JUST when you thought festival season was over, the third Bournemouth Arts by the Sea Festival will take place from September 20 until October 12.

The festival has a reputation for being one of the most unique and interesting in the south with a strong live score element and an eclectic programme.

The festival opens with a weekend of exciting free outdoor arts events in the town centre, gardens and beach on Friday 20 – 22.

The 2013 programme will feature over 50 events including an awe-inspiring animatronics parade at the beach from Mutoid Waste produced by Joe Rush Studios (September 20-21); a series of stunning outdoor light installations by leading lighting designer Michael Grubb (September 20– 23 September); stunning live film scores by Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra to Hitchcock’s Blackmail, a brand new score by composer Daniel Cohen to Hitchcock’s Pleasure Gardens (September 29), an immersive and thrilling audio experience in complete darkness called ‘RING’ by Fuel (October 1-2).

There will also be special commissions from both The Paper Cinema and The Cabinet of Living Cinema; The Dodge Brothers (October 6) Marcia Farquhar’s Acts of Clothing (October 11), classical concerts by candlelight at the semi-derelict Shelley Manor and a night with ‘Punk Poet’ extraordinaire John Cooper Clarke (September 21) and much more.

The 2013 festival will culminate in a huge finale involving an extraordinary Venetian-style arts parade.

The full programme is scheduled to be released soon, for more information please visit at artsbournemouth.org.uk.