A WEALTH of entertainment has been lined up for the 11th annual Bourne Free event which starts today.

The pride event kicks off with a family fun night from 5pm with a Broadway-themed evening and the chance to sing along to Sound of Music.

Live acts Jenny Castell and Cassidy O'Connors will bring the first evening to a close before two full days of entertainment over the weekend.

The main event, a colourful parade through Bournemouth town centre, will begin at 11am on Saturday and will be followed by entertainment at the bandstand in the Lower Gardens and at the Triangle.

Headline act Big Brovaz vs Booty Luv and resident DJ Brandon Block will perform at the Triangle and Sunday will see the event's traditional church service and the return of Miss Jason's Bingo.

There will be live music at the bandstand throughout the event and around 30 stalls.

Thousands of people are expected to join in the fun but there will also be a serious theme to the event.

The formal opening of the event, to be conducted by the Mayor of Bournemouth and Bournemouth West MP Conor Burns at 2pm on Saturday, will see a minute of applause to remember those who have suffered from hate crime.

There will also be events to raise awareness of the victims of the earthquake in Nepal, there will be a well-being tent and a Sexual Assault Referral Clinic team will also be on hand.

The clinic goes hand in hand with key messages that Bourne Free will be highlighting around domestic and sexual violence and the new hate crime app that has been launched by Dorset Police.

Chris Ashton-Hollis the new chairman of Bourne Free said: "It’s really important for us as a charity that we both celebrate the diversity of Bournemouth and Dorset but also highlight key messages, including support groups and tools that make our community a safer one to live in.

"The return of the well-being tent and the introduction of both the Hate Crime app and the Sexual Assault Referral Clinic is an important one for the whole LGBT community to have insight of, and we are really glad Bourne Free is a vehicle in which this can be highlighted."