Neighbourhood gathers for one-night free festival
Rhiannon BanksA one-night festival will aim to bring a city neighbourhood to life and showcase it as community with its second edition on Friday evening.
Sunniside Nights was first held in March 2025 and features music, art and performance across multiple venues in the area of Sunderland it is named after.
Organiser Ross Millard, from The Futureheads, said he hoped the festival, still in its "experimental" stage, could become an annual fixture and added: "It's very sort of DIY at its heart... put together with a small group of people."
Acts include Richard Dawson, live mural painting by Sunderland artist Frank Styles, food and pottery workshops and gallery exhibitions.
More than 500 people attended the first edition and organisers are hoping to see twice as many this year.
The events are free, although tickets are needed for some.
Rhiannon BanksMillard said those who went in 2025 had enjoyed seeing the area come to life "in a way that that doesn't often happen" and the amount of venues and artists taking part now had almost tripled.
"We've worked really closely with the venues and it's about trying to present the area as a community," he said.
"Everyone's working so hard doing their own thing but when you put a programme together like this you see that it's more than the sum of its parts.
"It's a very cool place."
Millard said Sunniside Nights was part of the transformation happening in Sunderland.
The city has seen several regeneration projects in recent years, including the Sheepfolds development and a new footbridge over the Wear.
A scheme for 75 homes is under way in Sunniside itself, with the site aiming to establish a "creative living and working neighbourhood" as part of wider plans to improve the area.
