Line-up finalised for Sunderland's virtual Summer Streets festival

Highlights include YouTube sensation Look Mum No Computer, current indie darlings Martha, Kema Kay star of I, Daniel Blake, BBC Radio 2 regulars Cattle & Cane, New Comedian Of The Year, David Eagle (The Young’uns) and emerging North East talents Georgia May and Martha Hill.

The eclectic music line-up concludes the programme for the special digital edition of the festival which is organised by The Futureheads’ guitarist, Ross Millard.

Summer Streets in the House, the virtual gig element of the festival, will take place on YouTube from 7pm on Saturday, July 18.

A host of arts and culture performances and workshops have already been announced including internationally renowned circus arts company Gandini Juggling, North East-based dancer and choreographer Patrick Ziza, interactive theatre company The Six Twenty and The Big Summer Streets Pop Recs Pub Quiz hosted by Dave Harper and Michael McKnight of Frankie and the Heartstrings.

The annual not-for-profit music, arts and culture festival, which usually takes place in Sunderland every July, is unable to be held in its usual format due to the coronavirus pandemic. Thanks to an Arts Council England Emergency Fund grant, the festival is trialling an online programme for this summer.

Festival Director, Ross Millard said: “We were determined to do something to mark Summer Streets Festival 2020, even though we knew it couldn’t be in its usual outdoor festival format due to the coronavirus crisis.

“Although we’re disappointed not to be able to host the festival in Seaburn at Cliffe Park, we’re excited to host an online version of the festival. It’s a chance for us to try something new and experimental. We’ve got a range of exclusive performances, interactive workshops and local, national and international artists as part of the line-up. The festival is completely free to access and we’re hopeful that everyone will find something going on at Summer Streets that they can get involved with and enjoy.”

Other highlights include Family activities such as Curious Storytime Online – a storybook adventure that break the norms by Curious Arts; Summer Streets favourites Tiny Tweeties bring their popular interactive music sessions online; and join Chalk for a fun playful session exploring what sounds might look like.

Summer Streets Festival started in 2014 as a project of The Cultural Spring, who aim to get more people in Sunderland and South Tyneside to experience and be inspired by the arts.

Since then festival has played host to countless musicians, outdoor arts performers, comedians, spoken-word artists and workshop practitioners including Field Music, Paul Smith, Little Comets, Royal Northern Sinfonia, New York Brass Band and The Cornshed Sisters.

Summer Streets Festival 2020 is happening from Wednesday 15th – Friday 24th July and will take place across various online platforms including YouTube, Facebook and Zoom. There is no cost to access the festival, all events are free.

For more information and the full line-up visit www.summerstreetsfestival.com

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