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 style this month, as Bourne Free 2026, themed “Iconic”, took over Meyrick Park from the 10th to the 12th of July.
From Friday evening’s opening night through to Sunday’s family fun day, the weekend was everything it promised to be. Saturday saw Dorset’s longest Pride Parade make its way through the town centre in a riot of colour, music and community spirit, before ten hours of non stop entertainment on the main stage carried the celebrations late into the evening.
Events like Bourne Free matter enormously. It’s not just about the thousands of visitors they bring into Central Bournemouth across the weekend, but what they say about our town: this is a place where everyone is welcome, and the atmosphere across the district all weekend proved it. To everyone who took part, decorated their windows, welcomed the crowds and kept the town buzzing.
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 the coast changes gear. Schools have broken up, the beaches fill from early morning, and high streets across coastal Bournemouth start humming with families, day trippers and holidaymakers who’ve chosen our stretch of coastline for their summer.
For our business community, this is the most important trading window of the year. Hotels and guest houses see their strongest occupancy of the season, cafes and restaurants stretch into long evenings of outdoor dining, and independent shops meet thousands of new faces who’ve never walked their high street before. Visitors who come for the beach stay for everything else, and every great experience they have here is a reason to come back.
With six weeks of school holidays ahead, Blue Flag beaches on our doorstep and a packed events calendar, make sure your opening hours, offers and social channels are ready for the season.
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