An exciting programme of live music is set to take over Sunderland’s Keel Square this summer.
Launching in May to coincide with BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend at Herrington Country Park, the line-up will continue to bring live performances to the city throughout the season.
While details of the full programme are currently under wraps, the first two events to be unveiled will see ‘The Bootleg Beatles’ heading to Sunderland on Friday 28 August, followed by ‘Road to Nashville’, one of the UK’s biggest country music festivals, rolling into Keel Square on Sunday 30 August.
Get ready for a spectacular summer night when the Bootleg Beatles, with a reputation as the world’s No.1 Beatles tribute act take to Keel Square for an unforgettable open-air celebration packed with era-defining hits and iconic moments, bringing the timeless music of The Fab Four to life in the heart of the city from 6pm to 10.30pm on Friday 28 August, kickstarting the August Bank Holiday weekend.
Keel Square will be transformed into a Wild West playground on Sunday 30 August, for a day-long celebration of all things country, complete with non-stop anthems, high-energy performances, food, immersive wild west experiences, and line dancing.
Starting at 12 noon and running through until 10.30pm, festival goers can look forward to a jam-packed programme featuringworld-class tribute performances celebrating some of the biggest names in country including: Shania Twain, Luke Combs and Zac Brown, Dolly Parton, Chris Stapleton, Miley Cyrus, Teddy Swims and Beyonce.
Councillor Beth Jones, Cabinet Member for Communities Culture and Tourism at Sunderland City Council, said:
“With a growing reputation as an events city, we’re working our hardest to attract exciting events to Sunderland.
“So, I’m really excited to see both the fantastic Bootleg Beatles and one of the UK’s biggest country music festivals, rolling into Sunderland this August bank holiday weekend.
“Our aim for our events programme is to offer something for everyone, whatever their age, all year round and these two events are just a taste to come of what we have planned this summer.
“We see this series becoming a core fixture in our annual events calendar, providing a fantastic summer experience for residents and visitors alike in the heart of our city centre.
“This spring and summer alone, we’ve got everything from an underground rave in the form of the Stages Festival in Riverside Car Park in March, to BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend in Herrington County Park in May, and the Bootleg Beatles and ‘Road to Nashville’ in Keel Square in August.
“’The Bootleg Beatles’ are a perennial favourite, while there’s been a massive resurgence of interest in country music in recent years, spurred on in part by Beyonce’s platinum selling ‘Cowboy Carter’ album, and I can’t wait to see Keel Square transformed into the wild west.
“Hosting festivals like this and the fantastic range of events we have on offer here, really help to further cement our reputation as an events city.
“It’s definitely worth watching this space as we’ll be unveiling more details in the coming weeks of the exciting music lined up for Keel Square over the summer.”
