The Summer Holidays are #HappeningInSunderland from 20 July to 2 September!
With the kids off school, it can be a chore to find plenty of things to keep them occupied...
We have pulled together this guide for you, jam-packed with city-centre activities and events which are fun for the whole family.
Sunderland BID
Street Games
26 July to 2 September
Keel Square & Market Square
Coming soon to Sunderland City Centre, four retro games with a modern twist! Physical and Digital worlds will collide this summer as 4 family-friendly games will appear on the ground in key areas of the City, brightening their surroundings and free for all to play! Use the Sunderland Experience App as your dice, spinner and bean bags to bring digital and physical together.
Urban Fest
7 September, 11:00 AM to 18:00 PM & 8 September, 11:00 AM to 17:00 PM
Sunniside Gardens
Don't miss this action-packed weekend of urban fun! Look forward to skateboarding masterclasses, spray painting & graffiti, BMX trick shows, street dancing, art, music, culture, street food and more!
North East Combined Authority
Kids Go FREE
21 July to 1 September
Sunderland Empire
The Wizard of Oz
6 to 11 August
RuPaul’s Drag Race UK winner and Dancing on Ice finalist, The Vivienne, will play The Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz at Sunderland Empire from Tuesday 6 to Sunday 11 August 2024. Join Dorothy, Toto and friends on an unforgettable adventure down the yellow brick road to the merry old land of Oz. Featuring the iconic original score from the Oscar-winning MGM film, including Over The Rainbow, Follow The Yellow Brick Road, and We're Off To See the Wizard - with additional songs from Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice - this spectacular production will be a truly magical experience for all the family. BOOK NOW
The 13-Storey Treehouse
22 to 25 August
Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton’s hilarious, multi-award-winning book The 13-Storey Treehouse comes to life on stage in Sunderland this August, with fun family concessions available! Who wouldn’t want to live in a treehouse? Especially a 13-storey treehouse that has everything, including a bowling alley, a secret underground laboratory, self-making beds and a marshmallow machine! Andy and Terry live there, make stories together and have a series of completely nutty adventures. Today's the day Andy and Terry are going to bring their stories to life in their first EVER play – except they forgot to write it! Where will they find flying cats, a mermaid, a sea monster, an invasion of monkeys, and a giant gorilla? Don’t miss your chance to see this fun-filled, best-seller live on stage for children aged 6 – 12 and their adults! BOOK NOW
Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens
Changing Childhoods Trail
20 July - 14 September, 10:00 AM to 16:00 PM
Follow the trail to discover how childhood school days, fashion, toys, sweets and much more have changed over time. Quiz your grown-ups about things they remember when they were young! Find all the clues and answer the questions to claim a prize sticker. £1 per trail. BOOK NOW
Portrait Station
20 July - 24 August, 10:00 AM to 16:00 PM
Get creative and draw portraits of yourself and your family at our Portrait Station. Take inspiration from Ian’s dramatic portrait photographs of industrial workers and school children from the 1970s and 80s. Dress up in different outfits from the decades and pose for a selfie, then draw your own portrait using background, pose, expression, clothes and objects to tell a story. Add your artworks to our Portrait Station display for other visitors to enjoy!
History Mondays
22, 29 July, 5, 12, 19 August, 11:00 AM to 12:30 PM and 13:30 PM to 15:00 PM
Learn about the history of Sunderland through the Museum’s amazing collections. Time travel back into the past as you handle objects and explore stories about local places, events and heroes.
Wonderful Wings and Stupendous Stings: Bees & Butterflies Garden Trail & Crafts
24 July, 13:00 PM to 15:00 PM
Join us during this drop-in session, where we will follow the ‘wings and stings’ fact trail through the community garden and see how many bees and butterflies you can find!
Big Science Parties
26 July, 16 August, 11:00 AM, 13:00 PM and 14:30 PM
Join the Big Science Team as we get hands-on experience with fabulous science demonstrations and experiments. £3 per child. BOOK NOW
Bug-tastic Facts & Crafts
31 July, 13:00 PM and 14:30 PM
Mowbray Park community garden is home to many bugs and beasties, and we want to make it even more friendly for our creepy crawly friends! Follow the Bug Fact trail through the garden and see what you can find in the Bug Hotel! Then, join us inside the Museum Learning Space, where you can make bug homes for the garden. You can make your own bug hotel to take home! £2 per child. BOOK NOW
Arty Fridays
2, 9, 23 August, 11:00 AM, 13:00 PM and 14:30 PM
Get inspired by Ian McDonald’s dramatic black and white photographs in the Fixing Time exhibition as you make Perfect Portraits (2 August), Sky Silhouettes (9 August) and Lino Printed Ships (23 August).
Bear's Museum Adventure: Daring to Dinosaur
7 August, 13:00 PM and 14:30 PM
Join Bear and Hannah Graham, Story Teller, for another amazing Museum adventure, exploring the Winter Gardens to meet the time-travelling dinosaurs! £2 per child BOOK NOW
Tie Dye T-shirts
13 August, 10:30 AM to 11:30 AM or 11:45 AM to 12:45 PM
Design your own T-shirt for Summer in our fab creative Tie-Dye workshop. Customise your own garment, learn different tie dye methods and make your own groovy psychedelic design. Choose your own colours and inspiration for your original style. £3 per child BOOK NOW
Bug Hunting
14 August, 13:00 PM to 15:00 PM
Nothing beats a bug hunt in the garden! So, why not come and join us? There will be pots and sweep nets galore to help you root out and uncover the marvellous beasties that live in the Mowbray Park community garden!
Grow Your Own Pizza
21 August, 13:00 PM and 14:30 PM
Make your own pizza with Jo from Raising Dough and her pizza oven! We will harvest herbs and salads from the community garden to enjoy with your pizza! Choose your own toppings and make your own salad dressing using the garden herbs! There will be tomatoes, basil and salad seeds to take away and grow for your own pizza toppings at home, too. £4 per child BOOK NOW
Bridges Shopping Centre
Ping Pong Parlour
Monday to Saturday, 10:00 AM to 16:00 PM and Sunday, 12:00 PM to 16:00 PM
POP UP Ping Pong has returned to the Bridges, which is good news for shoppers wanting to improve their sporting skills. The fun activity is now available at the Sunderland shopping centre every day and is free to enjoy, with people of all ages being encouraged to take part.
Ball Pit
Monday to Sunday, 09:00 AM to 17:00 PM
For children aged 8 and under, just £3 for 30 minutes of play!
Soft Play
Monday to Sunday, 09:00 AM to 17:00 PM
For children aged 5 and under, just £3 for 30 minutes of play!
Fairground Fun
8 August, 12:00 PM to 14:00 PM
Fairground circus fun with games, workshops, dressing up and crafting – with prizes!
Kite Decorating
15 August, 12:00 PM to 14:00 PM
Fly high with our kite decorating session – put your artistic talents to work before taking your kite home.
Princesses & Super Heroes
22 August, 12:00 PM to 14:00 PM
Learn how to be a princess or a superhero – or both. Singalongs, superhero posing and even a curtseying workshop. Make tiaras, masks and wands – all the essentials that any budding princess or hero would need.
Animal Kingdom
28 August, 12:30 PM to 14:30 PM
Get up close and personal with the creatures at our very special Animal Kingdom. We’ve got snakes, spiders, guinea pigs, bearded dragons, rabbits and much, much more. Handle them if you’re brave enough!
Lush Sunderland
Product Making
23, 26, 27, 28, 30 July, 1, 6, 8, 13, 15 August, varying times.
Come party with LUSH Sunderland! Our aim is to not only provide you with the ethical, handmade cosmetics you know and love and the 5 * customer service we are well known for but also bring you entertaining, educational and eclectic events! BOOK NOW
Sunderland Aquatic Centre
Atlantis Mega Inflatable
Monday to Friday, 10:30 AM, 11:30 AM and 12:30 PM (excl Bank Holiday)
ALL PARTICIPANTS MUST BE 5 YEARS OF AGE AND OVER (5/6/7 YEAR OLDS MUST BE ACCOMPANIED IN THE WATER AT ALL TIMES ON A ONE-TO-ONE BASIS WITH AN ADULT), BE COMFORTABLE IN DEEP WATER (2m) AND BE ABLE TO SWIM 25M UNAIDED WEARING ONE OF OUR BOUYANCY AIDS. £7.35 per person per session. Book by calling 0191 514 4300.
Beacon of Light
Family Fun Day
15 August, Morning (10am to 12:30pm), Late Morning (11am-2:30pm), Midday (12pm to 2:30pm) and Afternoon (1pm to 3:30pm).
A jam-packed day of sports, play, and summer activities. Back for the second time this year, the official charity of Sunderland AFC is looking forward to welcoming hundreds of families from across the North East to the Beacon of Light for the Fun Day. Entry costs £2 as a donation to the Foundation of Light, with a wide range of free activities - from football challenges and multi-sports to the UV Dance Room - hosted within the Beacon throughout the day. Sunderland AFC mascot Samson will make a special visit, so keep your eyes peeled to spot our special guests and get your photos.
The day offers something for everyone. Here are just some of the activities at the Beacon:
- Bouncy castles and soft play
- Disability multisport
- Table tennis
- Badminton
- Outdoor football
- Football inflatables
- Football challenges
- Cross bar challenge
- Cupcake decorating in the kitchen
- UV Dance Party
- Arts and crafts
- Raffle
- Face painting
- Local food vendors
Disability Multi-Sports
24 July, 7, 14, 21, 28 August, 10:00 AM to 15:00 PM
Our disability sessions include multi-sports, table tennis, and dance, and we’ve got it covered this summer. £7.50 BOOK NOW
Family Summer Bake Off
24 July, 7, 14, 21, 28 August, 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Inspired by the Great British Bake Off, test your technical skills followed by a showstopper. Price includes 1 adult and 1 child - Children must be accompanied by an adult for the entire session. £20 BOOK NOW
Painting Pots
25 July, 8, 15, 22 August, 10:00 AM to 12:30 PM
Decorate your pots with us this summer. Price includes 1 adult and 1 child - Children must be accompanied by an adult for the entire session. £20 BOOK NOW
Summer Holiday Multi-day Clubs
25 & 26 July 10:00 AM to 15:00 PM
29, 30 & 31 July 10:00 AM to 15:00 PM
5, 6 & 7 August 10:00 AM to 15:00 PM
8 & 9 August 10:00 AM to 15:00 PM
12, 13 & 14 August 10:00 AM to 15:00 PM
19, 20 & 21 August 10:00 AM to 15:00 PM
22 & 23 August 10:00 AM to 15:00 PM
27, 28 & 29 August 10:00 AM to 15:00 PM
Fancy something different… try our new summer holiday club, which includes arts and crafts, robots, movies, multi-sport and much more. £30 for 2 days £45 for 3 days BOOK NOW
Football Multi-day Clubs
25 & 26 July 10:00 AM to 15:00 PM
29, 30 & 31 July & 1 August 10:00 AM to 15:00 PM
5, 6 & 7 August 10:00 AM to 15:00 PM
8 & 9 August 10:00 AM to 15:00 PM
12, 13 & 14 August 10:00 AM to 15:00 PM
19, 20 & 21 August 10:00 AM to 15:00 PM
22 & 23 August 10:00 AM to 15:00 PM
27, 28 & 29 August 10:00 AM to 15:00 PM
£35 for 2 days, £50 for 3 days, £65 for 4 days BOOK NOW
Disability Football
25 July, 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 August, 15:00 PM to 16:00 PM (5-12yrs) and 16:00 PM to 17:00 PM (13-25yrs)
Football for all! £4 BOOK NOW
Cooking & Baking 11-16yrs
26 July, 10:00 AM to 15:00 PM
Learn a new skill and create your own bakes and dishes. £20 BOOK NOW
EA FC Tournament & Kickabout
26 July, 9, 23 August, 10:00 AM to 15:00 PM
Come and showcase your skills in a battle of the best gamers! Take part in a Champions League-style tournament as well as have the opportunity to test your skills and take part in training games. £20 BOOK NOW
Beauty & Self-Care
29 July, 5 & 19 August, 11:00 AM to 14:00 PM
These fun sessions will help children explore the world of beauty and self-care in a safe and friendly environment. Whether your child is a budding beauty expert or just looking to try something new, these classes are the perfect summer activity. Activities: Mini Manicure: Kids will learn the basics of nail care and get a mini manicure to keep their nails looking fabulous. Break: Light snacks and refreshments will be provided to keep everyone energised. Plaiting Workshop: A fun workshop where children can learn different plaiting techniques. Nail Painting: It's time to get creative with a variety of nail polishes and designs. Wrap-Up: The session concludes with a distribution of small take-home beauty kits so the learning and fun can continue at home! These classes are a great opportunity for children to develop new skills, make new friends, and boost their confidence. Each session is carefully planned to be age-appropriate and to provide a memorable experience for everyone. £10 BOOK NOW
Candle Making
30 July, 6, 13, 20, 27 August, 10:00 AM to 15:00 PM
Learn a new skill and create your own bespoke fragrances. Price includes 1 adult and 1 child - Children must be accompanied by an adult for the entire session. £20 BOOK NOW
Gaming
31 July, 2, 7, 9, 14, 21, 28 & 30 August, 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM and 13:00 PM to 15:00 PM
Two hours of gaming (Roblox, Fortnite (12+), Rocket League, Fall Guys, Overcooked 2, Valorant (16+), League of Legends (12+), Dota 2 (12+), EAFC 24, Apex Legends (16+), Overwatch 2 (12+) Package includes two hours in a state of the art gaming room, as well as a sweet cone. Under 10s must be accompanied by an adult. £10 BOOK NOW
Sensory Circuits
31 July & 16 August, 13:00 AM to 14:00 PM
A planned physical activity circuit for children and young people with SEND £5 BOOK NOW
Enterprise Challenge 11-16yrs
9 August, 10:00 AM to 15:00 PM
Participants will work together to solve a problem whilst practising skills such as teamwork, decision making and problem-solving. Challenges include escape rooms and building projects. £20 BOOK NOW
Flower Arranging
9, 23 August, 10:00 AM to 12:30 PM
Learn how to create the perfect bouquet. Price includes 1 adult and 1 child. £20 BOOK NOW
Sign Language
12 & 19, August, 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM and 13:00 PM to 15:00 PM
£5 BOOK NOW
SEND Family Fun Day
12 August, 13:00 PM to 15:00 PM
£15 BOOK NOW
Train like a PRO
16 & 30 August, 10:00 AM to 15:00 PM
Train with UEFA-qualified coaches and Academy coaches, as well as being watched by scouts. £30 BOOK NOW