Arts by the Sea Bournemouth: 25-26 Sept, Free, All Times

Arts by the Sea returns on Friday 25 and Saturday 26 September 2026, and it is free, all of it, all ages. The festival is run by BCP Council, it sits in Bournemouth Gardens and the town centre, and this year’s theme is ELEMENTAL.

The full programme was published on 3 September, so the timings below are the complete confirmed schedule rather than a preview. Two practical points first: Friday does not get going until around 5pm, while Saturday starts at 10.30am and runs through to 10pm. Friday is a short, mostly after-dark evening. Saturday is the full day.

Friday 25 September

Friday is built around the Bandstand Field and the after-dark shows in the Lower Gardens.

Lower Gardens

Bandstand Field

Elsewhere on Friday: Gugge 2000 also play The Square at 8pm, Read by the Sea runs a workshop at Picnic Park Deli from 5pm to 10pm, and The Centaur Stage, an open-mic venue built into a vintage horsebox, runs at Street Food Corner from 5pm to 10pm.

The Frequency Rider slots are five minutes each. If that is what you have come for, arrive for 8pm, 9pm or 10pm precisely.

The one oddity in the Friday listing is Lost Lines, timed 11am to 10pm on a day the festival’s own FAQ says starts at 5pm. The installation is a walkabout piece, so it may well be in place earlier, but everything programmed around it on Friday begins at 5pm.

Saturday 26 September

Bandstand Field, the main music stage

Lower Gardens, daytime

Seventeen organisations run drop-in workshops from 10.30am to 5pm straight through, including Arts University Bournemouth, Poole Museum, the Russell-Cotes, Dorset Wildlife Trust, Birds of Poole Harbour, Brownsea Island, Highcliffe Castle, Dorset Scrap Store, Pavilion Dance and BCP Fostering. Most are marked family friendly and join-in.

The performances layered over them:

Lower Gardens after dark repeats Friday’s sequence exactly: Elsie the Dragon at 7pm, 8.15pm and 9.15pm, the Steamship Circus fire show at 7.30pm, 8.45pm and 9.45pm, and Frequency Rider at 8pm, 9pm and 10pm.

The Square

Elsewhere on Saturday: The Hide performs at Street Food Corner at 12.30pm, 3pm and 5pm, The Centaur Stage runs there 6pm to 10pm, and Bournemouth & Poole College take over Picnic Park Deli 11am to 5pm.

Before and after the weekend

Bite-Sized Festivals take the programme out of the town centre in the run-up: Saturday 5 September at Henry Brown Youth Centre, West Howe, Sunday 6 September at Bourne Community Hub, and Saturday 12 September at Townsend Community Centre, a new location this year. Cllr Andy Martin, the council’s portfolio holder for culture, describes them as “bringing free cultural experiences directly into our communities”.

The Arts by the Sea Fringe then runs Sunday 27 September to Sunday 11 October across 16 venues in Bournemouth, Christchurch, Poole, Wallisdown and Westbourne, including the O2 Academy, the Bandstand, Lighthouse, St Marks and the Old Fire Station. Fringe events are put on by the venues themselves, so unlike the main weekend they are not all free.

Practical details

• Cost: nothing. The festival’s own FAQ is unambiguous: “this is an open festival and everything is free!”
• Toilets are in the Lower Gardens by Exeter Crescent and on the seafront near the pier entrance. There is a Changing Places accessible toilet in the Lower Gardens
• Access enquiries go to culture@bcpcouncil.gov.uk or 01202 128121
• By train, the nearest station is Bournemouth, which the festival describes as a 30-minute walk from the site, or a short bus ride
• By bike, there are Beryl bays and cycle stands around the town centre

If you are driving, the Lower Gardens sit between the Square and the seafront and the nearest car parks are the most expensive in town. Every central tariff is in our Bournemouth parking prices breakdown, and there are cheaper multi-storeys a few minutes further out. Check roadworks and travel before you set off.

One caveat on the festival’s own website: the brochure page still offers the 2024 brochure for download. Use the online schedule, not the PDF.

Sources

• Arts by the Sea, the festival schedule for every Friday and Saturday time, stage and act listed above, including the Bandstand Field, Lower Gardens, The Square, Picnic Park Deli and Street Food Corner listings.
• Arts by the Sea, FAQs for the 25 and 26 September dates, the 5pm Friday and 10.30am Saturday start times, free entry, the toilet and Changing Places locations and the access contact details.
• Arts by the Sea, getting here for the Bournemouth station walking time, the bus and Beryl bike information.
• Arts by the Sea, final acts and endless family fun as the full 2026 programme is unveiled, 3 September 2026 for the Bite-Sized Festival dates and venues and the Cllr Andy Martin quote.
• Arts by the Sea Fringe for the 27 September to 11 October dates and the venue list.
• Arts by the Sea, festival brochure for the 2024 brochure still being the only download offered.