Young Creators Take Over Expo Sunderland Pavilion for City-Wide Celebration of Music

The Expo Sunderland Pavilion is set to bring the city's creativity and innovation to life on Saturday 21st June 2025 with an exciting interactive event marking Make Music Day — the worldwide celebration of music-making. 

Music Connects Stages will invite young people to explore music technology and create their own tracks, celebrating community creativity and music education as part of the wider Make Music Day activity happening across the city. 

Located in Keel Square, the Pavilion is already a striking focal point in the heart of Sunderland, featuring one of the UK's largest semi-transparent LED screens measuring 20m by 5m, complemented by a versatile events space. Designed to educate, inspire and connect, the Pavilion has quickly become a hub for arts, culture and cutting-edge technology in the city. 

On 21st June, children and young creatives can dive into the world of music production with access to laptops loaded with professional music software inside the Pavilion.  

With bookable sessions in the morning (11am to 12pm) and open drop-in sessions from 1pm to 3pm, participants will have the chance to experiment with sounds and beats. Two DJs stationed outside at Keel Square will then play the tracks created live, transforming the event into a collaborative, city-centre soundscape. 

Councillor Beth Jones, Cabinet Member for Communities, Culture and Tourism at Sunderland City Council, said: "It's fantastic to see Sunderland getting involved in Make Music Day and creating opportunities for our young people to engage with music-making in such a hands-on, exciting way. Music Connects Stages brings together creativity, community and innovative technology, showing exactly what our city is capable of as we celebrate music's power to inspire and connect people." 

This event is organised in partnership with Music Connects Sunderland, formerly known as Sunderland Music Hub, reinforcing Sunderland's commitment to nurturing music education and creativity among its young people. The Pavilion's programme is also proudly supported by Expo Sunderland's headline partner, the University of Sunderland. 

Liam Huitson, Musical Inclusion Officer at Music Connects Sunderland, said: "We continue to deliver, support and champion music-making across the city, unlocking musical potential and ensuring that young people can progress, regardless of background.  

"As a lead partner in the North East Music Hub, we are uniquely positioned to connect local communities with a wider network of musical opportunities. Through the delivery of the National Plan for Music Education, our mission remains clear: to level the playing field and ensure all young musicians have the opportunity to thrive." 

The Music Connects, Stages experience forms part of the Expo Pavilion's ongoing programme to highlight Sunderland's role as a Smart City and a vibrant cultural destination, and launches the exciting Stages programme of events.

 Reserve your slot for the morning session online here: https://tinyurl.com/56ny32br 

For more information about the Pavilion and upcoming events, visit www.exposunderland.com/expo-pavilion and follow @ExpoSunderland on Instagram and Facebook.