AFTER leaving a fantastic first impression, Bournemouth’s Arts by the Sea Festival will make a welcome return tomorrow.

The month-long festival will run until October 29, showcasing more than 100 inspirational arts events and performances.

See what's happening when and where over the next month

The programme features commissions from some of the best regional, national and international artists.

The wide variety of venues includes galleries, historic houses, museums, theatres, the beach, pier, lower gardens, the Triangle and the Square.

One of the most high-profile events will be the virtual demolition of the Imax building on Pier Approach, which will take place on the opening night at 9.15pm.

This is a once in a lifetime chance to see such a large-scale piece of projection art and is sure to draw large crowds to the town.

But this is just one of many highlights planned for the opening day and night. Others include a special commission from artist duo The Girls, while the bandstand will be turned into the ‘Submarine of Living Cinema.’

A spectacular outdoor light trail is sure to be a big hit with families and there will also be audio postcards, a giant mermaid’s chair and gold-leaf boy racer car sculpture to discover.

These, and many other events, will set the scene for a vibrant month-long festival with highlights including British Sea Power, Pipilotti Rist, Peter Greenaway, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra , the Paper Cinema and John Hegley.

There are also some opportunities to get up close and personal with leading figures from the arts, most notably Kirill Karabits, principal conductor of the BSO, world-famous film director Peter Greenaway and contemporary artist Giorgio Sadotti.

There is also an Ethometric Museum of electrical curiosities and creative workshops for children and adults alike.

A key part of this year’s festival is a special programme of events held at and inspired by the semi-derelict Shelley Manor in Boscombe , once home to the family of Mary Shelley, the author of Frankenstein.

This year, with over 100 events, the festival is looking to make even more of an impact than in its successful first year and aims to showcase Bournemouth as a place of culture as well as a holiday resort.

Cllr Ian Lancashire, Bournemouth’s arts and culture champion, said: “Last year was exceptional, it was a completely new festival and yet most events were fully subscribed or sold out.

“It was really well received.

“The idea of this festival was to benefit tourism but also to give people in Bournemouth the opportunity to have something alternative.

“We can’t criticise young people for going out and drinking themselves silly at night if there isn’t a really good cultural alternative to entice them.”