Held on Poole’s historic quay, this event was saved by a group of intrepid, local business ladies. The Poole Seafood Festival is free to attend and over the course of two days will celebrate the best in local seafood and other produce. The festival will also feature a great line-up of local music on the quay in the day to enjoy while you feast and will then return into many of the vibrant public houses in the evening. 

Cheese naturally features heavily in the schedule of this festival, a staple of the Dorset festival calendar since 1999. The Cheese Festival is a must-visit for cheese lovers everywhere with the region’s finest cheese makers present - from Bath Soft Cheese and Glastonbury Dairy to Wookey Farm Cheese and Hampshire Cheese. Add in arts, crafts, children’s entertainment and live music and you can while away hours at this mouthwatering event.

A volunteer-run festival providing a weekend of fun, concerts, music and dance workshops, children’s activities, and ceilidh, all taking place on the Swanage seafront. It not only serves jazz fans from across Dorset, but supports local charities too. Headliners are Kate Griffin and Matchume Zango, Mike McGoldrick, Dezi Donnelly and Tim Edey, and Bonfire Radicals, with The Rigmarollers, The Savage Underdogs, Badgerfox, the Bierfass Oompah Band and many more in support.

One of the most popular events in the area, this is a town-wide festival with performances across a range of venues in the historic town of Lyme Regis. They have a track record of unearthing some fantastic young, local artists, and this year is set to feature some top order acts in the Marine Theatre, including Turin Brakes (Acoustic), Ninebarrow and The Spooky Men’s Chorale. Keep an eye out for more details!

Held in the stunning Larmer Tree Gardens, the site is transformed with three great main stages, plus everything from spoken word performances to a postal service (it’s all about the detail). This is a must for lovers of what we might call the BBC6 music playlist: visit here to see your favourite bands and discover several more to fall in love with. The food mall is effectively a food festival in its own right, with a great range of quality food to choose from.

The team at Bredy Farm have developed a great festival site in the 500 capacity space. Placed in a natural bowl, with great facilities, this is the third event the team will be hosting this summer. Acts confirmed this year include Thumpasaurus, My Baby, Utah Saints, and Nothing Rhymes With Orange. BeCider is also renowned for its great stage setup, including pyrotechnics. You can also access the Bredy Farm facilities including an over-18s swimming pool and the Italian Restaurant.

The second of our local VW based festivals in this feature, held on the outskirts of Wimborne by the river at Julian’s Bridge. There’s a great variety of entertainment: The Pub, The Tea Rooms, live music, vintage stores, retro cycle ride, street food, a dog show, creative kids activities, and of course, a VW Show and Shine. The music line-up strives to bring something different each year and is being finalised as we go to press, so watch out for details!

This family-friendly festival relocated to Dorset four years ago and continues to attract thousands of people from across the country. We Out Here aims to place genre pioneers alongside the best in emerging talent across the realms of soul, hip hop, house, afro, electronica, jazz and everything in between, plus pop-up record stores, charity shops, talks and a family area. Under 14s go free - check out our We Out Here feature on page 58 for more information!

This year’s Dorset Original Music Awards ‘Best Festival’ winner (see page 52 for more info on the awards). This staple in the Dorset festival calendar is a must-attend for lovers of great music, carrying an eclectic mix of international and local talent. A family-friendly event with enough local cider and ale for late night parties, the site boasts incredible views across the Purbecks. This year’s line-up includes Elephant Sessions, Dervish, Edgelarks, Ushti Baba and more.

The world-renowned Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra (BSO) returns to Bournemouth’s Meyrick Park for its popular Proms in the Park concerts this August. Friday night is a Classical Extravaganza, which features some of the best, most recognisable pieces ever written in both classical music and classic film. Saturday is the Symphonic Smash Hits, a nostalgic look back to some of the biggest hits of the 80s, including classic songs by Madonna, George Michael, Elton John, David Bowie and many more.

Sign up for this creative summer art camp for kids aged 7-12 in Poole.

With a festival tagline of “some like it hot… and some don’t”, you get an idea of the range of options available at this food festival. Expect a celebration of the noble chilli with chili related talks, cooking-with-chilli demonstrations, and of course the chilli eating competitions! Organisers are keen to emphasise that you don’t need to like chilli to attend as there’s plenty more food to try too, including some Dorset ice cream to cool your mouth down if you're brave enough to up the spice level.

One of the county’s biggest festivals returns to Lulworth Castle! Designed with kids in mind, Camp Bestival has no shortage of activities to keep the little ones entertained, but it also packs a punch when it comes to live music with the Sugarbabes, Basement Jaxx and Tom Jones headlining this year. The undercard is equally eclectic ranging from Mr Tumble’s sing-a-long to Dick and Dom’s drum and bass rave up.

Founded in 2016, Shaftesbury Fringe is an open-access performing arts festival which takes place every summer on the third weekend of July in the beautiful hilltop town of Shaftesbury. It’s a celebration of all things creative, which means anyone with a story to tell can put on an event. It showcases both new and established artists performing and exhibiting in one of over 30 unique venues - from the arts theatre and various pubs to a florist and a bathtub in a shop window!

Founded in 2016, Shaftesbury Fringe is an open-access performing arts festival which takes place every summer on the third weekend of July in the beautiful hilltop town of Shaftesbury. It’s a celebration of all things creative, which means anyone with a story to tell can put on an event. It showcases both new and established artists performing and exhibiting in one of over 30 unique venues - from the arts theatre and various pubs to a florist and a bathtub in a shop window!

Founded in 2016, Shaftesbury Fringe is an open-access performing arts festival which takes place every summer on the third weekend of July in the beautiful hilltop town of Shaftesbury. It’s a celebration of all things creative, which means anyone with a story to tell can put on an event. It showcases both new and established artists performing and exhibiting in one of over 30 unique venues - from the arts theatre and various pubs to a florist and a bathtub in a shop window!

Relatively new to the local festival scene in Dorset, Raising Spirit Festival is now in its second year after seeing fantastic success on their debut. They say they’re on a mission to make the coolest, funniest festival possible - sounds pretty good, right? This year, the line up is set to feature bands Toploader, Amy Mayes Band and the Stompin’ Dave Duo among many others. With all the drinks you could want, the vibes are chill, and there’s camping included in the ticket price.

A vibrant celebration of nostalgia, marking a significant change in its format by moving the festivities to Poole's High Street for the first time. This year's event will be a retro-lovers paradise, with live entertainment, shopping, and activities all infused with the charm of the 1940s to the 1960s. At the heart of the festival will be a central live stage, hosting performances from various vintage-style solo artists and bands, filling the streets with the sounds of swing, jazz, and rock 'n' roll.

A jam-packed programme with around 40 top quality bands in the main programme, featuring debut performances by legends like Andy Sheppard and Elaine Delmar alongside rising newcomers. There’s a little bit of all things jazz here, from fusion and post-Bop to contemporary held across three main venues - the marquee on Sandpit Field overlooking the beach, plus The Mowlem Theatre and The Mowlem Studio just a five minute walk along the sands.

A small and lively established DIY festival celebrating roots music that is now part of the global Muddy Roots family. Expect all things fiddle, banjo or double bass driven covering Americana, blues, country, bluegrass and hoedown genres, with a great mix of internationally renowned, national and local bands from Angry Zeta (Argentina) to the Jimmy Hillbillies (Dorset). The Sunday takeover by the Barefoot Kat Klub will add a touch of Speakeasy to the proceedings. Expect cider-fuelled hoedowns, dance-inducing skiffle, side-chuckles and fun times.

Eleven years on from the first Dorset Volkfest in 2013, this event is one of two festivals for VW owners in Dorset (though you certainly don’t need one to go!). With live music, kids’ entertainment, stunt shows, stalls and street food plus plenty of VWs to ogle with the Show and Shine event, there’s lots to see and do. Bands include Lady Winwoods Maggot, Foo Fighterz (Foo Fighters tribute act), Lionstar, Filta, Bradon Block and more. Like any good VW festival, there’s also camping available.