Craig Charles announced for Sunderland's new SunLun Calling festival

It was announced in October that the event will replace the popular Sunniside Live, with three days of live music and entertainment in Sunniside Gardens on July 7-9, 2023.

Organisers have previously revealed the Sunday of the event will be a day of Sunderland music featuring headliners The Futureheads, as well as local talent such as Tom A.Smith, Smoove & Turrell, The Lake Poets, This Little Bird, Vandebilt, The Voyd and more performing.

Now, Craig is the first of the acts announced for the Friday of the event. Called Block Party, the opening day of the festival will feature a whole host of big name DJs.

An actor, host, broadcaster, and now one of the most-popular DJs in the country, Craig has grounded himself as a Funk & Soul icon after nearly 20 years of broadcasting on BBC 6Music with a prime time Saturday night show.

He’s the first in a number of support acts to be announced for Sunderland’s new festival, with a household name headliner due to top the bill.

Also famed for his TV roles in Red Dwarf and Robot Wars, Craig has performed to crowds across the country and has played numerous festivals such as, Love Box, Park Life, Festival no 6, Wychwood Festival, Common People, Mostly Jazz funk and soul festival to name but a few.

SunLun Calling is being brought to the city by the same organisers as Sunniside Live, Sean and Helen Maddison.

Sean, who also runs Sunniside’s Bar Justice, had great success running Sunniside Live privately and said they can’t wait to welcome the crowds back for SunLun Calling.

"We absolutely love to organise these festivals and it’s great to see the area full of people. Sunniside Live was hugely popular and would sell out, and over the years a lot of people have asked us about when it would be back,” said Sean. “We’re expecting 12,000-15,000 people across the weekend, which is great for the surrounding businesses, as well as the city as a whole.”

:: Tickets for SunLun Calling are on sale now. Early bird tickets for the Sunday are priced from £10, with early bird tickets for the Friday from £15 at eventbrite.