Run Bournemouth shuts the cliff-top roads on 11 October, Pumpkin Fest is 31 October, Littledown fires on 7 November and the Christmas market opens on the 12th.

The Arts by the Sea Fringe is still running in venues across the town until Sunday 11 October, and that is the weekend Run Bournemouth closes the seafront for six races over two days, with the cliff-top roads from Southbourne to the East Cliff shut from 4am on the Sunday. After that the diary turns to half term, the Southbourne Pumpkin Fest on Saturday 31 October and bonfire week, with the free display on Poole Quay on Thursday 5 November and Littledown’s fireworks on Saturday 7 November. Christmas in Bournemouth, the market, light trail and ice rink, opens on Thursday 12 November.

Every listing below comes from the organiser’s own page, read on 28 September and re-checked on 3 October 2026, and links back to it. Prices are the ones the organiser publishes, and where none is published we say so rather than guess. The area covered is Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole. For places that are open whatever the month, see our guide to things to do in Bournemouth.

This weekend

Saturday 3 and Sunday 4 October.

  • Beers, Sweat and Tears, last day Saturday 3 October, 2pm to 7pm, The Bandstand. Tor Da Force’s exhibition of gig T-shirts from 26 years of live music, part of the Arts by the Sea Fringe. Tickets are pay as you feel. (Arts by the Sea Fringe)
  • Victorian Book Club: The Turn of the Screw, Saturday 3 October, 2pm to 3pm, Russell-Cotes Art Gallery and Museum BH1 3AA, free. Free, but places are limited and the museum says pre-booking is essential. (Russell-Cotes)
  • Playspace!, Sunday 4 October, 10.45am to 11.45am, St Marks, Wallisdown, free. A screen-free play session for children and their grown-ups, in the hall and, weather permitting, the grounds. (Arts by the Sea Fringe)
  • A Bun, a Brew and a Bit of Baroque, Sunday 4 October, 4pm to 5pm, Almo’s Coffee Shop BH6 4EH, free. Theatre designer Will Hargreaves of Arts University Bournemouth talks about reinventing historic self-portraits. Free, but you need a ticket, by email to hello@almos.uk. (Arts by the Sea Fringe)
  • A Tribute to the Carpenters, Sunday 4 October, 7.30pm, Bournemouth Pavilion Theatre BH1 2BU, £41.75. Gordy Marshall’s The British Carpenters, with Sally Creedon as Karen Carpenter, in a new show for 2026. Doors 7pm, finishing about 9.50pm. (Bournemouth Pavilion)
  • Last Night of the Proms: Bournemouth Concert Brass, Sunday 4 October, 7.30pm, The Regent, Christchurch BH23 1AS, £16. Bournemouth Concert Brass play a Last Night of the Proms programme in Christchurch. (The Regent)

The Fringe has dozens more small events than fit here. The full day-by-day list is on the Arts by the Sea Fringe page.

Next week

Monday 5 to Sunday 11 October.

  • Steve Hackett: Best of Genesis and Solo Gems, Tuesday 6 October, 7.45pm, Bournemouth Pavilion Theatre BH1 2BU, £58.50. Doors open at 7pm, with a 20 minute interval and a finish around 10.35pm. (Bournemouth Pavilion)
  • Jonathan Pie: The End of the World According to Jonathan Pie, Wednesday 7 October, 7.30pm, Bournemouth Pavilion Theatre BH1 2BU, from £26.50. The spoof news reporter’s new live show. Age guidance 14+, doors 7pm, finishing about 9.30pm. (Bournemouth Pavilion)
  • BSO: Youthful Rachmaninov, Wednesday 7 October, 7.30pm, Lighthouse, Poole BH15 1UG, £19 to £52. Pianist Javier Perianes joins the orchestra. (Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra)
  • Ocean Film Festival World Tour, Thursday 8 October, 7.30pm, The Regent, Christchurch BH23 1AS, £17 to £19. Groups of six or more pay £17 each. The Regent has a second screening on Thursday 19 November. (The Regent)
  • UK Careers Fair, Friday 9 October, 10am, Bournemouth Pavilion BH1 2BU, free. Employers with live vacancies, apprenticeships and training, plus careers advice. Entry is free. (Bournemouth Pavilion)
  • Katherine Jenkins: 25 Year Anniversary Tour, Friday 9 October, 7.30pm, Bournemouth Pavilion Theatre BH1 2BU, from £40. Under 14s must be with an adult. (Bournemouth Pavilion)
  • Bournemouth International Film Festival, Friday 9 and Saturday 10 October, about 10.30am to 11.30pm, Hilton Bournemouth, day tickets from £24.99. Two days of features, shorts, documentaries, talks and workshops, ending with an awards night on the Saturday. Bournemouth Coastal BID gives the hours and the day ticket price. (Bournemouth International Film Festival)
  • Run Bournemouth, Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 October, Bournemouth seafront and Pier Approach. Junior races from 2pm and the Supernova 5K at 7pm on the Saturday, then the Supersonic 10K at 9am and the Bournemouth Half Marathon at 11am on the Sunday. Our Run Bournemouth page has the start points and the event buses. (Run Bournemouth)
  • The Rock Orchestra: Arena of Fire, Saturday 10 October, 8pm, BIC Windsor Hall BH2 5BH, from £50. Fourteen classical musicians play rock and metal in a 90 minute concert. The BIC has 20% off bookings made by 11.59pm on Thursday 1 October. (Bournemouth International Centre)

The run weekend closes roads from Friday. The Pier Approach link road shuts from midday on 9 October, Undercliff Drive from the Friday morning, and on Sunday 11 October Broadway, Southbourne Coast Road, both overcliff drives and Boscombe Cliff Road are closed 4am to 3pm, East Overcliff Drive to 5pm. The full list is on our Run Bournemouth page; check roadworks and travel as well.

Later in October

BCP schools break for half term from Monday 26 to Friday 30 October. Our Halloween and half term page covers the attractions.

  • BSO: Romantic Transitions, Wednesday 14 October, 7.30pm, Lighthouse, Poole BH15 1UG, £15 to £54. Peter Whelan conducts JC Bach and Haydn’s final symphony. (Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra)
  • Westlife 25: The Anniversary World Tour, Wednesday 14 October, doors 6.30pm, BIC Windsor Hall BH2 5BH. Support act Ana Sky is on at 7.25pm and Westlife at 8.30pm, finishing about 10.30pm. The BIC’s page shows no price. (Bournemouth International Centre)
  • 9 to 5 The Musical, Wednesday 14 to Saturday 17 October, 7.30pm, and 2.30pm on the Saturday, Bournemouth Pavilion Theatre BH1 2BU, from £29. An amateur production, five performances. (Bournemouth Pavilion)
  • BSO: Glorious Heights, Wednesday 21 October, 7.30pm, Lighthouse, Poole BH15 1UG, £15 to £54. The Lark Ascending and Sibelius’s Fifth Symphony. (Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra)
  • Edo Women: Japanese Prints 1820 to 1900, opens Saturday 24 October, to Sunday 11 April 2027, Russell-Cotes Art Gallery and Museum BH1 3AA. Prints made and sold in Edo, now Tokyo, on the lives of Japanese women. It is in Galleries III and IV, reached by four steps or the platform lift. (Russell-Cotes)
  • Half term at the Russell-Cotes, Saturday 24 October to Sunday 1 November, Russell-Cotes Art Gallery and Museum BH1 3AA. A ghost trail through the house, free once you have an admission ticket. Drop-in crafts run 10.30am to 1pm on Tuesday 27, Wednesday 28 and Thursday 29 October. (Russell-Cotes)
  • Miriam Margolyes: Full English Live, Monday 26 October, 7.30pm, BIC Windsor Hall BH2 5BH, from £43.25. In conversation, with an audience Q&A. Age guidance is 14 and over. (Bournemouth International Centre)
  • BSO: Eastern Odyssey, Wednesday 28 October, 7.30pm, Lighthouse, Poole BH15 1UG, £15 to £54. Charlotte Corderoy conducts Scheherazade, with pianist Junyan Chen. (Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra)
  • Steve Backshall: Deadly Live!, Friday 30 October, 2pm, BIC Windsor Hall BH2 5BH, from £25.50. The half term matinee based on the CBBC series. (Bournemouth International Centre)
  • Evening Event: Victorian Gothic, Friday 30 October, 6pm to 8.30pm, Russell-Cotes Art Gallery and Museum BH1 3AA, £15. An evening on Victorian Gothic literature in the historic house. Friends pay £12, and the café opens from 5pm. (Russell-Cotes)
  • Southbourne Pumpkin Fest, Saturday 31 October, 10am to 4pm, Southbourne, free. The Halloween street party, with a pumpkin trail and the traders’ carving competition. The BID says more activities will be announced. (Bournemouth Coastal BID)

November

  • Susan Calman: Tall Tales, Sunday 1 November, 7.30pm, Bournemouth Pavilion Theatre BH1 2BU, £35.75. Comedy, one night only. (Bournemouth Pavilion)
  • Compton Organ Show: Aaron Hawthorne, Tuesday 3 November, 1pm, Bournemouth Pavilion Theatre BH1 2BU, £5. A one hour walk-in concert on the theatre’s 1929 organ. Doors open at 12.30pm and tickets are sold on the door. (Bournemouth Pavilion)
  • Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde with organist Aaron Hawthorne, Tuesday 3 November, 8pm, Bournemouth Pavilion Theatre BH1 2BU, £15. The 1920 silent film, with an improvised accompaniment on the Compton organ. (Bournemouth Pavilion)
  • BSO: Sunshine Symphonies, Wednesday 4 November, 7.30pm, Lighthouse, Poole BH15 1UG, £15 to £54. Prokofiev and Beethoven, with pianist Boris Giltburg. (Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra)
  • November 5th Fireworks on Poole Quay, Thursday 5 November, from 5pm, fireworks at 8pm, Poole Quay, free. Live music and family entertainment before the display. The council advises parking at the Dolphin Shopping Centre or Harbourside Park. (BCP Council)
  • Bournemouth Fireworks at Littledown, Saturday 7 November, gates 5pm, Littledown Centre BH7 7DX. Three displays in one night on one ticket. Prices, the cash-only gate and the other displays are on our Bournemouth fireworks page. (Bournemouth Fireworks)
  • Professor Brian Cox: Emergence World Tour, Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 November, 7.30pm, BIC Windsor Hall BH2 5BH, from £46.75. Two nights at the BIC. (Bournemouth International Centre)
  • Sixpence Day at the Russell-Cotes, Tuesday 10 November, 10am to 5pm, Russell-Cotes Art Gallery and Museum BH1 3AA, free. Free entry to the museum all day, donations welcomed. Groups of more than nine cannot be booked in. (Russell-Cotes)
  • Nigel Kennedy, Wednesday 11 November, 7.30pm, Bournemouth Pavilion Theatre BH1 2BU, from £47.50. The violinist’s first UK tour in more than ten years. Rescheduled from 13 March 2026, and tickets for that date are still valid. (Bournemouth Pavilion)
  • Suede and Manic Street Preachers, Thursday 12 November, 6.30pm, BIC Windsor Hall BH2 5BH, from £50.75. The two bands’ co-headline tour. No under 12s in the standing area, and under 14s must be with an adult. (Bournemouth International Centre)
  • The Manfreds: Get Your Kicks On Tour, Thursday 12 November, 7.30pm, The Regent, Christchurch BH23 1AS, £32.50. The band’s Get Your Kicks On tour for 2026. (The Regent)
  • Christmas in Bournemouth opens, Thursday 12 November, to Sunday 3 January, The Square and the Lower Gardens, free entry. The Christmas market (stalls to 31 December), the Festive Trail and the Alpine Lodge. Dates, hours and the planning row are on our Christmas market page. (Christmas in Bournemouth)
  • SKATE Bournemouth ice rink, Thursday 12 November to Sunday 3 January, Lower Gardens BH2 5AU, from £14 a child and £16.50 an adult, plus a £2 booking fee. (SKATE Bournemouth)
  • Myles Smith: My Mess, My Heart, My Life, Saturday 14 November, 6.30pm, BIC Windsor Hall BH2 5BH. With special guest Chance Pena. No under 12s in the standing area. The BIC’s page shows no price. (Bournemouth International Centre)

Remembrance Sunday is 8 November. BCP Council had not published this year’s arrangements when we checked on 3 October, so it is not listed here yet. Our Remembrance Sunday page sets out what the council has published in previous years.

Regular events

  • Bournemouth parkrun, every Saturday, 9am, Kings Park Athletic Stadium BH7 6JD, free. A timed 5k to walk, jog or run. Register once before your first visit and bring your barcode. (parkrun)
  • Boscombe Market, every Thursday and Saturday, Boscombe high street, pedestrianised section. The council’s street market. Its page gives the days but no trading hours. (BCP Council)
  • Old Christchurch Road Market, every Sunday, Old Christchurch Road. The town centre’s Sunday market. The council’s page gives no trading hours. (BCP Council)
  • Tea Dance at the Pavilion Ballroom, Wednesday 21 October, 2pm, then 18 November and 16 December, Bournemouth Pavilion Ballroom BH1 2BU. Doors open at 1.30pm, tea is served at 3pm and the dancing finishes at 4.30pm. Cameron Lloyd plays in October. (Bournemouth Pavilion)

Getting there

The Pavilion, the BIC and the Russell-Cotes are all within a few minutes’ walk of the Pier. The Pavilion’s car park is run by BCP Council, not the theatre. Tariffs for every town centre car park are on our parking in Bournemouth page, and rail times are on train times to London.

Send us your event

Running something in Bournemouth, Christchurch or Poole? Email hello@bournemouthpost.co.uk with the date, time, venue, price and a photo. Listings are free of charge, and yours goes on this page and in the diary on our What’s On section.

This page is rewritten as organisers confirm new dates. Every listing was checked against the organiser’s page on 3 October 2026. Dates can still change, so use the links before you travel.

Sources