Anyone who knows me will understand where fashion and music sit in my list of personal passions.

I co-founded, built and sold an internationally celebrated fashion brand (with help from Afflecks Palace and Manchester’s Royal Exchange). I’ve also been fortunate to have an inspiring musical education thanks to what Manchester offered me through my formative decades – from the Roxy/Bowie Glam scene at the infamous Pips under The Cathedral to punk at the Russell Club in Moss Side, Buzzcocks at Band on the Wall, Jazz Funk at Rafters, and, of course, the impact of The Haçienda.

Fast forward and it’s almost 15 years since I had the idea of creating an event which celebrates the history of fashion and iconic music movements through the youth culture decades of the 1950s to the 1980s/90s. The idea of bringing this to life via two elements of popular culture – the car boot sale and the history of automotive design – proved a hit from day one. Today, it is a popular event in London. 

But now it’s time to put those glad rags on and polish up the lovely old cars, vans, bikes and scooters. For the first time, this event is coming up north to the MediaCity Piazza in Salford, which feels like a space purpose-built for this type of event.

Cars, cars, cars

The Classic Car Boot Sale is a classic car lover’s delight, a vintage shopper’s dream and a true mecca for curated secondhand. This event assembles the finest vintage fashion, accessories, and homewares traders from across the country and gathers them all in one location, to trade from the boots of vintage vehicles. Expect to see dozens of vintage vehicles and traders joined by thousands of shoppers, collectors, vinyl lovers, and petrol heads for a family-friendly celebration of all things vintage, collectable and upcycled.

Since 2020, The Classic Car Boot Sale has also given space to a cohort of charity retailers because they believe that charity shops are the biggest circular, sustainable retailers on the British high street, doing really impactful things with their profits. This became known as the Charity Super.Mkt section and is now a bricks and mortar operation in its own right, but we’ll be bringing it to MediaCity as part of this first Classic Car Boot Sale up north.

And there is toe tapping and dancing to be had with the soundtrack to the weekend provided by an eclectic line-up of Manchester’s finest underground DJs spinning vinyl from the top deck of our resident Routemaster Bus, taking us on a musical journey from the rockin’ 50s to the 80s golden era, across funk, soul, rock ‘n’ roll, reggae, electronic, punk, new wave and disco.

This is an event that is perfect for fashionistas through the decades, from thrifty depoppers to catwalk obsessives. The weekend puts sustainable shopping at its heart, offering a handpicked selection of pre-loved and reworked pieces, as well as upcycled fashion, jewellery and textiles, vinyl records and tons of homewares and classic toys .

The Classic Car Boot Sale is a place to celebrate music, food, fashion, design and, of course, the eye candy that is classic cars, bikes and commercial vehicles. The cars alone are as good as you’ll find in the average museum, from British classics of the 70s such as Ford Cortinas to spectacular chromed Cadillacs of the 50s – and all driven to the event by the owners who you can talk to.

This is an event for everyone. That was the most important thing to us when coming up with the concept. The whole family needs to have something to enjoy.

See you in MediaCity on July 20 and 21, 2024 for the inaugural Classic Car Boot Sale North.

By Wayne Hemingway

Photography, including the main image, by Matthew Eachus

 

The inaugural Classic Car Boot Sale North takes place on July 20 and 21, 2024 

https://www.citizenticket.com/events/hemingwaydesign/the-classic-car-boot-sale-mediacity/