Bournemouth's biggest free arts festival returns this weekend. Arts by the Sea 2026 runs on Friday 25 and Saturday 26 September, bringing two days of outdoor performance, live music, family activities and large-scale spectacle to Bournemouth Gardens and the town centre.
This year's theme: ELEMENTAL
The 2026 edition is built around the theme ELEMENTAL, a celebration of "the powerful energies that connect us to each other and to the world around us." In practice that means fire, water, earth and air across the programme, from fire shows and a dragon to water-themed performances in the Square. The festival also frames creativity as a force for positive change, with a strong focus on collective action, sustainable thinking and our connection to the natural world.
Artist in Residence: Lost Lines
Bournemouth-based artist Rhea, who works as Lost Lines, is this year's Artist in Residence. She is known for bold, character-led work across digital, traditional and large-scale public art, and her colourful, warm and funny style has shaped the look of the whole 2026 festival. Expect bright characters and moments of joy around town as she turns Bournemouth into what the organisers call "an elemental playground." Lost Lines will be based at Bandstand Field from 11:00 to 22:00 on both days.
Friday: A Fiery Evening Opening
The festival starts properly on Friday evening, and the Lower Gardens are the place to be after dark. From 17:00, Paka the Uncredible's Rusty the Horse wanders through the crowds. As night falls, Elsie the Dragon takes over, alongside regular fire shows from Steamship Circus and short, electrifying sets from Frequency Rider – Lords of Lightning. That cycle repeats roughly every hour until 22:00.
At Bandstand Field, Freefall Collective (18:00) and CJP Band (19:45) provide live music. Samba-style percussion group Gugge 2000 plays a set there at 21:15 before closing the night in the Square at 20:00. Read by the Sea runs at the Picnic Park Deli and The Centaur Stage at Street Food Corner, both from 17:00 to 22:00.
Saturday: A Full Day Out
Saturday is the festival's biggest day, running from morning until late.
The Square: Hydropunk runs from 12:00 to 17:00, and FLOOD performs at 13:00 and 15:30, putting water front and centre. Earth, Wind and Choir brings Funky Little Choir and The High Priestess of Pop together for a 30-minute set at 18:00.
Bandstand Field: A varied music line-up starts with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra at 12:45. It continues with AfroSounds System from Evision Music Group (14:30), Pachango (16:00), Zeñel (17:45) and Lords of Veg Funk (19:30). Earth, Wind and Choir closes the stage with a full hour from 21:00.
Lower Gardens: From 10:30 to 17:00, the gardens host a large community and green hub featuring many local organisations. These include Arts University Bournemouth, Dorset Wildlife Trust, Brownsea Island, Russell-Cotes Art Gallery & Museum, Poole Museum, Highcliffe Castle, Pavilion Dance, Dorset Scrap Store, LiveWell Dorset, the National Year of Reading, St Mungo's, The SAMEE Charity, The Story Works, Vireo Collective and BCP Fostering. Performances run through the day as well:
- Walkabout piece Walk of the Dandelion
- Roots to Rise
- Associate Artist Bombay Dance Club
- Breakin' Free
- Lords of Veg Funk
- Rusty the Horse
From 19:00, the Friday night finale returns, with Elsie the Dragon, the Steamship Circus fire shows and Frequency Rider bringing the festival to a close at 22:05.
Elsewhere: Bournemouth & Poole College runs activities at the Picnic Park Deli from 11:00 to 17:00. At Street Food Corner, The Hide performs three times in the afternoon before The Centaur Stage takes over from 18:00.
Beyond the Gardens
Before the main weekend, Arts by the Sea took the festival into neighbourhoods with its "Bitesized Festivals" earlier in the month. These were held in West Howe (6 September), Bourne Valley (7 September) and Townsend (12 September).
Plan Your Visit
Arts by the Sea 2026 is free and open to everyone.
For the full schedule, artist information and updates, visit www.artsbythesea.co.uk