Republica, Toploader, and Horse Meat Disco for NHS supporting One Love in Sunderland

Rocking The Free World 2021

Saturday 18th to Sunday 19th September 2021
Herrington Country Park, Sunderland, DH4 7EL, England
FREE, Sunday £10

A North East based music festival set up to reward NHS staff for their service has announced plans for a second day, to celebrate diversity, inclusion and equality.

Rocking In the Free World, the free concert hosted as a thank you for frontline NHS staff for their service during the pandemic held at Sunderland's Herrington Park, happening on Saturday 18th September has announced they will be having an additional day of music on Sunday 19th September named One Love.

The new day will host a line-up that includes Republica, Toploader, and Horse Meat Disco, joining Gok Wan on the Esh Construction Monumnent Stage.

Local legend and host of the Northern Pride festival for the last ten years Miss Rory and DJ Danny Rampling will also be making an appearance.

The event is aiming to also celebrate Pride around the UK and has teamed up with Pride Radio and will also be supporting the Albert Kennedy Trust, which supports LGBT young people who are facing homeless or are living in a hostile environment.

Tickets for One Love cost £10 each, while the Saturday remains a free event. Organiser Andrew Kennedy hopes that people will come along and support the whole weekend. "We have had an unbelievable response to the Saturday, with thousands of NHS Staff and key workers getting tickets which is just what we wanted when we thought this event up," said Andrew. "We felt that there was a real opportunity to do a second day and celebrate inclusion and diversity which is what the line-up reflects. "We're hoping for some really exciting further announcements in the near future so we are looking forward to a fantastic weekend."

Freelance recruitment consultant Andrew came up with the idea for the festival because he saw at first hand the challenges facing the NHS through his wife Jan, a sister who heads up the emergency admissions unit at South Tyneside Hospital during the worst of the pandemic. He enlisted the support of Ben, whose band, North East rock tribute group, The Sons of Eden, played at his wedding and will also now be performing at the festival. Songwriter and vocalist Karen Harding has also added her name to the line-up, as has South Shields-based Christian Yu, a nurse from the Philippines who is also a singer songwriter.

Emeli Sande, will be headlining the Saturday which will include Karen Harding, and Sons of Eden, along with DJs Fat Tony, Carly Wilford, Richard Tulip, Tony Hutchinson, and James Haskell.

For the details as available please see the line-up page.