Stockport's historic Marketplace, Manchester music legend Clint Boon of Inspiral Carpets, and his wife will be keeping visitors fed and entertained with Mr & Mrs Boon's afternoon tea with a twist, filled with sublime cakes, teas and tunes.
Live music will also be running throughout the Market, with guest from technicolour New Orleans marching band, Mr Wilson’s Second Liners, who will be bringing glorious, carnival renditions of popular 90s hits, whilst families can also enjoy a Christmas dance-along with Granny Turismo.
One of the classic street theatre shows of the last 20 years, The pompous Spurting Man, by international street theatre legends Avanti, will also be heading to Market Place, performing a series of tricks culminating in a display of squirting water until he cascades fountains of water from his body.
Just down the way on The Underbanks they'll be celebrating Strawberry Studios, with a grand concert piano recital showcasing classic tunes, all known to be recorded at famous recording studios. Stockport’s very own aerial specialists Blush Aerial Dance will also perform several stunning shows suspended above the piano.
Families won't be able to miss the walkabout acts making their way through the Underbanks too as penguins and giant, enchanting puppets roam the historic streets. To mark the end of the day’s performances everyone is welcome at 4.15pm for a huge, festive singalong under St Petersgate Bridge, where local musicians, choirs and community groups will come together next to the piano to mark the beginning of Christmas.
Further up the Underbanks at Mealhouse Brow Junction, The Bicycle Bistros will be bringing their comedic, café mayhem, while comedy act and street entertainers, Full Circle by Avanti, will bring an intriguing performance to the town at Great Underbank Junction.
The hub of the festive celebrations will take place at Merseyway though as the cultural Christmas extravaganza gets into full swing as a series of fascinating walkabout performers take over the shopping centre. Expect stunning fairies, peculiar penguins, dinosaurs in Christmas hats, dancing snowflakes, Christmas Comedy Waiters, a giant stilt Holly tree and more.
Bringing the tunes, Santa’s street band, Red Hot Santas, will be playing classic Christmas hits with a modern twist, while Stockport’s very own specially designed ‘Rangoli’, will emerge throughout the day, created by acclaimed artist, Ranbir Kaur.
If you’re passing by Suffragette Square and Mersey Square, there will also be a miniature carnival that will be parading between the two, at various times throughout the day. 100 local flagbearers will head up a bright and bold procession, alongside dancers and 30-strong carnival drumming band Katumba. The performers will be accompanied by a squad of giant walkabout puppets.
And to help visitors make their way around the town, Stockport’s Snail Jockeys will be on hand to help. The town’s most unusual tour guides will be signposting audiences to special events across the town centre.
Johnny Clifford, programmer at Global Grooves said: "Stockport’s Spectacular Sunday will animate the town and celebrate its cultural diversity. Sites across Stockport, from Merseyway to Market Place and The Underbanks, will come alive with a magical array of street theatre, carnival fun, live music and food. Expect thrills, spills and belly laughs, all adding up to a grand day out.”
The free Christmas event will take place on Sunday, November 19 across Stockport town centre. Events at the Marketplace will take place between 12-4pm, while the Underbanks festivities will continue until 4.30pm, and Merseyway's celebrations will wrap up at 5pm.
