A special event which brings together an eclectic mix of creatives in a variety of creative spaces is set to return to Sunderland once again.

Sunniside Nights combines comedy, music, theatre, performances, food and exhibitions – including a showcase of the worst ever album covers – in a memorable one night event held around the Sunniside area of the city.

Curated by The Futureheads musician, Ross Millard, the free festival will be a diverse showcase of not just talent but also of the great and versatile spaces that Sunniside has to offer.

“The idea is to have the whole of Sunniside buzzing with activity: artists, musicians, theatre-makers and DJs all popping up in familiar – and unfamiliar – spaces,” said Ross.

“This area of Sunderland is changing rapidly – it’s always been the base for artist studios and creative activities – but with new venues, housing and events on the horizon, Sunniside Nights aims to spotlight the very best of the area now, with a contemporary artistic festival programme to suit.”

Funded by Sunderland’s BIDs, Art Council England, Sunderland City Council and with support from UKSPF, it will return once again from 6pm on May 29.

Pop Recs at High Street West will be playing host to acclaimed, experimental folk musician Richard Dawson, hot on the heels of an American tour and his own mini-festival held at The Barbican in London.

At the same time Sunderland artist Frank Styles will be painting a mural live in the courtyard at Pop Recs, which audiences can watch progress throughout the evening.

Meanwhile Wild Fire City will be hosting Worldwide FM DJ Santa Leticia, who pieces together sonic journeys across Latin America, the Caribbean, Brazil and Africa, while over at Diego‘s, North East-based theatre-maker, comedian and clown Scott Turnbull will be staging Surreally Good – a live, comic book sketch show that weaves together storytelling, drawing, songs, surreal characters and moving moments inspired by life in the North East.

At Tribeca Sunderland-based photographer Andy Martin will be presenting Tins of Town – a brand-new exclusive exhibition showcasing a selection of handmade tin type images taken across the city and beyond over the past 15 years, using a process which dates back to the 1850s.

Breeze Creatives will be presenting two visual art exhibitions for the night, with Abject Gallery at Fawcett Street hosting This Time I Have a Reason – a group exhibition featuring six artists from Breeze Creatives’ Best Practice professional course. The exhibition will feature sculpture, performance, painting, film and sound works.

Downstairs, in Moving Gallery, will be Worst Record Covers – an exhibition made up of a selection of artist Steve Goldman‘s collection of the truly worst record covers ever produced.

These record sleeves are the “best of the worst” – a remarkable archive of the most forgotten and plainly wrong cover designs ever produced.

During the evening, performers and artists will be responding to the record sleeves, imagining how they might sound and even taking on the personas of the original artists.

The Bridge Hotel Vaults will see musician Sarah Hayes and her band returning off the back of a hugely successful appearance at Sunniside Nights in 2025 to perform a session of traditional music.

Theatre Space North East is hosting two events at Sunniside Nights, starting with ‘Shakespeare Shakedown’ – a monologue ‘slam’ which invites performers to put a creative twist on well-known Shakespeare passages.

Later in the evening Sunderland-based spoken word collective, King Ink, will be running a special session featuring guest performer Mike Garry. Hailing from Manchester, Mike has performed all over the world, including Carnegie Hall and on tour with John Cooper Clarke.

Inside Midnight Pizza Crü, local chef Ryan McVay who runs The Calabash Tree restaurant will be hosting a one-night-only-pop-up, featuring some of the dishes he created for the BBC’s Great British Menu, along with variations from his classic menu.

At 31 Norfolk Street, Boundaries Festival have collaborated with Sunniside Nights to present experimental music artists, Yotuns and Feral Yon who will be performing with. synthesisers, complex percussion and digital manipulations

The Frame at High Street West is a pop-up location for the Young Musicians Project takeover and will feature an evening of live music curated and performed by Sunderland’s well-known YMP collective.

Port Independent will be the base for drop-in screen printing sessions, where audiences can call in and screenprint their own Sunniside Nights tote bag or T-shirt to take away as a memento of the festival.                                            

Other workshops on the night come from Jeanet Ingewersen who will be hosting a series of ceramic/pottery workshops at her studio, while Sunshine Food Co-op will also be offering practical sessions throughout the evening, and the newly launched gallery 24NE will also be keeping their doors open late for audiences to check out their works.

Roberta Redecke, Head of Business Services at Sunderland BID believes it will be a memorable evening.

“Ross has brought together some absolutely incredible performers and created a unique programme with so many facets that there is something for everyone,” she said.

“It’s fantastic to see this event return even bigger than last time around, with more venues, more performers and even more variety.”

While all the events are free, some do require tickets. Full details are available at www.sunnisidenights.com

Activities in the Sunniside area are part-funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.