Illuminations to light up city
Plans have been submitted for the return of the Sunderland Illuminations and Festival of Light.
Up to 200,000 tickets are expected to be sold for the event, which will run from October 18 – November 18 at Roker Park.
During this time the display and entertainment will be on offer Thursday – Sunday, except during the October 22-26 school half-term holiday, when it will be open every day.
Organisers have predicted about 9,000 visitors a night, but have have a maximum capacity of 10,000.
The nearby Cliffe Park and Bede’s Cross will also be open to the public during the month-long event, where there will be a ferris wheel and crazy golf, among other stalls.
An application to Sunderland City Council has asked for permission to hold the event between October 1 – November 31 every year for the next five years.
This period would also include up to a week before and after the festival to set it up and dismantle it.
The first Sunderland illuminations was held in 1935, but was stopped after 1939, following the start of the Second World War.
It was restarted in 1951 but only ran until 1955 because it was considered too expensive.
It returned again in 198693 before its latest resurrection in 2012.
A decision on the application is expected by late October.
Visit www.seeitdoitsunderland.co.uk/illuminations to find out more.