Boscombe Arts Trail 2026

The Boscombe Arts Trail runs across Boscombe on Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 October, from 12pm to 5pm both days. It's free to wander, and it's being held to mark the launch of the Bournemouth Education Arts Foundation (BEAF), a new foundation that says it wants to support local artists and build up the creative culture of Boscombe.

The trail opens up BEAF's own spaces — from affordable studios to contemporary exhibitions and community programmes — and makes them accessible to everyone. Two of those spaces, Haviland Studios (BH7 6HW) and TOSH Studios (BH7 6BG), are affordable artist studio spaces developed by the foundation, meant to give artists and creatives at different stages of their careers a supportive place to work. Both will be open for you to visit during the weekend.

Beyond the open studios, there are four exhibitions spread across the area. Portals is at TOSH, with work by Jaya Edwards, Rachael Lee and Zsubilla. What Emerges is at B.A.D. (BH1 4BP), featuring Mayre Casadei, Stuart Faulkner, Iñe, Amy Hopwood, Carrie Mason, Emma Mcginn and Melanie Ffitch-Mitchell. Separate Together is by Lifeline Collective — Zara Saganic, Carrie Mason and Brian Callinan — at Auger (BH1 4SX), and Past un-Folding is by Ineke van der Wal at Pokesdown Gallery (BH7 6AR).

There's also a spoon pyrography workshop led by Stuart Faulkner at B.A.D. (BH1 4BP), running from 1pm to 4.30pm for £5. The whole thing is presented as a celebration of BEAF's launch and its commitment to supporting local artists, with the foundation describing its work as creating inspiring spaces, programmes and opportunities that support artist development and connect communities through creative health initiatives. One part of that is Access BEAF, which supports artists who may have experienced barriers to entering and working in the art world, acting as a supportive group for neurodivergent, disabled and Global Majority artists in Dorset and Hampshire. The trail runs 12pm to 5pm on Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 October, and entry is free.