FROM Morris dancing to puppetry and mime, Poole Quay was transformed into a buzzing artistic hub on Monday.

Thousands visited the annual May Bank Holiday Street Arts Festival, which saw an eclectic mix of events to see for free.

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With traditional celebrations – including Maypole dancing – standing alongside more contemporary art forms, such as graffiti, visitors soaked up the sunshine and enjoyed the day.

Tourism manager Graham Richardson said: “This event has been jointly organised by Poole Tourism and the Poole Arts Service.

“It’s an opportunity to celebrate the bank holiday with a really fun event that everyone can participate in and enjoy. We’re in this beautiful location on a spring day and everyone is having a nice time. We are also trying to showcase the arts in Dorset, and there’s a huge range of things going on here today.”

Among the exhibitors were members of Poole’s own Morris dancing troupe, Anonymous Morris.

Henry Proctor said: “It’s nice for us to be here, as we’re a Poole-based group. We’ve had a very good response today, and hopefully we’ve even recruited a new member, which is wonderful.”

Joel Wimbleton, co-director of art supply company Redtail, created a huge graffiti artwork to celebrate the festival.

“We really enjoy getting out into the community, so this is great,” he said.

“We want to give young people the chance to explore the medium of graffiti in a safe, legal way, and it’s nice for us to come here today to meet people.”

Mr Richardson added: “We’ve had some nice positive comments.”