FAQs

The festival begins at 11:00 on Friday 27^th September and runs until 23:00 on Sunday 29^th September. Things will kick off around 10.30am on Saturday and Sunday with the last performance of the day finishing around 20:30. Check out our full programme for the times and locations of each performance/activity.

No, this is an open festival and everything is free! Just turn up and enjoy. If there’s a certain performance you’re really keen to see then we recommend arriving for the performance in advance of it starting to be sure to get a good spot in the crowd.

We have a wonderful team of volunteers who help our festival to run smoothly and create an unforgettable experience for our visitors. We’d love for you to join our volunteer team! Find out more.

We’re working to make the festival as accessible as possible and have details about this on our accessibility pages. If you have any specific questions then please get in touch and we’ll do our best to assist you.

Email: culture@bcpcouncil.gov.uk
Telephone: 01202 128121

We’ve planned the festival programme so there’s lots happening at once, which helps keep people spread out over the festival site. Don’t worry though, there are lots of repeat performances so you should be able to see everything you’d like to see. We’ve also created some handy highlights trails if you’re not sure where to start – which you can find here!

The closest public toilets to our festival site are located in Bournemouth’s Lower Gardens by Exeter Crescent and on the seafront near the entrance to the Pier. We also have some Changing Places accessible toilets in the Lower Gardens. More information about toilets can be found here.

All ages can enjoy our festival and our team have made sure that we cater for little ones too. Along with a whole range of performances and immersive experiences that you can enjoy as a family, we have a family trail for the festival, lots of interactive activities in our Green Hub, and The Story Works will be there to help your children get the most out of the festival.

All children at the festival will have the opportunity to complete the nationally recognised Arts Award ‘Discover’. Simply pick up a booklet from our Arts Award area and complete it whilst enjoying the family trail of the festival (or explore your own way). You can then hand back to us or in to your local BCP library after the festival and we’ll send them all off for assessment. Your child will then receive their very own certificate sent to their school for awarding!

While no restrictions are in place and face coverings are not mandatory, we are conscious that some people are still vulnerable to Covid-19. Arts by the Sea is an outdoor festival, with some semi-indoor elements. You are welcome to wear a face covering should you wish to, and we ask that you respect each other at the festival, remaining aware that some people will still want distance and space.