The Fire Station gives Sunderland a stage worthy of a Music City

Sunderland has been making a lot of noise lately, and The Fire Station is a big reason why. At the heart of the city's Music, Arts and Culture Quarter, the venue has turned a once-abandoned Edwardian building into one of the busiest stages in the North East.

The original fire station was built in 1907 and stood empty for 22 years before it was redeveloped, reopening in 2017. The next chapter came on Friday 10 December 2021, when a new £18 million auditorium beside it opened with a gig by Northumbrian piper Kathryn Tickell and The Darkening, with special guest The Lake Poets.

The auditorium was designed by Flanagan Lawrence Architects, with Howarth Litchfield as delivery architect, for the Sunderland Music, Arts and Culture Trust. Built in red brick and terracotta to sit comfortably beside its heritage neighbours, it was designed for audiences of 500 seated or 800 standing, and won a RIBA North East Award in 2024, with the MAC Trust named RIBA North East Client of the Year.

Today the venue hosts over 250 events a year, including orchestras, indie and electronic acts, film screenings, comedy and family activities. Its operator, Culture Quarter, runs three venues within a 30-second walk of each other.

Royal Northern Sinfonia has made The Fire Station its Sunderland home since 2022. To welcome newcomers, the venue introduced £5 tickets for Sunderland residents attending their first Royal Northern Sinfonia concert there. "It's all about the joy and thrill of hearing amazing musicians in a beautiful and intimate space," said venue director Tamsin Austin.

The venue's success has gone hand in hand with the city's wider ambitions. Sunderland gained official Music City status at the start of 2025, becoming the second UK city to do so after Manchester, and its Sunderland Year of Music ran from June 2025 to June 2026. The local music community also showed its heart in December 2024, raising £51,955 for child poverty charity Love, Amelia.

Kathryn Tickell and The Darkening return to the stage where it all began on 4 November 2026, a fitting date for anyone who wants to see how far the venue has come.

Listings for gigs, classical concerts and events are on The Fire Station website.