TENS of thousands of people are expected to visit Bournemouth’s arts and culture festival, Arts by the Sea which runs from September 27–29.

Delivered by BCP Council in association with Arts Council England, the three day event is free to attend.

Creative director Roxy Robinson said: “We're delighted to present the first wave of artists from fiery performance art through to show-stopping digital projection displays and carnivalesque processions, our headline events can be enjoyed by all ages and are not to be missed. Keep your eyes peeled for more announcements as we release further info on our main and fringe programme in the coming weeks."

Highlights of the 2019 programme:

1. Mapping technology, projected on the façade of Bournemouth’s town hall, will transport audiences back to the Victorian era. They will witness the Hôtel d’Illusions show featuring popular themes of the time like magic, science and hypnosis.

2. Blurring lines of reality and illusion, as connected to this year's Mind Matter theme, Illuminos draw inspiration from Victorian illusionists and showmen, David Devant and TJ West, the latter of whom brought his animated projections to Bournemouth. Marvels of the age, such as The Lady in the Goldfish Bowl will transform the Town Hall, itself built in this era. Interspersed with this will be contemporary wonders and elements in partnership with Bournemouth University, as well as music specially composed by local musicians.

3. Another bespoke performance choreographed specifically for Arts by the Sea, comes from Belgium collective, Pyronix, described as a "breath-taking, medieval show full of battling, juggling and fire manipulation".

4. Shademakers UK return with Submerge: Carnival SOS featuring a colourful and impressive eight-metre long whale shark, and many other sea and water creatures, with the aim to shine a spotlight on eco and sustainability messages to Save Our Seas.

5. Roundabout, the world’s first pop-up theatre where guests will be seated in-the-round, close to the action which includes new plays such as Daughterhood by Charley Miles which explores the breaking of family bonds.

6. Guests can be enveloped in an immersive and inimitable world of sound and light as they enter Cocoon, commissioned especially for the festival by its Associate Artists, Ithaca Studio. The Time Travel Treatment Room also features in the 2019 programme, where audiences will be astounded by past, peculiar mental health diagnoses and treatments.

7. Check out the giant, bioluminescent fungus installation of More Than A Mushroom presented in partnership with Kew Gardens.

8. Same Difference, performs a gesture and mime comedy show exploring two sister’s memories, compete with rickshaw bike and music.

9. Look out for The Fishko Disco underwater disco where giant, jazzy fish with illuminated opening mouths and fibreoptic articulating fins, are operated by sequin clad puppeteers and a disco dancing DJ.

* For more information, visit artsbythesea.co.uk.