News

Another intriguing wave of entertainment, music, comedy, theatre and dance, has been announced for Arts by the Sea Festival 2023. 

Returning to Bournemouth’s beautiful beaches, gardens and outdoor spaces from Friday 29th September to Sunday 1st October, Arts by the Sea Festival is an exhilarating weekend of participatory and accessible art across many forms – and it’s completely free to attend. 

Attracting 120,000 visitors each year of all ages, the 2023 programme will follow the theme of MOMENT, where guests are invited to connect to their own unique moment through an intriguing mix of large-scale spectaculars, interactive art, and much more. 

Newly announced for Sunday at Arts by the Sea is a mass celebration of dancedance-off where thousands of festival goers will join together for ‘Break Down Walls’. Co-commissioned with Pavilion Dance South West and choreographed by Jazz Gritt and Victor Fung with music from Town of Cats, this will be a flash mob style moment with everyone from revellers to community dance troupes and schools performing a routine in unison. Learn the simple dance online in advance of the festival with this video tutorial. At 4pm sharp, watch or participate in what is set to be a memorable, collective celebration.

The opening for Arts by the Sea on Friday evening has just got even bigger. Bournemouth’s much-loved party brand, The Hush Club has been confirmed to curate the accompanying soundtrack to the mesmerising 3D video projection that will transform the façade of the Civic Centre. From The Hush Club’s famous sequin box, it’ll be serving up cocktails, beers and soft drinks for guests all to linger and enjoy the rolling projections all night long.

The Hush Club will mix things up for the projection mapping on Saturday and Sunday night, ditching the loudspeakers and inviting guests to grab a pair of headphones and listen to their curated soundtrack in their own immersive multimedia art piece. And continuing the party vibes (on Saturday night only from 6pm-8pm), guests can head to the bandstand to catch The Hush Club DJs spinning a selection of tunes that will be hard to resist. 

Back by popular demand are Poole-born identical twin brothers, Jason and Adam Dupree, also known as The Working Boys Club. Crowned Associate Artists for Arts by the Sea 2023, they return from their hugely successful performances at Glastonbury with their multi-sensory sound installation, Serving Sounds. This bar serves bass not beer with ordinary items like glasses and beermats, when touched, create a sound. Fun and playful, this piece was developed to encourage conversations around the topics of mental health, particularly in men

Amongst all the excitement, there are also thought-provoking and reflective MOMENTS to be had at Arts by the Sea. 

Guests are invited to take a moment at Take Ten with Fluid Motion. Sit on a colourful swing chair and be guided by a soundtrack that encourages you to sit comfortably, breathe deeply and be present. Or stop for a TEABREAK at Trigger’s beautifully hand painted Tuk Tuk and enjoy an enthralling audio journey from leaf to cup as it travels from the sounds of tea-pickers in Sri Lanka to the hum of a British café. And from the curious to the engaging, Black Victorians is a powerful, contemporary dance piece, celebrating the often-forgotten diverse black presences in 19th and early 20th Century Britain. 

Arts by the Sea is also thrilled to announce the long awaited debut performance from the brand new performance company She Said Jump.  ‘The Guy In The Luggage Rack’, combines physical comedy with striking aerial acrobatics, tackling the subjects of grief, memory and relationships in an unmissable performance. 

Guests for 2023 can also meet the Olivier Award-winning live artist Miss High Leg Kick in the performance of ‘Eau de Memoire’. This fun and quirky ‘perfumance’ explores the memories evoked by our sense of smell with accompanying smell-along fragrances to bring experiences of places and times to life. 

Approximately 100 artists, performers and musicians, from the international to the local, will use the power of creativity to ensure every single person has a MOMENT to remember at Arts by the Sea 2023. With much more to be announced, it’s set to be another stimulating year of art and culture, offering depth, insight and excitement. In a lifetime of experiences, it’s the MOMENTS that stand out.