Your VISIT

Arts by the Sea Festival

Bournemouth is easily accessible by car via the M3/ M27, A31 and A338. There are direct trains from London and Southampton, and Bournemouth rail station is just over 1 mile from the town centre. We are 7 miles from Bournemouth airport and buses or taxis can bring you directly into the town centre from both the rail station and airport.

Getting to the festival site:
The majority of events and performances take place in the town centre, located around the Central Gardens, Town Square, Lower Gardens and Pier Approach. The different festival zones are on our festival map.There is plenty of parking in the town centre but why not catch the bus or cycle. Yellow Buses are our official travel partner and are running special offers for festival-goers. We’ve mapped all the cycle parking in the town centre on the green tab of this website.

You can find more travel information using the links below:
Yellow Buses: https://www.yellowbuses.co.uk/
More Bus: http://www.morebus.co.uk/
Sustainable travel: https://www.gettingabout.co.uk/homepage.aspx
Parking: https://www.bournemouth.gov.uk/Parking/Parking.aspx

Most of our events are free and unticketed.

ROUNDABOUT shows taking place Thu 26 – Sun 29 September are ticketed.  Book your seat now at a one of kind theatre show, live music, stand-up comedy and much, much more across the festival.  To view the full programme and to buy tickets, visit Artsbythesea.co.uk or Lighthousepoole.co.uk

Online: https://www.lighthousepoole.co.uk/whats-on/2019/roundabout/
Telephone: Lighthouse Poole Ticket Office on 01202280000
In person: Lighthouse, 21 Kingland Road, Poole, Dorset, BH15 1UG 

Box Office hours: Tuesday to Saturday, 11am – 8pm,  Monday: 11am – 5pm for telephone sales only

On the occasion we have a performance on a Sunday/Monday, the ticket office will open two hours before the show.

Bookings can be made on the day of the performance at the ROUNDABOUT tent but to avoid disappointment advance bookings are recommended.

Published prices are inclusive of the ticket booking fee.

We welcome visitors with disabilities and accessibility needs to all our events.

For assistance or more information on accessibility in and around the festival site, click here to read our Accessibility Guide.

This year we have provided a Quiet Space to give people a break from the noise and crowds. We are also providing a fully staffed Changing Places toilet. Both these facilities are situated in the Lower Gardens (number 13 and 14 on the festival map). An Accessible Viewing Area will be available for performances of Hotel D’Illusions in front of the Town Hall (number 15 on the map).

Why not visit our Information Bus, provided by our official travel partner Yellow Buses and located in the Town Square. Here you can pick up a festival programme with full listings of events and talk to our friendly volunteers for more information. Our volunteers will also be on-site during the festival and easily identifiable in pink t-shirts to help you make the most of your day.

For more information on Bournemouth, including places to stay, food and drink, and places visit while you’re here, visit our Tourist Information Centre located in Pier Approach or click here: https://www.bournemouth.co.uk/visitor-information/tourist-information-centre

We’ll be filming and photographing during the festival and will share footage on our website and social media channels. Photography and video may also be used to promote Arts by the Sea in various local and national media. By attending the festival, you give your express consent to your actual or simulated likeness to be included within any film, photograph, audio and/or audio-visual recording to be utilised in any media for any purpose at any time. If you have any concerns, please contact us at [email protected].

Performance information is correct at time of publishing but changes can and do occur. Performances will continue if it’s raining as long as it is safe to do so. Check the Whats On guide on this website, download our App or follow us on social media for up-to-date details.

Festival events generally start at 12:00. For exact performance times for all events, check the Whats On guide on this website or download our App.

For full listings and more information, check the Whats On guide on this website, download our App, or pick up a festival brochure from Bournemouth libraries or (during opening weekend) the Information Bus in the Town Square.

For General Enquiries you can contact us at [email protected] or 01202 454746.