There's plenty happening in Stockport over the next six months, from major events and free exhibitions to family activities, workshops and festivals.

Whether you're visiting for the day or you're local to the area, this guide brings together some of the best things to do across the town. That includes events like Stockport Krazy Races, free exhibitions at Stockport War Memorial Art Gallery, creative workshops at Stockroom, attractions such as Hat Works, Arc and the Air Raid Shelters, and plenty of ideas for families during the school holidays.

Stockport's food and drink scene is continuing to grow, with independent cafes, bars and restaurants drawing visitors from across Greater Manchester. This August, Stockport Foodie Friday will host the Northern Heat of the British Street Food Awards at Stockport Market.

Whether you're looking for free things to do, planning a family day out or simply seeing what's on, we've rounded up the highlights for the next six months.

  1. Family-Friendly Events in Stockport
  2. Totally Stockport Events
  3. Travel Information: Getting to Stockport

Family-Friendly Events in Stockport

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Hat Works Museum

1. Hat Works (Museum of Hatting)

Hat Works Museum is the only museum of its kind in the UK and celebrates Stockport's hat-making heritage with engaging displays, restored machinery, and interactive exhibits that bring the town's famous hatting industry to life. The building is also home to Arc, a creative community centre offering arts, wellbeing activities, workshops, and events for all ages. 

Entry: Free

Opening Times:

  • Open: Thursday, Friday, Saturday (10am-4pm)
  • Closed: Closed every other day.

2. Arc 

Arc is one of the UK’s most respected arts and mental health charities, based in Stockport for over 30 years and shares the Hat Works building with the Hat Works Museum. It runs a varied programme of life-changing mental health programmes, plus public exhibitions, events and workshops that create opportunities for everyone to explore creativity.

What's On:

1. Exhibition: How Do You Know My Name? | Sat June 6 – Sat September 26, 2026

How Do You Know My Name? is a collection of original paintings by Ava Reid, a north west artist with Down’s syndrome and Autism.

2. Arc Saturday Art Clubs | Last Saturday of Every Month

Adults and children aged 3+ are welcome on the last Saturday of every month, now to November (excluding August) for the Arc Saturday Art Club! 

Find out more here. 

3. Handmade at Hat Works: Festive Edition | 5 December, 2026

Join Arc for a day of creativity, community, and handcrafted treasures at its much-loved Handmade at Hat Works makers market, perfect for treating yourself to something special, or for a thoughtful gift.

Opening Times:

  • Open: Thursday, Friday, Saturday (10am-4pm)
  • Closed: Closed every other day.

3. Stockroom

Visit Stockroom, Stockport's newest cultural hub, bringing together books, creativity, learning and community under one roof. Browse the modern library, explore flexible spaces for exhibitions and events, and discover a year-round programme of activities for all ages.

Entry: Free

What's On:

1. The Marvel From Marple | Running until 30 September 

This summer, Stockroom are excited to present The Marvel From Marple - the first major exhibition celebrating the life and work of Alan Boyson (ARCA, 1930–2018). Born in Marple, Boyson became one of Britain’s most distinctive post‑war public artists, known for his striking murals, mosaics, and ceramics that helped shape the look and feel of everyday spaces across the country.

2. Free Events

The team over at Stockroom have a mix of free events running weekly and monthly. Dive into their extensive list here. 

3. SUBTEXT | Coming Autumn 2026

Inspired by the National Year of Reading, Stockroom's upcoming autumn exhibition, SUBTEXT, explores the unseen, unspoken and unexpected stories that lie beneath and between written words. Texts - whether novels, diaries, scripts, zines, translations or banned books - often reveal more about the era, culture and people who created them than the stories themselves. Subtext delves into these layered narratives.

Opening Times:

  • Open: Monday, Tuesday, Saturday (10am-5pm), Wednesday, Thursday, Friday (10am-7pm), Sunday (11am-4pm)

4. Merseyway Shopping Centre

There's plenty happening at Merseyway Shopping Centre this summer, with a programme of free family-friendly events taking place throughout the holidays. Be sure to visit Stockroom too, where you'll find free workshops, exhibitions and creative activities running across the summer. 

Entry: Free

What's On:

1. Merseybay Beach | 25 July - 31 August, 2026

Merseybay is back to save summer as Stockport's favourite free, town centre beach returns with an action-packed superhero takeover. Launching Saturday 25th July, this year's beach will have a superhero makeover, complete with golden sand, beach huts, deckchairs and popular beach toys.

Find out more. 

2. Superhero Summer | 25 July - 25 August, 2026

4th August - Meet Spiderhero and Spider Ghoul, take part in creating your own superhero keyring!

11th August - Meet Superhero Girl and Bat Hero, take part in designing your own kite!

18th August - Meet Green Giant and Rock Man, take part in a stationery hunt around the centre!

25th August - Meet all of Merseyway's Superhero’s and join in their Superhero Training Academy!

5. Stockport Air Raid Shelters

Stockport Air Raid Shelters recently celebrated their 30th anniversary. Carved into the natural sandstone cliffs, the intriguing network of underground tunnels offers you an unparalleled insight into life in wartime Britain in the 1940s.

Entry: Adults £6, Children Free

Tours

The team offer a range of tours from self-guided, explorer tours, family tours or private tours. Find out more here. 

Opening Times:

  • Open: Tuesday-Friday (1pm-5pm), Saturday (10am-5pm), Sunday (11am-4pm)
  • Closed: Monday. 

6. Staircase House 

Staircase House is a beautifully restored 15th century townhouse situated in Stockport’s historic Market Place.

The house is famous for its rare Jacobean cage-newel staircase, only one of three surviving in the country.

Entry: Adults £5.50, Children Free

What's On: 

1. Create at Staircase – Monthly Crafts for Adults at Staircase House

Relaxed and friendly craft sessions for adults with artist Caroline Coates. There’s a different craft to try each month with full guidance from Caroline. All materials are provided and crafts will be finished to take away at the end:

1. Silk Painting | 19 September 

2. Fabric Pumpkins | 10 October 

3. Beaded Spiders | 10 October 

4. A Day of Printing | 7 November 

5. Simple Kintsugi | 5 December 

6. Festive Lino Printing | 5 December 

Book here. 

Opening Times:

  • Open: Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday (10am-5pm), Friday (12pm-5pm), Sunday (11am-4pm)
  • Closed: Monday and Tuesday. 

7. Stockport Museum

Step inside Stockport Museum to uncover the town's rich history, with displays exploring everything from local industries and communities to everyday life through the centuries. You'll be able to discover finds such as, the Mellor Iron Age Hilltop Settlement, Life in Medieval Times, the thriving Textile Industry of the Victorian Era and the impact of  World War I. 

Located within the historic Staircase House, it's an ideal stop for anyone looking to learn more about Stockport's heritage. 

Entry: Free

Opening Times:

  • Open: Tuesday-Saturday (10am-5pm), Sunday (11am-4pm)
  • Closed: Monday

8. Stockport War Memorial Art Gallery

Stockport War Memorial Art Gallery is a vibrant, contemporary art space which hosts regular exhibitions in all four of its galleries.

What's On:

1. Stockport Open Exhibition 2026 | Running until 27 August 2026

Stockport Open Exhibition 2026 showcases works from regional visual artists, sculptors, photographers, textile artists, digital designers, poets, jewellery makers, and crafters. 

Opening Times:

  • Open: Thursday to Friday (1pm-5pm), Saturday (10am-5pm), Sunday (11am-4pm)
  • Closed: Monday-Wednesday 

9. Bramall Hall

Just outside the town centre, Bramall Hall is a magnificent Tudor Manor House with origins dating back to the Middle Ages. 

The Hall, one of the most beautiful treasures of England, is of great national importance. The magnificent 16th Century wall paintings, striking Elizabethan plaster ceiling, the Victorian Kitchens and Servants’ Quarters give this Hall its unique charm.

The Hall offers unique insights into the families and servants who lived and worked here. It stands in about 70 acres of parkland designed in the Victorian Romantic style. It offers woodland walks with intriguing glimpses of the Hall itself and of the brooks and lakes.

Opening Times:

  • Open: Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday (11am-4.30pm)
  • Closed: Monday-Wednesday. 

You can find out more about Stockport Museums and Galleries here. 

Totally Stockport Events

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Garden Tiger Moth Mural Stockport

Trust us when we say, you do not want to miss the following events brought to you by Totally Stockport. 

What's On:

1. Totally Stockport Krazy Races | 9 August, 2026 (Event ended)

Entry: Free

Totally Stockport Krazy Races returns bigger than ever with classic cars and special RAF Flypast.

Following overwhelming demand, the UK’s largest touring soapbox derby will once again transform the town centre into a high-energy, family-friendly spectacle. Stockport's Sticker Trail is also back, designed by Emily Flanagan with the theme this year set around Totally Stockport Krazy Races. 

Grab your trail sheet from STOCKROOM and then check out 10 fabulous indie shops taking part, and discover some others on your way around!

Find out more. 

2. Foodie Friday British Street Food Awards | 23 August, 2026

Entry: Free

The award-winning Stockport  Foodie Friday in Stockport Market has been invited to host the Northern heat of the prestigious British Street Food Awards on Sunday 23rd August, 12pm to 6pm. 

This exciting collaboration with the British Street Food Awards creates the unique opportunity to spend a whole Sunday afternoon sampling some of the very best street food that the North has to offer from 20 traders picked from 3000 applicants.

Find out more. 

Foodie Friday

Stockport's food and drink scene has really come into its own in recent years, with the town quickly making a name for itself as somewhere worth travelling for. The town comes alive on Foodie Friday, when the Market Place fills with street food, craft drinks, and live music.

Occurs: Last Friday of every month. 

Travel Information: Getting to Stockport

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Stockport Interchange

Getting to Stockport: 

Distance: (approx) 8-10 minutes from Manchester City Centre. 
Transport: Catch a train from Manchester Piccadilly - they run frequently.

Make your journey smooth and stress-free by planning your journey on the Bee Network app. You can also buy a range of tickets, get live departure times and see travel alerts.

For more information on route planning, accessibility tips, and live updates to help you make the most of your trip, head to the Bee Network website.