Things to do at Riverside

Riverside Sunderland is right at the heart of a transforming city centre.

Set in a spectacular location on a cliff’s edge with dramatic views over the Wear and out to the North Sea, Riverside Sunderland is at the centre of a city reborn. Great connectivity with access to a melting pot of shops, leisure experiences and food and drink venues – along with stunning views and green spaces.

12m

visitors per year to Sunderland city centre

80+

high street retailers in the heart of Sunderland

New leisure and cultural venues are taking shape, enhancing the offer for people visiting Riverside Sunderland. Added to an already vibrant city centre with an enviable retail offer, it’s easy to see why so many people want to be at Riverside Sunderland.

Discover Riverside Sunderland

Culture and Creatives

You will never be bored at Riverside Sunderland. As well as being home to the magnificent Empire Theatre, where guests enjoy West End productions in stunning surroundings, the cultural quarter of this fast-changing destination also boasts a busy Auditorium in the spectacularly restored Fire Station, with a packed programme of events and shows… And there’s more to come. Culture House opens in 2026 – a place where people of all ages and interests will come together to enjoy an engaging, dynamic and digitally-powered space, delivering an experience that will surprise and delight all who visit.

A stone’s throw from Keel Square, and connected by Keel Crossing, are leisure hubs like the Stadium of Light, where more than 40,000 fans flock to watch their beloved Sunderland AFC – as well as the Beacon of Light and Aquatic Centre, two sports and leisure centres where people enjoy a range of physical activities, from swimming to football. And soon to open its doors is British Esports Performance Campus, featuring a multi-purpose arena, training rooms and digitally powered spaces for practice and play.

Food and Drink

Whether it’s lunch on the run or a tasty teatime treat, Riverside Sunderland boasts an abundance of eateries. And more exciting food and drink venues are set to open soon.

Sheepfolds Stables, a destination leisure venue with an eclectic mix of food and drink traders, opened in 2024, connected to the south of the river by Keel Crossing.

The Botanist and Keel Tavern are now open, overlooking the city’s Keel Square and just minutes from The Engine Room, Koji and Mexico70.

Retail

Riverside Sunderland is plugged into the pulse of city centre life. From independent stores selling everything from high-end designer clothing to luxury cakes and sweet treats to high-street brands like Flannels and H&M, the city centre has a rich retail scene which is attracting more and more traders.

Health and Wellbeing

A revitalised Riverside Park, which includes the valley of Galley’s Gill, both banks of the River Wear and bands of woodland, will be restored to create a superb people’s park – with an improved paths network, lighting, new spaces for play and exercise, a café-pavilion, and a dedicated site for community growing.

A year-round programme of events and festivities will animate the space and attract visitors. The Yard is home to bespoke fitness studio, The Cell, while the park will be a focal point for walking and cycling – with connections to the rest of the city, including two University of Sunderland campuses. And this animation has already started, with Keel Edge – a large plot of land close to City Hall – now the location of a range of events and activities.

The Beacon of Light School on Sunderland’s Stadium Park serves as a thriving community hub for sports, events, education, wellbeing and more, and the nearby Sunderland Aquatic Centre is home to an Olympic-sized swimming pool as well as a diving pool and gymnasium.

There will be so much outdoors to enjoy across Riverside Sunderland. Public art will create points of interest – already two stunning pieces stand on Keel Square, with more to follow around the development – and more accessible walkways and routes around the site will be delivered as each phase of the development moves ahead.

Culture House

An inspiring space celebrating Sunderland, shaped by the community, with breathtaking experiences powered by digital.

This state-of-the-art building, overlooking Keel Square, uses leading-edge technology to educate, engage and excite the 500,000 people who visit every year – leading their minds on a journey while their feet remain firmly on the ground.

A place that inspires and informs, Culture House is a colourful, creative and playful space that fires imaginations, stimulating new ways of thinking. Immersive digital spaces transport visitors to places they could only imagine, telling stories in exciting new ways and speaking to the child in all who visit – whatever their age – unlocking their sense of fun, imagination, creativity and freedom.

It includes a library, but not in the conventional sense… a vibrant learning space where ideas come alive via digital technology, stories that explode into reality through play; spaces for community groups to come together; and creative areas that encourage learning through activities. And it’s co-created with the community – a space that meets their needs based on the things they want to experience.

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