New music festival for Sunderland as Elemore Country Park hosts summer event

Elemore Music Festival is due to take place in August 2023, and is one of several new events organised by Sunderland City Council.

The music showcase will be held at the Elemore Country Park, a former golf course which is being transformed into a community green space with a focus on the natural environment and local heritage.

A café and garden centre have already been set up at the Hetton site with wider plans for more leisure and community uses in future.

At a meeting this week Sunderland City Council’s Coalfield Area Committee agreed to allocate funding towards the event.

This included a £10,000 ‘neighbourhood fund’ grant for the festival, which will be match funded.

The project application revealed some of the artists due to peform on stage including the Lake Poets’ Martin Longstaff, local folk rock and colliery brass band ‘Dennis’ and Houghton Brass.

In addition to music a variety of entertainment and activities are planned for the festival, which is open to all residents.

Councillor Claire Rowntree, deputy leader of Sunderland City Council and chair of the Elemore Project Group, has welcomed plans for the event.

Cllr Rowntree said: “We’re really excited to be working towards delivering an event at Elemore this summer.

“It’s all part of our wider plans for the newly transformed country park following the official opening of the garden centre and café.

“Local residents have been at the centre of the project from the start.

“We have worked alongside them to deliver a community space that reflects the heritage of the area, while protecting the natural environment.

“We think this will be a great way to celebrate their involvement in the project and what’s been achieved so far.”

Councillor James Blackburn, chair of the Coalfield Area Committee, added: “We’re delighted as an area committee to be supporting this event.

“It’s a great way of celebrating the Coalfield area’s rich heritage.”

Sunderland City Council is expected to release more details of the Elemore Music Festival event in due course.