The Arts by the Sea Festival, which will take place in Bournemouth at the end of the month, will feature free-to-attend performances across the town.

As well as world to contemporary music at the Bandstand and spoken word performers at the new Speakers’ Corner, there will be creative workshops, hilarious street theatre and escapist entertainment ideal for all the family.

Festival events can be found on the beaches, in the gardens and other outdoor spaces through the town centre.

Festival goers will be encouraged to take a moment, be present and enjoy the sights and sounds around them.

There will be a family trail – highlights to look out for include:

• Blockbuster Factory by Cat and Mouse Theatre, which will be roaming the streets looking for people to cast in their blockbuster movie, where all props are bananas
• The mobile TOAST Kitchen by Pif Paf, whose show involves wild dancing, lashings of live music and an intimate sharing of food
• The Orchestra of Objects – free-play music-making where all the instruments are made from unwanted objects
• Creative workshops by Arts2Educate where little ones can enjoy classic games and try making their own

Other must-see performances include:

• Speakers’ Corner in association with Bourn Mouthy Poetry, where the best wordsmiths, lyricists and poets from Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole’s spoken word scene will tell their tales
• The Star of the Show activation by The Photo Lounge – pose to create your own video postcard using a 360 camera with the footage available to share on socials
• The Bournemouth & Poole College takeover at 60 Million Postcards featuring young bands, actors, singers, and dancers and, on Sunday, workshops for all the family led by teams in fine art, graphics and fashion

At the Bandstand, musical acts will include Ukrainian singer and musician, Eka; Gugge 2000 who will bring the happy vibes of Sweden’s native sound; and an AfroBeats show from one-man roots band, Gasper Nali.

From closer to home will be Dorset’s fastest rising pop stars BLVCK VIØLET, who made the top five in the BBC Introducing Live Lounge competition; High Shelf Remedy who combine 60’s folk revival influenced by trip hop, dub, and blues; and Town Of Cats, a Brighton-based group whose funky rhythms and clever wordplay are guaranteed to get people dancing.

On the beach, the world premiere of PORTAL, a 15-metre tall light sculpture is bound to be a conversation starter.

Arts by the Sea Festival takes place from 29 September to 1 October. All times, dates and locations of activities can be found at www.artsbythesea.co.uk, or on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram @artsbythesea.