Huge electronic music festival gearing up to take over Sunderland city centre
The biggest electronic music event of its kind to be held in Sunderland, Stages Festival is gearing up to take over city venues.
Keel Square will be the focal point of the festival on Saturday, September 27 with a 360degree stage in the square, performances from the likes of Billy Gillies, Basshunter, Ultrabeat, N-Trance and more as well as immersive visuals on the Expo Pavilion screen.
The Keel Square gig is priced £25 plus booking fee from https://www.stages-festival.co.uk/pages/buy-tickets
The beat continues at grassroots venues with a series of takeovers, which are a mixture of free entry and ticketed.
Running from Friday 26 September to Saturday 4 October, Stages: At The Venues spans a series of vibrant venues across Sunderland.
This includes Independent, Pop Recs, The Bunker, Saltgrass, Mexico70, The Point, Diegos and even a secret location – bringing together some of the region’s most exciting promoters, artists and audiences.
From underground DJ sets and genre-pushing live acts to an electronic music open mic night and all-ages performances, Stages: At The Venues is aimed at being the city’s biggest celebration of electronic music.
Events include a Public House Party takeover at a secret location yet to be announced, headline sets from touring electronic artists such as Paranoid London. There’s also a celebration of local talent with collectives like All Frequencies Sound Collective, Badget (Ako) and more.
Councillor Beth Jones, Cabinet Member for Communities Culture and Tourism at Sunderland City Council said: "Sunderland is fast becoming known as a city that supports creativity and innovation – and Stages is a shining example of that.
"These events breathe new life into our venues, give a platform to incredible artists, and offer audiences of all ages a chance to experience something new. As Sunderland continues to grow as a Music City, we’re proud to support this exciting programme and invite everyone to be part of the city’s growing cultural heartbeat.
"I’d like to invite everyone to get their tickets for this festival now, while you can."
As part of traffic management for the headline show on Keel Square, road closures will be in force. St Mary’s Boulevard will be closed in both directions from approximately 00:01am on Saturday 27 September until 7am on Sunday 28 September.
There will still be access to St Marys car park via a diversion from the Wearmouth Bridge and West Wear Street.
This project has received funding from the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and North East Combined Authority.