Bournemouth and Poole Students Headline and Lead the Way for a Weekend Festival of Fun by the Sea

An all-singing, all-dancing music display from the Creative and Digital Industries at Bournemouth and Poole College headlined the Friday night for The Arts by the Sea Festival 2024 in The Bandstand of Bournemouth Gardens from 6-9 pm.  The installation included Jasmin’s – an independent artist - artistic performance of ‘K*TCHEN’.

Jasmin is a Bournemouth-based circus performer and a ‘multi-hoop’ specialist. As an Associate Artist, Jasmin took a darker and more ironic look at the commentary on women’s historical and contemporary roles in both life and art. 

The show also featured a fun and invigorating display of local young actors, singers, bands and dancers. The line-up showcased emerging young creative talent and set the scene for an exciting and vibrant weekend. The evening also included student flash mobs, encouraging the audience to join in. 

Bournemouth and Poole College also had a stand and presence at the front entrance of Arts by the Sea in the Lower Gardens near the Seafront over the weekend of 28^th - 29^th September.

With visitors from all demographics in attendance, the student’s stalls were abuzz with activity as people rushed to try their luck on the spinning wheel to win prizes and sweets at the stall, as well as talking about everything from hobby courses, free online courses, full-time courses, apprenticeships and T Levels at the college.

Other stalls included BPC’s Indian Community Association stall with Mehndi-henna hand and arm designs, and a creative space with Dorset Scrap Store where children could go and make arts and crafts from scrap fabric and paper into robots, lanterns and more. There was also a stall from Pavilion Dance South West promoting dance classes and other Green Hub organisations were running activities, including a Birds of Poole Harbour stall.

There was ample opportunity for visitors to get involved at the festival, with a ‘swan-in-love’ ride, created by artistic duo Gary & Pel, available for rides up and down the Gardens, a bubble spectacular show, a poetry takeaway, speakers, dancing tasters on the terrace, and much more. 

Andrea Francis, the Festival Director, said: “The whole weekend was a great success, with a really magical evening on the Saturday for the rescheduled festival pinnacle. Crowds were spoiled for choice with the number of things to do and see, ranging from music, to performance, to the static installations that adorned the festival site over the weekend making for some spectacular picture moments.”

Bournemouth and Poole’s Creative and Digital Director said: "We are incredibly proud of our students' involvement in this year’s Arts by the Sea festival. Their creativity, dedication and professionalism were on full display as they contributed to an unforgettable festival. The opportunity to integrate our students into the heart of the festival and our local community not only gave them a platform to showcase their talents but also demonstrated the strength and depth of our partnership with “The Arts by the Sea Festival.”

He added: “We look forward to continuing this collaboration and providing more opportunities for our students to shine in future events. The festival is vitally important for Bournemouth and our local talent pipeline, we are fully committed to working with The Arts by The Sea Festival for 2025.” 

The Arts by the Sea Festival is the South West’s biggest celebration of art, culture, people and place and is a celebration of art, culture, people and place. And brings together large-scale spectaculars, diverse music, intriguing installations, dance, street theatre, participatory experiences and much more, in one unique and celebratory festival. Arts by the Sea has been running since 2011. This year’s theme was TASTE, and invited the audience to explore what defines ‘good’ and ‘bad’ taste in art.