Queen's diamond jubilee: Sunderland to host its first tattoo
Sunderland is to stage its first ever tattoo for the Queen's diamond jubilee.
More than 300 performers are expected to take part in the tattoo at St Peter's Square at Sunderland University's Sir Tom Cowie Campus.
The show will be narrated by Alasdair Hutton, who has written and narrated the Royal Edinburgh Military tattoo for the last 20 years.
A matinee dress rehearsal performance will take place at 14:30 BST and a main performance at 19:30 BST on 30 June.
Lord Lieutenant Nigel Sherlock said: "Red, white and blue will be the order of the day and I think it's going to a be a fabulous event.
"We're going to be reliving the six decades of Her Majesty's reign, from the 1950s to the present day, with an fantastic programme of music, song and dance.
"We'll also be charting some of the many historic events of the last 60 years, from the space age to the 2012 Olympics so we've certainly got quite a bit to fit in."
The director of the event, Major Eric Ingram, directed Durham's first tattoo in about 50 years in 2008 at Durham Cathedral's Palace Green.
Soprano Julie Pendleton, from Gateshead, will perform at the tattoo along with Durham Army Cadet Force Band, 102 Battalion REME Pipe Band, Standard Bearers from the Royal British Legion, Highland Dancers, University of Sunderland Choir, John Rowland (tenor) and pupils from Southmoor School.