Arts by the Sea Festival

What a privilege to be Festival Director of the Arts by the Sea festival which opened today in spectacular style in its 14th year! Bringing incredible cultural experiences to residents, visitors and neighbourhoods across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, the festival supports and nurtures local talent, showcases performances of excellent quality and works with communities to celebrate diversity. A huge thanks to the amazing team who have put in such incredible hard work to make this year a success. Looking forward to a whole weekend of fantastic experiences! Oh, and shout out to Bournemouth and Poole College who were amazing on the bandstand tonight! www.artsbythesea.co.uk #bcpcouncil #artscouncilengland #withoutwalls #Bournemouth #art #culture #Bournemouthandpoolecollege #lightinstallation

I'm so proud to announce the Arts by the Sea festival as Gold winner of the South West Tourism Excellence Awards for Tourism Event/ Festival of the Year! Following hot on the heels of the festival’s success for Dorset county, it’s a real joy to have our work now recognised for industry excellence at a regional level. The Arts by the Sea festival is 14 years old this year and 2024 will be my 9th year leading this incredible inspirational event, which celebrates the community by bringing together art, culture, people and place.   We aim to bring the very best quality work on the national circuit to our home town and combine it with incredible local talent, making Arts by the Sea a weekend of cultural activity like no-where else. I believe that having the opportunity to experience free cultural activity is so valuable to us all as individuals, and is critical in driving economic growth, town centre regeneration and tackling issues like social isolation. I’m incredibly proud to bring you a festival which aims to do all of the above, and to work with such an amazing, dedicated team. A massive thank you to our team, our artists, our funders (particularly BCP Council and Arts Council England) and volunteers and our audience, to the South West Tourism Awards and our category sponsor Curworthy Cheese - and a huge well done to all the other finalists and winners too! See you at Arts by the Sea this year, 27th – 29th September, Bournemouth. #artsbythesea #SWTAwards #ACEsupported