Bowlee car boot sale and market will return on Sunday 25 July

Bowlee Car Boot Sale

Bowlee Car Boot Sale and Market has postponed the start of its 2021 season for the second time.

The event that was due to return on 4 July has been pushed back and will now start three weeks later on Sunday 25 July.

The delay is due to the site at Bowlee Community Park in Middleton being used as a new NHS Covid 19 drive-through vaccination clinic. It will be the largest of many extra clinics across the borough of Rochdale as the drive to increase vaccination take-up and stop the spread of coronavirus (Covid-19) variants continues.
 

Read more: Vaccine drive-through clinic to be held in Middleton on Saturday 3 JulyPublished: 30 June 2021

Councillor Liam O’Rourke, cabinet member for environment at organisers Rochdale Borough Council, said: “Earlier this year we said Bowlee Car Boot Sale would be back in July, and it will, but of course the vaccine roll-out takes priority.

“We are looking forward it to returning on Sunday 25 July, hopefully when restrictions will have been lifted and some normality will have returned. Obviously this will be a late start to our season but we will be adding extra dates and possibly extending the season into October, weather permitting.”

The event attracts more than 40,000 buyers and over 3,600 sellers each season.

The 2021 season at Bowlee Community Park in Middleton begins on Sunday 25 July and then runs on Sundays (excluding 5 September). On August Bank Holiday weekend the event will be held on Sunday and Monday. As always there’s no need to book, just turn up, and the events run from 6am to 1.30pm.

For the third year prices have been frozen, so for sellers it’s still £15 for cars, £20 for small vans/people carriers/4X4s and £25 for large vans and above. For buyers, there are spaces for more than 1,200 cars in Bowlee Park at £2.50 per vehicle.

There will be increased on site signage and a new drop off/pick up point for buyers near the entrance to speed up access. There will be no last minute cancellations – if poor weather is forecast a decision will be announced by 6pm the day before the sale.

The event takes a break on Sunday 5 September to make way for Tour de Manc – the annual Greater Manchester cycle sportive that sets off from Bowlee Park with the choice of a 100 mile or 100-kilometre ride.