‘Something special in the air’: new bars, art, music and restaurants are turning heads in Stockport

Creatives and a clued-in council are making things happen in the Greater Manchester town. Whet your cultural and culinary appetite with our guide to the best venues, bars and shops

When earlier this year the Manchester DJ Luke Unabomber declared “Stockport is the new Berlin” – a tagline enthusiastically taken up in this northern town – no one was being remotely serious. But joking aside, this nonetheless confirmed that something interesting is happening in Stockport.

Historically overshadowed by larger, louder Manchester, seven miles north, Stockport has seen its visibility boosted in recent years by the rise of proud locals Blossoms, one of Britain’s biggest bands, and the return of league football to Stockport County’s Edgeley Park. But it is the DIY, grassroots activity in food, fashion, art and music found in the architecturally striking old town, that is exciting early adopters and generating media notices about, “one of the coolest little corners of the country”.