AROUND 41,000 people visited the Dorset Moon summer arts event which took place over three weekends at three different locations across the county. The event featured Luke Jerram’s monumental Museum of the Moon installation to mark the 50th anniversary of the first moon landing.

In a unique collaboration between three Dorset arts festivals – Inside Out Dorset (produced by Activate), b-side and Bournemouth Arts by the Sea – each incarnation of Dorset Moon also featured a programme of cultural activities and performances. All events were free. News about Dorset Moon and audience reaction reached around the world with media reports in the USA, China and Germany.

“Dorset Moon far exceeded the expectations of the Dorset Festivals Consortium,” says Kate Wood, executive and artistic director of Activate. “All three festivals are profoundly energised by the response from the public and the quality of the artistic work. The international reach online has highlighted our county as a place where truly extraordinary events take place. It has been a delight to present the work and partner with such a great set of iconic venues and a wonderful team.”

Dorset Moon attracted visitors from across the county and further afield with almost 10,000 people viewing the Bournemouth Moon, just under 18,000 at Sherborne Abbey and some 13,000 at the Nothe Fort.

Director of Bournemouth Arts by the Sea, Andrea Francis adds: “Working in consortium with our partners from Inside Out Dorset and b-side has been a real pleasure, and Arts by the Sea was very happy to start the tour in Bournemouth. We are very grateful to St Peter’s Church for hosting us, and delighted that we could introduce thousands of visitors to this beautiful venue.

“It was wonderful to see people of all ages enjoying a quiet moment of reflection on their own, learning some moon-related facts in one of our fascinating talks, or enjoying a silent disco."