Sunderland is situated on England's North East coast and is the largest city between Leeds and Edinburgh. Road and rail links are first class, with Sunderland easily accessible from the A1, the main north-south route along the eastern UK, and from the A19.
The cities of Durham and Newcastle are within very easy reach by road and by public transport, 12 and 20 miles away respectively. For local transport, the Tyne & Wear Metro service is an easy means of getting around Sunderland and the region, with direct links to Newcastle Central Station and Newcastle International Airport. Also easily accessible from Sunderland are Tees Valley, Leeds, York, Manchester, Carlisle, Glasgow and Edinburgh with London less than 3 hours away by train.
Nearby airports are Newcastle and Durham Tees Valley served by, amongst others, British Airways and low fare airlines such as easyJet and Ryan Air. Ferry links from Tyneside include routes to Northern Europe.
Transport is a key element in the successful delivery of the concerts, therefore the club, city council and key partners have devised a transport strategy for concerts held at the Stadium of Light, ensuring that concert-goers can get into and out of the city successfully.
As the venue and city will be dealing with around 55,000 people coming to the Stadium for the concerts there will be slight disruption expected to the immediate surrounding areas on concert days, similar to the levels experienced on home match days. Planning of routes is advised and please leave adequate time for your journey, should delays occur.
It is advised that at peak times (4pm-7pm and 11pm onwards) there may be disruption in the area surrounding the Stadium of Light.
HOW TO GET TO THE SOL
Sunderland is easy to get to by road or public transport.
By Road: Sunderland can be accessed via two major routes: visitors approaching from the north or south can take the A19 or A1.
Park and walk: Visitors arriving by car can also park at the Sunderland Enterprise Park and walk to the Stadium (approx 20-30 minute walk). Access may be restricted until 6pm Monday-Friday. Those wishing to use the Park and Walk facility are asked to take the A1231, which is signposted from the A19. Please do not use the A1231 for city centre access.
Coach parking: A designated parking area available on the site for pre-booked coach parking. The cost of a coach/bus parking space is £25 per day; the coach park will be accessible from 11am on show days and will sit outside the road closure zones on the site
Coach parking spaces can be purchased by calling Sunderland AFC on (0191) 551 5004 or emailing ticket.office@safc.com. Coaches will only be permitted into the coach area if pre-booked and have a designated coach parking pass.
City Centre car parks: St Mary's, Sunniside and The Bridges car parks (only a few minutes walk from the Stadium) will be open until throughout concert days and will close at 1am. All will be staffed by patrolling park attendants.
Visitors approaching from the North and South on the A19 and A1 and wishing to park in the city centre are asked to follow the A1018, A690 or A183, which are clearly sign-posted. As you approach Sunderland city centre, follow the car parking signs. Parking charges will apply.
Visitors are advised the area directly surrounding the Stadium of Light is a pedestrian-only zone and there is no parking available at the stadium itself or the surrounding residential areas. There will be limited stadium access for ticket collection only.
Designated meeting points for the park and walk facility, a stadium plan with coach park and a map of city car parks will follow.
PUBLIC TRANSPORT
Metro: Stadium of Light and St Peter's Metro stations are just a few minutes walk from the Stadium. Metro trains to Sunderland run approximately every 10 minutes and services will operate late on the evening of the concert. If you are travelling to and from the concert by Metro, please ensure you purchase a DaySaver ticket.
Beat the queues and buy your Metro ticket in advance by clicking here
Special discounted wristbands are available for adults and children to get you easily to and from the gig by Metro. We're running extra trains before and after the concert to get you there and back safely until 1am. Please leave more time for your journey as trains will be busy.
Plan your journey to the concert using the Nexus Journey Planner. For more information on getting to and from the gig click here. For travel updates on concert days follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook
Click here to download this plan of the Metro or visit the Tyne and Wear Metro website.
Buses: There are regular bus services directly to and from the Stadium of Light. Please note, last journeys for all services generally run between 11pm and 12pm. Please check timetables as extended services will be available on concert days. Click here for further information on buses and metro timings.
Further timetables and travel information available from:
Traveline: 0871 200 22 33
GoNorthEast: www.simplygo.com
Stagecoach: www.stagecoachbus.com/sunderland
Taxis: Concert goers requiring a taxi are advised to use the taxi rank on Athenaeum Street, next to the train station in the city centre.
Rail: For National Rail Enquiries call 08457 484 950 or visit www.nationalrail.co.uk or for direct trains to Sunderland city centre call Grand Central on 0844 811 0071 or visit www.grandcentralrail.co.uk
Drop-off and pick up points
It is important to note that there is likely to be severe congestion around the Stadium at the beginning and end of the concerts. Motorists are advised to drop off and pick up away from the Stadium. It is suggested that vehicles from the South drop off and pick up in the city centre and from the west and north, use Sunderland Enterprise Park off the A1231.
Before the concert, for ticket collection only, there is a drop off point available at the blue car park at the Stadium of Light. This drop off facility has a 10 minute maximum stay time.
Useful Sat Nav postcodes
| CAR PARK |
POSTCODE |
| St Mary's |
SR1 3AH |
| Sunniside |
SR1 1UL |
| Civic Centre |
SR2 7DN |
| The Bridge's Multi-Storey |
SR1 3PZ |
| Tavistock |
SR1 1PB |
| Boughton Street |
SR1 3NH |
| Nile Street |
SR1 1EY |
| West Wear Street |
SR1 1XD |
| Charles Street |
SR1 1XB |
| Tatham Street |
SR3 2QD |
| Gorse Road |
SR1 7BX |
| Park and walk |
SR5 3XG |
Concert goers are advised that there are numerous routes out of the city centre including A690, A1231, A1290, A1018.
The University of Sunderland has a range of spaces and facilities at its two campuses that can be utilised during the concerts period.
Make your concert experience stress free; pre-book a secure parking space at the University of Sunderland, only 10 minutes from the stadium; and a free soft drink for the designated driver, with other special food & drink offers at our bar/venue adjoining our St. Peter's Car Park. Call 0191 5153366 or click here to book online
Need somewhere to stay? Why not book into our university halls, call 0191 515 2943 or email residentialservices@sunderland.ac.uk
