Year of Music to be held after Sunderland wins Music City status

It’s been announced this week that Sunderland has been accepted into the global network of Music Cities, joining the likes of Berlin, Brussels and Sydney.

Only the second city in the UK after Manchester to win the prestigious accreditation, the title will help build on and build up the city’s music ecosystem, bringing with it wide-ranging social, cultural and economic benefits.

Part of the initiative’s five-year strategy to boost the area’s musical economy, the Year of Music will begin on World Music Day on the 21st June 2025 and run through to June 2026.

The year-long celebration of the city’s musical heritage and talent will encompass a huge range of events, from gigs and festivals to educational workshops and community activities.

Joining the roster of established festivals like Summer Streets, Waves, and Monument, Sunderland Music City’s Music Office will create and test new events based on feedback from the music sector and Sunderland residents, with the goal of showcasing underrepresented genres and connecting people with new music.

A true community undertaking, local musicians, promoters, and fans will be encouraged to host their own Year of Music events, which will be included on and promoted through the event’s dedicated website.

Throughout the year, the Music Office, which was set up especially for the Music City status, will explore new financial models for festivals and events, aiming to uncover novel and sustainable options that will support Sunderland’s music scene long into the future and create new opportunities for local musicians and professionals.

The event follows in the footsteps of Sunderland’s fellow Music City, Aarhus in Denmark, which ran its own Year of Music in 2022.

The event was a resounding success, serving to strengthen cohesion in the region’s music industry and creating a framework for further development.

The Music Office will also partner with local communities to incorporate activities from other art forms, such as theatre, dance, and the visual arts, as well as heritage, health and wellbeing, food, and education.

Sunderland’s Year of Music is one of many actions outlined in the Pride and Potential: A Music Strategy for Sunderland 2025–2030 strategy, which was launched at The Fire Station on Tuesday night, January 21.

Targeting specific areas, including music tourism, education, professional development, and accessibility, the plan will guide work to make tangible improvements to the local music scene and drive economic and cultural growth.

Michelle Daurat, Chief Executive of the Sunderland MAC Trust and lead on Sunderland Music City, said: “We’ve got so much to celebrate in the city right now, and not least our new status as an official Music City.

“The Sunderland Year of Music will be an opportunity to celebrate our rich music heritage, the talent that we have here today, and lay the groundwork for a robust and vibrant music economy going forward.

“Sunderland is a music destination, and we want local people and those in the wider region and beyond to be able to enjoy the fantastic music that’s all around us. What better way to do that than a year-long party soundtracked by the best music in the world.”

More details on the Sunderland Year of Music, and how you can take part, will be released in the coming weeks via musiccity.uk.