Key Takeaways
- Bourne Free Pride 2026 filled Central Bournemouth with colour, music and community spirit over three days (10th to 12th July)
- Increase the Peace takes over Boscombe High Street on Sunday 30 August with a full day of music, art and community across 18 venues, and Coastal BID is proud to be one of its three main supporters
- Schools have broken up, which means the six most important trading weeks of the year are here for our coastal districts
- Have your say on the future of our coastline: the South Coast Marine Recovery Project wants to hear from local businesses in a short survey, open until October 2026
Summer is in full swing across our districts, and what a summer it’s shaping up to be. We’ve just seen one of the biggest celebrations of the year light up Central Bournemouth, Boscombe is preparing for a festival takeover unlike anything else on the calendar, and with the school holidays now underway, our high streets, hotels and hospitality businesses are heading into their busiest weeks of the year.
Here’s what’s been happening, and what’s still to come.
Bourne Free Pride 2026: A Weekend of Celebration
Bournemouth’s biggest LGBTQ+ celebration returned in spectacular style this summer as Bourne Free 2026, themed “Iconic”, brought colour, music and celebration to the town from 10–12 July.
The weekend saw visitors fill Bournemouth’s hotels, restaurants, cafés and seafront businesses, creating a vibrant atmosphere across the Coastal BID area. From the beaches and promenade to the bustling hospitality venues overlooking the bay, the town welcomed thousands of guests enjoying everything Bournemouth has to offer.
One of the weekend’s standout moments was Dorset’s longest Pride Parade, which made its way along the stunning Overcliff before continuing into the town centre. With panoramic sea views providing a spectacular backdrop, the procession celebrated diversity, inclusion and community, drawing crowds of supporters all along the route.
Throughout the weekend, Bournemouth’s coastal businesses played an important role in welcoming visitors, while local hotels provided a base for guests travelling from across the UK to enjoy the celebrations. The event highlighted the strength of Bournemouth as a year-round destination, where major events not only create unforgettable experiences but also deliver a significant boost to the local visitor economy.
Events like Bourne Free are an important part of what makes Bournemouth special. They showcase a destination that is inclusive, welcoming and full of energy, while supporting the businesses that make the coastline such a vibrant place to visit. A huge thank you goes to everyone who helped make the weekend such a success—from the organisers and volunteers to the hotels, hospitality venues and coastal businesses that welcomed visitors and helped create such a fantastic atmosphere.
Increase the Peace: Boscombe’s High Street Takeover, Sunday 30 August
On Sunday 30 August, Increase the Peace returns to Boscombe, and this year it’s bigger than ever: a full high street takeover running from 9am right through to 1am.
What is Increase the Peace?
Increase the Peace is a community-powered, one-day festival celebrating creativity, connection and collective action. Run by Increase the Peace CIC, which works with organisations and charities across Dorset to promote understanding and encourage people to find similarities rather than differences, the festival brings artists, musicians, neighbours and local businesses together across venues inside and outside along Boscombe High Street, all raising money for local charity projects including Vita Nova, The Wave Project, The Dignity Centre, ICN and Grounded Community.
The message at its heart is simple: everyone is welcome.
With more than 30 artists performing across the day, this is a full Boscombe takeover. Music, performance, art, workshops and the unexpected, in every corner of the district.
Coastal BID is proud to be one of the festival’s three main supporters, alongside EDC and BigWigs Bakery. It’s exactly the kind of distinctive, community-rooted event that makes our districts destinations.
What’s On, Venue by Venue
- The Street Stage: the free outdoor heart of the festival, with Afro Funk Drum Machine, TUTO Tribe, Suna Alan and The Midnight Alliance building to headliners Freefall Collective
- Cellar Bar: spoken word and open mic in the afternoon, then Mischa and the Merry Many, Undercover Hippy, and DJs until 1am
- The Underground: bands all day, from Reclamation Yard and Bonsai Pirates to Rhinefield, with DJ sets into the small hours
- Chaplin’s Garden: acoustic singer-songwriter sessions all afternoon, plus a fire performance as night falls
- Sovereign Circle: dance from Afro*Disiac, Zdravets Bulgarian Dancers and more
- Wild Cafe: an all-day vinyl DJ open mic and Celeste Theatre’s Writing Home with a cast Q&A
- Vita Nova: an afternoon of local singer-songwriters
- Ethicoco: The Hush Club and Art Throbs Studio
- The Crescent: The Human Library, a book fair, Westbourne Strings, Ukrainian dance performances, Rhythm Generation drumming and the Anathema Witch Market
- Garden Rooms Cafe: Ambling Art Lovers
- Boscombe Royal Arcade: bubble workshops and family entertainment with Squidge & Pop
- B.A.D Area: Intrepid Skateboarding and Jungle Cub DJs
- Sea Road: Auger Collective & Gallery
- Shelley Park: morning yoga, Eats and Beats, vegan soul food and Boscombe Brewing Co
- Factory Studios: a comic workshop for 7 to 14 year olds, The Outsiders Project and an evening film screening
- TOSH & Creative Kids: creative activities for children throughout the day
How to Join on the Day
The street and Crescent areas are free and open to everyone, with market stalls, international food and outdoor performances. Indoor venues operate on a pay what you can basis (£5 suggested on the door), or a £20 festival wristband gives full day access to all indoor venues and activities. Children of all ages go free.
The Summer Holidays Are Here
There’s a moment every July when Bournemouth’s coastline comes alive. Schools have broken up, the beaches welcome thousands of visitors each day, and our coastal towns need support to draw in visitors to help support this shoulder trading period of the year.
For hotels, restaurants, cafés, attractions and independent retailers, the summer holidays represent the most valuable weeks of the trading calendar. While visitors often arrive for Bournemouth’s award-winning coastline, their experience is shaped by everything else our destination has to offer—from great places to stay and dine to local shops, attractions and events.
At Bournemouth Coastal BID, we’re working year-round to help bring those visitors through your doors. Through the destination social media channels we manage, Visit Southbourne, Love wetsbourne, the support of BAHA and the destination Management board, as well as regular blog content, digital newsletters and targeted marketing campaigns, we promote our districts and the surrounding coastal communities to audiences planning their next visit.
By creating search-optimised content using both SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) and AEO (Answer Engine Optimisation) best practices, we help ensure our destination appears where people are searching for holiday inspiration, places to stay, things to do and local events.
Alongside our digital marketing, we continue to invest in making our coastal areas welcoming, attractive and well-maintained. We help fund the Friday night fireworks and the Blue Flags that have helped to give our Beaches and International following, and draw thousands to the area, and across the BID area, we look after more than 75 floral displays, hanging baskets and planters, maintain our distinctive pagodas, deliver rapid graffiti removal, and support colourful placemaking initiatives and public art that create memorable spaces for residents and visitors alike.
These enhancements help reinforce Bournemouth’s reputation as a vibrant, high-quality coastal destination and encourage people to spend more time exploring our towns.
Our work doesn’t stop at attracting visitors. We regularly showcase BID businesses, seasonal events, independent retailers, hospitality venues and hidden gems across our digital channels, encouraging people to discover more than just the beach and supporting increased footfall throughout the coastal area.
As the summer holidays get underway, we’ll continue sharing local events, business highlights and visitor inspiration, while maintaining the public spaces that make our coastline such a welcoming place to visit. Together, these efforts help support local businesses, strengthen the visitor economy and ensure Bournemouth remains one of the UK’s leading seaside destinations.
If you have a summer event, special offer or new experience you’d like us to help promote, we’d love to hear from you. Together, we can make this another successful summer for Bournemouth’s coastal businesses.
Have Your Say on the Future of Our Coastline
Our seas are the foundation of so much that our coastal districts trade on, from Blue Flag beaches to the visitors who choose our stretch of coastline every summer. Now there’s a chance to help shape how they’re protected for years to come.
The South Coast Marine Recovery Project is a collaboration between the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts and the five South Coast Wildlife Trusts, including Dorset Wildlife Trust. Together they’re developing a long-term plan for marine recovery across the whole South Coast, from Cornwall to Sussex, and right now they’re gathering views from coastal communities and businesses to help decide where effort and funding are focused.
This is a real opportunity for the voice of our business community to be heard, especially when it comes to tourism and hospitality. It only takes a few minutes, responses are anonymous unless you choose to leave your details, and it’s open until October 2026. Complete it with your contact details and you can also opt in to a prize draw for a £100 gift voucher.
If you’d like to learn more first, the project team is hosting free online talks on Thursday 6 August and Wednesday 26 August at 7pm. Full details at wildlifetrusts.org.
Making the Most of Your Levy
As always, thank you for your continued support and commitment. If you have events, offers or news you’d like us to help promote across our channels this summer, please do get in touch. We’re here to help your business make the most of the season.
Best regards,
Coastal BID Team