PEOPLE hopeful of attending the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra concerts that will mark the end of the Imax will be able to enter a public ballot on Monday.

The BSO will play two concerts at Pier Approach on Saturday, June 29 to celebrate the town’s sea views being restored and the demolition of the Imax building.

However, it has been confirmed that the demolition project overran by two weeks because of unseasonal weather and so extra remedial works will be needed after the BSO concerts and before the summer programme of events begins. This could mean that the public access to the seafront site is restricted during this time.

Residents can enter the ballot online at www.bsolive.com or by telephoning 01202 669925. The ballot will close at 5pm on Friday, April 26 and tickets are limited to four per household and those living in BH postcodes will be given preference.

The concerts will include classical masterpieces by Borodin, Wagner, Mussorgsky and Tchaikovsky as well as the Can-Can, the theme from the Onedin Line, Sailing By and Wood’s Fantasia on British Sea Songs.

Cllr John Beesley, leader of the council, said: “I’m very pleased that the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, one of the very best in the country, will be the first to perform at the new open air arena at Pier Approach.”

The occasion coincides with the BSO’s 120th anniversary year and the orchestra’s head of communications Jacky Thorne and digital officer Matt Belcher have been sorting through archived newspaper cuttings, scrapbooks and memorabilia at Bournemouth Library as they seek to build up a comprehensive history of the world-renowned orchestra.

This archived material will form part of a three-month exhibition at Bournemouth Library that will open in May.