Sunderland Culture's programme of festive fun

Sunderland Culture has unwrapped Christmas, adorning its venues with bows and tinsel, promising weeks of festive delights for families to enjoy.

An "exciting programme of Christmas crackers" has begun at Arts Centre Washington (ACW), Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens (SMWG) and the National Glass Centre (NGC), including exhibitions, Christmas crafts, a festive family fun day, Christmas cabaret and films.

Friday, December 15 sees A Christmas Cabaret, a family-friendly variety show featuring music, dance and performance including acts from brilliant local community groups, talented young performers and professional acts.

On Friday, December 22, youngsters can get creative by crafting their own unique Christmas character puppet followed by a fun-filled Sing-a-long Christmas classic, The Muppets Christmas Carol.

There will also be a Curious Arts Youth Session on Saturday, December 16 for young LGBTQIA+ people aged 11-15 to come together to connect and create with fun activities such as bracelet designing, sculpture building and songwriting.

Over at Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens, the popular exhibition Elmer and Friends, the Colourful World of David McKee, continues until Saturday, January 6 and will be accompanied by festive activities including Elmer’s Gift Trail, and Elmer’s Christmas Storytime.

At the National Glass Centre you can make a pair of decorations to keep for years to come at the Fused Glass Christmas Decoration workshop (ages 6+) or join a Christmas crafting session on Thursday, December 21 to create your own special wrapping paper, cards and gift tags.

On Friday, December 22, NGC hosts a Festive Family Fun Day, featuring three hours of creative activities for families. Enjoy a variety of activities, including glass painting, a Christmas craft session, a seasonal scavenger hunt and the chance for children to personalise their sweet treats. Families can also enjoy a popular Christmas film.

ACW’s panto, Robin Hood is performed by Washington Theatre Group over three consecutive weekends: Friday, January 12 to Saturday, January 27.

Join Robin, Marion, Little Joan and all the merry men as they battle the evil Sheriff of Washington and Sir Stinky.

Rebecca Ball, chief executive of Sunderland Culture, said: “We’ve put together a busy and brilliant programme of activities to keep young people and families creative over the holiday period. We hope our wide range of activities has something for everyone.”