The Lower Gardens, Bournemouth
Arts by the Sea 2026 took place in Bournemouth on Friday 25th/Saturday 26th September 2026. The main part of this free festival was centred around the Lower Gardens and Bournemouth town centre, and featured a varied programme including music and outdoor performances.
Arts By The Sea celebrates arts, culture, people and place. This year’s theme was ELEMENTAL, exploring the natural energies and forces that connect us with each other and the world around us.
A selection of events during the two days of the festival included:
- Lords of Lightning – Frequency Rider (sister company of Arcadia Spectacular), a spectacular after-dark electrical performance.
- Walk of the Dandelion: an 8-foot roaming puppet called Daniel, who holds a dandelion as a symbol of resilience and hope. Daniel was sustainably created from willow and repurposed plastic milk bottles, to create this eco-conscious art showcased by Luke Brown Company.
- Paka the Uncredible, featuring the mechanical Elsie the Dragon and Rusty the Horse.
- Lords of Veg Funk, combining a parade with funk, disco and comedy.
- Bombay Dance Club
- Street theatre, dance and interactive performances throughout the festival.
As you can probably tell from the photos, my favourite was Walk of the Dandelion!
