IT’S HAPPENING...
AUGUST – OCTOBER 2026 EDITION
IN SUNDERLAND
Inside... everything you need to know about our Street Rangers extended services, Sunderland Restaurant Week, Purple Flag, networking opportunities, as well as all the usual stuff!
YOUR SUNDERLAND BID NEWSLETTER
IT’S HAPPENING...
sunderlandbid.co.uk
SAME PLANS RANGERS, NEW TRICKS
MAINTENANCE
WELCOME TO OUR NEWSLETTER Welcome to our latest newsletter – and we’ve certainly got plenty to talk about! It’s been an absolutely brilliant summer across the city, with lots of amazing events and more to come – which of course is hopefully good news for businesses who want to take advantage of some great opportunities. Summer 2026 has certainly been one to remember, with BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend in May bringing in tens of thousands of people and our record-breaking Sunderland Food and Drink Festival. July saw the return of the Summer Streets Festival and the list still
LET’S STAY IN TOUCH... 2
They are our own famous three – our Street Services team.
Headed by Street Services Coordinator Lee, you’ll undoubtedly have seen him out and about supported by Street Rangers Ethan and Vincent. They do a fantastic job in helping to create clean, safe and welcoming premises across the city and are well known – and loved – for their ability to respond to businesses’ needs.
goes on – with a great line-up of music events throughout August, both at Keel Square and at the seafront.
The BID continues to strengthen its team and we’ve been joined by our new Marketing & Events Assistant, Zakiya.
While events are no doubt great for the spirit – and the economy – we’re also working constantly to bring in new initiatives to improve the look and feel of the city.
She arrived and was thrown straight into the deep end, working on the Food and Drink Festival and since then she’s been out and about, capturing content and keeping our digital profiles up to date. If you see her around, make sure to say hello!
The most recent installations are at the seafront, where we’ve introduced dog poo bag dispensers, dog toy exchange stations, volunteer stations, children’s toy boxes and public outdoor libraries. We’re constantly looking for ways to improve the area, so keep your eyes peeled for more exciting developments. facebook.com/ sunderlandexperience/
instagram.com/ sunderlandexperience/
The good news is that we are now extending their services to businesses
within the BID boundaries but who are not levy payers so aren’t – at present – able to get this additional support. This new remit means the Street Rangers can be booked for one-off jobs or businesses can sign up for a monthly maintenance plan at a very competitive price. Funds that are collected through additional Street Ranger services will be reinvested into the city centre and seafront to improve the look and feel of both areas.
Monthly maintenance plans are exclusive of VAT. Your monthly allocation does not have to be used on a single task, as the Street Rangers can complete a variety of jobs within your allocated time, from small indoor maintenance jobs to power washing, signage cleaning and more. Essential Plan - £50 pcm. 1 hour Street Ranger services
Professional Plan - £90 pcm. 2 hours Street Ranger services Premium Plan - £160 pcm. 4 hours Street Ranger services If this is something you feel your business can benefit from, please get in touch at info@sunderlandbid.co.uk.
As always, we’re here to help if you need anything. Chloe Kelly Events, Marketing and Communications Executive l inkedin.com/company/ sunderlandbid/
tiktok.com/ @sunderlandexperience
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IT’S HAPPENING...
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FOOD AND DRINK FESTIVAL SUCCESS Sunderland Food and Drink Festival continues to be a highlight of the city calendar and not only creates the feel-good factor but gives a real boost to the local economy. This time round we had around 70,000 visitors over the weekend, with crowds gathering from the
moment the event officially opened. Spanning Keel Square, High Street West and the former Argos site, the festival featured an extensive range of street food, artisan produce, sweet treats and international flavours, alongside two stages of live entertainment which kept visitors entertained throughout the weekend.
The festival had an estimated economic impact of £2.8m, supported by a strong marketing campaign which generated more than 19,000 website visits and 305,185 social media impressions in the lead-up to and during the event. Zafer Saygilier, owner of Flower Café at High Street West, said: “We had increased footfall and were really busy throughout the Food and Drink Festival and it is absolutely fantastic to see the city centre buzzing and full of people.” One attendee of the event said: “Please keep this a yearly event forever. It really adds something special to the culture of our city.” Businesses recognise the positive impact it makes on them, as our research shows that 58% of people who attended went on to shop in the city centre as a whole.
LOVE LANE Unique art installations are something we’re really keen on and a new project shows that we’re all heart! Working with Sunderland’s Art Café – and inspired by Moulin Rouge at the Empire Theatre – we’ve set up Love Lane, a community art installation at Back Bridge Street near High Street West.
The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive and that success is something we will continue to build on in future years. This blank wall now has hand painted squares where people can leave messages about love in the broadest sense. It could be about a partner, a family member, the city or even the football club.
SEAFRONT CAMPAIGN, AND UPCOMING EVENTS The first phase of our Spend It In Sunderland Seafront campaign has now come to a close – thank you to all the businesses and individuals that showed their support. Designed to encourage people to visit the seafront during the colder months, the campaign showcased the wide range of things to see and do, proving that the seafront has plenty to offer whatever the weather. We’re now working on the next phase, adding new opportunities and offers to continue encouraging people to spend locally. The Spend It In Sunderland Seafront campaign had over 700,000 pairs of eyes on it through Meta and Google ads. To maximise its reach, the campaign was also promoted through posters, hotel room collateral, digital screens and seafront bin vinyls. We were also delighted to have the support of key stakeholders, including the University of Sunderland, who helped promote the campaign both internally and externally. You can scan
#HAPPENING
INSUNDERLAND There’s certainly plenty happening for people to enjoy – here’s a snippet of what’s happening across both the city centre and the seafront. 3–28 August
Ocean Explorers Summer Fun @ The Bridges
8 August
Blandford Street Party: ReMade & ReLoved
9 August
RNLI Harbour Day @ Roker
22 August
Love the 90’s Fest @ Keel Square
23 August
GirlyPop Fest @ Keel Square
28 August
Bootleg Beatles @ Keel Square
29 August
Armand Van Helden @ Keel Square
30 August
Sunderland AFC v Fulham
30 August
The Road to Nashville @ Keel Square
31 August
K-Pop Fest @ Keel Square
5–13 September 12 September
Sunderland AFC v Arsenal
13 September
Great North Run
14–18 September
It’s fast becoming a key photo spot in the city centre and something we hope businesses will support. If you’re keen to get involved in future installations, please get in touch at info@sunderlandbid.co.uk.
Sunderland Restaurant Week
Sunderland Freshers Week
3 October
Eco Fest 2026 @ Museum & Winter Gardens
10 October
Sunderland AFC v Brighton
24 October
Sunderland AFC v Leeds United
All dates are correct at the time of publication. Subject to changes. For more information, please visit sunderlandbid.co.uk.
the QR code below to watch the advert that was produced as part of this initiative. We look forward to building on the Spend It In Sunderland series, and encourage you to get in touch at info@sunderlandbid.co.uk if you’d like to be part of future campaigns. 4
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IT’S HAPPENING...
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PURPLE FLAG We have been working away in the background for some time now towards achieving Purple Flag status for the city.
EYE HOSPITAL AND THE IMPACT ON THE CITY
it is also good news for the local economy.
The well-known building on Queen Alexandra Road opened back in 1939 and since then has treated hundreds of thousands of patients. Now this particular branch of medicine is about to enter a new era, with the opening of a brand new, state-of-the-art Eye Hospital on the Riverside Sunderland development.
This is an international accreditation programme – similar to the Green Flag for parks and the well-known Blue Flag for beaches – which recognises standards of excellence in managing evening and nighttime economies in city centres.
It’s been impossible to miss the growth of this £48m development, which has now opened its doors in the heart of the city centre.
It will offer a 24/7 Emergency Department for eye injuries and emergencies, a Retina Unit for macular conditions, a Surgical Day Unit, an Imaging Hub, an Outpatients Department, children’s outpatient facilities and operating theatres. It is expected that over 130,000 patients will visit the hospital annually for treatment. While there’s no doubting the impact – and the prestige – a facility of this calibre will bring to the city,
The fact that it is in the heart of the city centre means patients and visitors can spend time shopping, eating, enjoying a coffee and even staying in local hotels before or after their appointments. It will also put Sunderland in the national spotlight, particularly as its part of what is already considered one of the most ambitious regeneration schemes in the country. The provision of world-class medical treatment continues to show what the city has to offer to a national and international audience.
We hope in the next 12 months to have both the city centre and seafront achieving Purple Flag status, which will put us on a par with other places around the country which have already achieved accreditation. Liverpool, Dublin, York and Belfast all host this prestigious award, given to cities and towns which are rewarded for being safe, vibrant, appealing, well-managed and offer a positive experience to visitors. A steering board has been established to provide oversight of the project, as well as five working groups, made up of representatives from key stakeholders in the city centre and seafront. 6
BIDs in other areas have played an important and active role in helping cities achieve Purple Flag status and likewise we are driving the scheme in Sunderland.
Anyone who would like to know more – or who would like to see how they can get involved – is invited to get in touch at info@sunderlandbid.co.uk. 7
IT’S HAPPENING...
NETWORKING OPPORTUNITIES Our Business Breakfasts continue to be well attended and provide a great opportunity to mix and mingle and hear from an eclectic mix of experts on subjects linked with the city. Our next event is on 30 September and is one which nobody will want to miss, as it’s an opportunity to visit the new British Esports Arena.
RESTAURANT WEEK September is fast approaching, which means its time once again for Sunderland Restaurant
The event runs from 8.30am to 10am, and after breakfast there’s an opportunity for a full look round. The theme of this breakfast is Safety in Business – Responsibilities and Reminders, with guest speakers from Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service, British Esports and LaunchPad Associates Ltd. Scan the QR code to register your interest.
Week, which is traditionally the busiest one of the two. We are already looking for restaurants that would like to take part – particularly those who can also showcase their involvement with the Healthy Plates scheme, where the offers include healthy alternatives. This event will run from 5 – 13 September and it’s a fantastic opportunity for all of our hospitality businesses to entice new customers and invite regulars to dine with them
If getting up for breakfast is a bit too much, why not join our popular Professionals’ Lunch? Our next event takes place on 9 October at City Bistro, Sunderland College, sponsored by MMC Research, where our keynote speaker will be Andrew Haigh, Chief Executive of Newcastle Building Society. The event runs from 12pm to 2.30pm, with tickets available at £35pp plus VAT. To book your place at our Professionals’ Lunch, or if your business would like to host or sponsor a future networking event, please contact info@sunderlandbid.co.uk or call 0191 722 1002.
at special, discounted rates. Participating venues can once again put together £10, £15, £20 and £25 deals and benefit from the BIDs’ widespread marketing and promotion campaign to help drive footfall. The week will again be supported by Nexus, which will highlight the ease of using the Metro to visit the city If you would like to take part, please contact us at info@sunderlandbid.co.uk.