Copyright manchestereveningnews
On the last Friday of every month, thousands of people flock to a Victorian Market Square to taste some of the best street food in Greater Manchester and enjoy a host of live music and entertainment. The event is of course, Foodie Friday which takes place on Stockport 's historic Market Place. Since 2015, it has been a driving force behind the south Manchester town's cultural and economic renaissance, helping to attract visitors to the town centre and strengthen the night-time economy. While its heralded as paving the way for food and drink concepts across the region, now ten years on its getting international recognition too. Foodie Friday has been shortlisted for the ‘Best Placemaking Initiative at the prestigious City Nation Place Awards 2025, recognising excellence in placemaking from around the world. Join the Manchester Evening News WhatsApp group HERE The City Nation Place Awards celebrate outstanding examples of how places - from towns and cities to entire nations - are developing more effective strategies for place identity, marketing management. The nomination celebrates the Stockport event as a community catalyst for refreshing the experience and identity of Stockport town centre, standing proudly alongside global initiatives from Cleveland (USA), Stockholm (Sweden), and Toronto (Canada). Clare Dewhirst, Director of City Na;on Place, said: “The Stockport Foodie Friday story provides an inspiring example of how a proactive, community-focused approach to revitalising a town centre can deliver economic impact and put a neglected place back on the map. "It stands alongside some other fantastic examples of planning and placemaking from around the world in our list of finalists and we’re looking forward to some robust jury discussions to select the winner.” The event was initially organised by Stockport Council under Esther Morrison’s lead, but by 2015 it was taken over by husband and wife John and Rosemary Barratt, with their son Joe, under their CIC, Seven Miles Out. The impact that Stockport Foodie Friday has had on the regeneration of Stockport town centre’s night-time economy has led to the event being recognised at the Manchester Food &Drink Awards as Best Pop-Up, Club or Project in 2016 and 2022. The event organisers were also presented with the Howard and Ruth Award for Outstanding Achievement in 2022, in recognition of their wider contribution to Stockport’s cultural regeneration through music festivals and community arts events. John Barratt, curator and organiser of Foodie Friday, said: “When we started running Foodie Friday in March 2015, our aim was simple - to bring people back into the heart of Stockport and show that our town centre could once again be a place to be proud of and I believe that we’ve achieved that. "Over the last ten years we’ve developed a really good collaborative working relationship with Stockport Council and the Stockport Market team and traders which has helped to make the event so successful. “The fact that we’re now being recognised internationally for what’s been achieved through community spirit and local creativity is incredible. "Foodie Friday has always been about people - the traders, the performers, the businesses, and the visitors - who together have helped transform the identity of Stockport.” The event’s ongoing popularity has played a major role in reshaping perceptions of Stockport, attracting regular visitors from across the North West and helping to spark a wave of new food and drink venues in the Old Town. Cllr Mark Roberts, Leader of Stockport Council, added: “The success of Foodie Friday is testament to our way of working in Stockport, where strong partnerships and collaboration are at the heart of everything we do. "It’s fantastic to see the event recognised on a global stage for the contribution it makes to Stockport’s community, culture and economy each month, and I wish the team all the best of luck at the awards.” The winners will be announced at the conclusion of the City Nation Place Global Conference in London on Thursday, 6 November 2025.
