Stages: At The Venues, Sunderland's new festival is bringing the beat to the city

Sunderland is set to pulse with festival energy this autumn as Stages: At The Venues takes over the city centre with a trailblazing programme of intimate live shows, high-energy DJ sets and innovative electronic performances.

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 promises something for every music lover. 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."

At the heart of the festival is the spectacular headline show at Keel Square, on Saturday 27 September. With a line-up of renowned DJs, emerging local talent and digital artists will perform live. The show will feature a 360° stage, immersive visuals on the 20-metre semi-transparent screen at the Expo Sunderland Pavilion - one of the most advanced digital installations in the UK.

Whether you're stepping into a packed nightclub or discovering experimental electronic sounds in a cosy venue, Stages: At The Venues offers stacked nights of next-level music spread across the heart of the city.

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.

For more information, please visit the website https://www.stages-festival.co.uk/, or follow Stages Festival at https://www.facebook.com/stagessunderland/ and https://www.instagram.com/stagessunderland.