The Sunnside of the Street

A three-day celebration of food, music, art and entertainment is on offer in Sunderland this weekend as Wearside gets set to welcome visitors.

From Friday 21, through to Sunday 23, the Sunniside area of the city will be hosting everything from live performances and chats with entertainment and podcast stars, to the finest local food and the chance to take part in a variety of art events.

And the fun begins on Friday, with Sunniside Nights and a packed programme of live performances with something to suit all musical tastes at venues throughout the area.

These will include a live gig by Du Blonde at Pop Recs, at High Street West followed by a late night screening at Pop Rec's sister venue, Pop Flix, of the 1979 cult movie, The Warriors, which centres around a New York street gang.

Diego's at Sunniside will be the home for A Celebration of Athletico Mince, an evening with podcaster, comedian and presenter Andy Dawson, while Frankie and the Heartstrings singer Frankie Francis will be 'in conversation' with legendary songwriter, Kane Gang member, Martin Brammer.

Later that evening guests can experience the unique work of sound innovators and improvisers, Water Lattice and Shelly Knotts, while, at The Bridge Hotel Vaults, singer, flautist and folk instrumentalist Sarah Hayes will lead an evening session of traditional music.

For food lovers, Sunniside Food Market - which runs on the fourth Sunday of every month - is making a welcome appearance on Saturday from 10am and 3pm, highlighting the quality and variety of food and drink produced on Wearside and beyond.

Among the traders taking part are Wear Beer Ltd, Itadeli, The Little Cakery By The Sea, Simply Cheesecake, Pink Lane Bakery, The Brownie Bar and Geordie Banger.

The Cracked Bean Roastery and FC Roast Ltd will also be selling their wares along with The Northern Bistro, Mazzeh Spice, Awesome Chocolates and the  Travelling Bee Company.

And they will be joined by The Yolker, the Sunshine Co-operative, Just Let Your Soul Grow CIC, Didi's Flower Box, C&C Chips, Italy Abroad, Chez Dips, Zenobia and Acropolis

Also running on Saturday, alongside the Sunniside market, will be Art in the Park. Another collaborative event where more than 20 local creatives will bring around 18 free demonstrations, art stalls and free workstations.

In addition, the organisers are also holding a wool amnesty - calling for donations of spare wool which can be used to support community craft initiatives by the Stitch and Bitch Sunderland - The Mackem & Tap'em Branch.

It is also the first outing of the "Art Bank," which invites people to bring unwanted paints, brushes, canvases, or sketchbooks to swap or donate to artists who may not have access to the materials they need.

Supplies can also be dropped off in advance at Diego's, which is also the venue for the Sunniside Music Social - a laid-back music session with local bands and groups - on Sunday, from 12 noon until 4 pm.

Su Devine, owner of Art Café, which has helped organise Art in the Park, said the weekend was "a fantastic showcase for the wealth of creativity there is in Sunniside - and it will be enormous fun, too.

"Art in the Park is the perfect event for families, beginners, and seasoned artists to engage with art in a fresh and interactive way in the beautiful setting of Sunniside Gardens.

Sunniside Nights has been commissioned by Sunderland BID and Sunderland City Council, supported by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) following a successful application made by Sunderland BID, which led to an award of £202,253 to create the Sunniside Activation programme, designed to build pride in place and a sense of community.

Sharon Appleby, Chief Executive of Sunderland BID, said the weekend. "will really highlight the variety and standard of our creative sector as well as providing great fun and entertainment for all the family."

Although all the events are free, tickets for Sunniside Nights performances will be required in some instances. Information is available at www.sunnisidenights.com