Why was there no Sunderland Airshow in 2022, and what happened in its place?

After two years of cancellations due to the Coronavirus pandemic, 2022 was set to be the summer Sunderland’s famous airshow returned to the Roker and Seaburn coast, but what happened to the event so many across the North East were waiting for?

Here’s all you need to know.

Why was Sunderland’s 2022 Airshow cancelled?

The coastline event was set to return to Sunderland this summer before an announcement from Sunderland City Council in January to say the show would no longer be going ahead.

Coronavirus cases at the time were spiking once again almost two years after the initial breakout of the virus and this uncertainty was one of the reasons behind the cancellation.

At the time, leader of Sunderland City Council, Councillor Graeme Miller, said: “We know from our own experience and that of other event organisers over the last 22 months just how difficult Covid makes it to plan for events.”

He added: "Because of the nature of the airshow and the infrastructure and contracts that need to be put in place to support it, we have reached the stage where we would need to commit now to allow the event to go ahead this summer which we just don’t feel able to do that at the moment.”

The cancellation was also part of a shift in attitude from the Council, who promised to announce new events across the summer.

What events have been in place of Sunderland’s 2022 Airshow?

This summer has seen a series of initiatives to bring new events to the city. The first major one of these, Sunderland’s Souled Out Festival, came in June and saw three days of food and live music hit Keel Square with support from Si King of The Hairy Bikers.

The following month saw crowds head to Roker’s Cliffe Park for the return of Summer Streets Festival, a free afternoon of live music and events which saw acts such as Smoove and Turrell Beth Macari and Martin Stephenson and the Daintees head to Sunderland.

Summer Streets also saw a series of gigs in the days building up to the weekend with local rockers Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs and singer-songwriter Kenneth Ishak play free shows at Sunniside venue Pop Recs.