Sit down with a pint of Double Maxim and a pink slice, today is a day to celebrate all things red and white.
What started a few years ago to promote the Mackem Dictionary has now become an annual celebration of Sunderland culture, its people and passion on August 12.
This year’s celebrations are set to be the biggest yet with a free night of music, stalls and performance at Sheepfolds Stables tonight from 5pm to 10pm, which is sold out.
There’s plenty of reason to love our city by the sea - and we’ve rounded up just some of them:
1. Our industrial heritage
Wearside's rich industrial history has left its mark and made Sunderland the city it is today. The River Wear was once at the heart of the shipbuilding industry and helped Sunderland become the biggest shipbuilding town in the world at one stage. Pictured here from our archives are identical twins George, left and Arthur Bulmer tipping their caps in farewell on their retirement from the Southwick shipyard of Austin and Pickersgill on April 27, 1974. Photo: Sunderland Echo
2. Roker Pier
Over the years, historic Roker Pier has been named among the top piers in the world - and rightly so. The pier and lighthouse was hailed as a triumph of Victorian engineering when it first opened in the early 1900s. Built between 1885 and 1903 by Henry Hay Wake who was Chief Engineer with the River Wear Commissioners, its beam of light was reputedly visible 15 miles out to sea. The pier tunnel and lighthouse was given a new lease of life after a £2.5million restoration by the city council, funded with the help of the National Lottery. Photo: Sunderland Echo
3. The people
Proud and passionate, it's the people, many of whom can trace their Wearside heritage back generations, who give Sunderland so much of its identity. Photo: Sunderland Echo
4. Keel Crossing
Our newest landmark, Keel Crossing has really brought new life to the city centre. What a day for the city when it opened on October 18, 2025, connecting both sides of the major Riverside development, with a name that honours our shipbuilding heritage. | SCC