Bournemouth Air Festival organisers at Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council, have thanked partners after months of collaboration resulted in a safe and enjoyable event for the half a million visitors who attended over three days.

Swedish fighter jets, daredevil parachute jumps, spectacular firework displays, hassle-free parking and top-class entertainment located on award-winning beaches are just some of the reasons to visit the 2024 Bournemouth Air Festival, Thursday 29 – Saturday 31 August.

Get ready for a weekend of excitement and celebration as the Boscombe Carnival and Parade is just around the corner on the 24th and 25th of August! This vibrant event, held in the heart of Boscombe High Street, promises two days of unforgettable fun, creativity, and community spirit. Whether you're a local or visiting for the weekend, this free event is the perfect opportunity for families and individuals to immerse themselves in the lively atmosphere of Boscombe and make lasting memories.

One of Bournemouth's top attractions has received multiple nominations in various categories in the prestigious UK Theme Park Awards 2024.

Bournemouth's annual LGBT+ celebration and pride festival, Bourne Free, is back for 2024 - making a weekend of it on the 5th and 6th July.

Local charities and good causes received cheques totalling almost £100,000 by Freemasons who meet in Bournemouth.

Dorset’s best loved community festival is counting down to its first ever three-dayer!

Arts by the Sea, the South West’s biggest free celebration of arts, culture, people and place, is returning for its 14th edition and this year’s theme will be TASTE.

The Russell-Cotes Art Gallery & Museum is thrilled to announce the receipt of a generous £36,303 donation from the Bournemouth Civic Society.

Swimmers at Two Riversmeet Leisure Complex in Christchurch will benefit from the power of the sun this year with the installation of solar PV panels to heat the water. 

Footballers in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) are enjoying perfect playing facilities at Rossmore Leisure Centre, thanks to a £726,000 grant from the Premier League, The FA and Government’s Football Foundation.

With thousands of local live music fans expected to attend, Poole and Bournemouth's biggest and best family live music weekend is ready to return this summer.

Fans of the iconic TV programme The Fast Show are in for a real treat as the original cast members, Simon Day, Charlie Higson, John Thomson, Paul Whitehouse, Mark Williams and Arabella Weir, bring their comedic genius to theatres across the country this spring - with one night in Bournemouth this March.

Screams By The Sea is a one day film festival packed with thrills, chills, & amazing opportunities. It's coming to Bournemouth on the 10th February 2024. The main stage will show 5 feature films, a short film selection, & an award ceremony in which the audience get the chance to cast their vote for the best film of the event.

Lighthouse has launched this year’s Big Christmas Appeal to raise money that enables it to give away thousands of free and discounted tickets to children, families and other groups who experience disadvantage. 

Video Games Live™ is an immersive concert event, featuring music from the most popular video games of all time, performed by an orchestra and choir with exclusive video footage and music arrangements, synchronized lighting, solo performers, electronic percussionists, live action and unique interactive segments to create an explosive entertainment experience!

Nautical illuminations celebrating Poole's maritime history are returning for a second year running this Christmas.

Lighthouse is proud to back the Theatre For Every Child campaign to persuade political parties to make it a General Election manifesto pledge that every child in the UK goes to the theatre before they leave school.  

Work to renew three timber groynes along Bournemouth’s East Cliff Beach starts as part of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council’s continued work around protecting our coastline from erosion and flooding.

Bournemouth's biggest and best-loved fireworks party is back with a bang this year as Bournemouth Fireworks celebrates its silver jubilee at the Littledown Centre on Saturday 4 November.

It may be less than 100 sleeps until the curtain rises on this year’s Bournemouth Pavilion pantomime but a cast call to meet the fabulous panto stars can never be too early!

The winners of the UK Theme Park Awards 2023 have been announced with Paultons Park winning six awards, including three gold awards.

Care South, a not-for-profit charity and a leading provider of residential and home care across the south of England, are delighted to be supporting Lewis-Manning Hospice Care’s ‘Candles in the Community’ for a third year in a row by sponsoring all events.

There's so much more to the Bournemouth Air Festival than just the Red Arrows, but their fly times is what we always get asked most often. So here are the times for the Red Arrows this year:

Red Arrows Display Times
Bournemouth Air Festival 2023

Thursday 31 August: 5.30pm
Friday 1 September: 5pm
Saturday 2 September: 5pm
Sunday 3 September: 2.45pm

Cleared for take off and ready to ride the magic carpet West End actor Benjamin Armstrong is set to make his panto debut in the title role of this year’s magical family pantomime Aladdin at Lighthouse Poole. 

"I've only actually seen one panto in my life so I'm very new to the whole panto scene, but I'm excited to start with something as big as Aladdin in Poole," he says. 

"It was nice stepping into Aladdin's shoes for the first time at the photo shoot last week - they felt pretty comfortable to be honest. And oh my gosh, the carpet was so magical - it genuinely looked like it was flying. It was really good fun. When I was on it I felt like a superhero!" 

Benjamin trained at the Royal Academy of Music on a Disney Theatrical Productions Scholarship, graduating with a Master's in Musical Theatre in 2021 and going on to appear in a variety of different productions all over the country. 

Written and directed by Chris Jarvis, who will also be appearing as Widow Twankey, Aladdin features Ionica Adriana as Princess Jasmine and Bournemouth-born Josh Haberfield as the comic character Wishee-Washee. Pantomime Award winners Andrew Pollard and Alim Jadavji, whose winning double act as the ugly sisters in Cinderella last year stole the show, are returning to play the villain Professor Pocus and Genie of the Lamp respectively. 

"This will be my first time working with everyone," adds Benjamin. "I don't know a great deal about the show yet - other than I'm ziplining through the audience, which I'm really excited for - and from what Chris has been telling me although the panto of Aladdin is slightly different to the story everyone knows, the kids and the families will already know the character and will have an understanding, so they'll be on our side. 

"I'm looking forward to spreading some good Christmas joy and laughter. Every show will be a completely different experience with whoever is in the audience and I'm sure we'll all be playing on stage, making each other laugh, having a good time. It'll be hard work but great fun. I feel like it will be a very silly few weeks – I’m really excited to get to work!" 

Aladdin opens on Thursday 7 December and runs until New Year's Eve. Tickets are on sale now at www.lighthousepoole.co.uk, or call 01202 280000.  

ALADDIN - Poole's magical family pantomime  

THURSDAY 7 - SUNDAY 31 DECEMBER 2023

Tickets and information 01202 280000   

Dun & Bradstreet, a leading global provider of business decisioning data and analytics, will feature as official training wear partner for the 2023/24 season.

From jets to jazz, fireworks to adventure golf, zip wires to modern art there is so much to do and see across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole this summer.

Bournemouth West Cliff Hotel, a destination for travellers seeking seaside fun and relaxation, has announced the completion of a £500k refurbishment on 20 of its bedrooms and garden, as the first stage of a renovation journey.

Lighthouse is delighted to welcome Poole Museum to its Main Gallery this week as part of the on-going Museum on the Move project while the High Street site is redeveloped.