THE streets of Bournemouth will be filled with a colourful and vibrant mix of talent and creativity over the next ten days, thanks to the return of the town’s largest independent arts festival.

Budding artists and entertainers from across the community will have the chance to showcase their skills at the Bournemouth Emerging Arts Fringe (BEAF) which kicks off tomorrow.

From exhibitions, theatre productions, concerts, comedy, cabaret and film screenings, a lively street festival, plus the launch of the first ever art gallery in police box, organisers promise that this will be one of the liveliest and most imaginative festivals to hit the town.

Professor Stuart Bartholomew CBE, principal and vice-chancellor Arts University Bournemouth said: “The BEAF festival is a superb opportunity for Bournemouth’s thriving arts scene to celebrate its own exceptional creative talent and enrich the cultural experience for everyone in the town.

“As the top specialist university of the arts in the UK , and with a first class reputation for graduate employment, the festival gives our community of makers a platform to present their work to make the important link with audiences, employers and industry professionals.”

Last year’s event featured more than 500 people hosting 150 events in 55 locations across the borough.

This year, BEAF has secured funding from Arts Council England, Bournemouth Coastal BID and the Boscombe Regeneration Partnership to expand the programme for the 2018 festival.

With the new funding, BEAF can now include a programme of new commission and professional support to help grow the local creative community.

An array of what’s described as “unique and inspiring events” will transform venues across the town, from cafés and bars, galleries and theatres, to the more original spaces, the cliff lifts, a series of transformed shipping containers, and the famous police box in Boscombe.

The aim of the festival is to “challenge views of creativity and culture” and to put the best of Bournemouth’s homegrown artistic talent in the spotlight.

Showcasing the work of artists, musicians, poets, street performers, comedians, sculptors, the festival will bring something different to the town and highlight the work being produced by the town’s creative community.

With a wide selection of events, highlights include a new theatre production The Vodka Hunters by award-winning local author and director, Nell Leyshon.

Her ground-breaking production, created through a collaboration with four ‘outsider’ artists, will be performed in a space created specifically for the work, which allows the audience to move through the rooms to discover the different voices and compelling stories, told by each of the performers.

Other BEAF highlights for 2018 include the sublime and ridiculous comedy/chaos/cabaret act, Slightly Fat Features, a beautiful sensory installation of plants and spices within two shipping containers on Boscombe beach from artists Garbacheva/Bonomo, and magic and performance from the grand-daughter of Lionel Jeffries, Amy Mason.

There will also be new paintings from last festival’s winner of the BEAF Best in Show Award, Steve Moberly, a performance in the cliff lifts at Southbourne from Language Timothy!, an enchanting miniature 3-D cardboard sculpture of the streets of Boscombe and Murnau’s Nosferatu, accompanied by live music from The Cabinet of Living Cinema.

Festival director, Carol Maund said, this is just a sample of what visitors to BEAF can expect over the next ten days.

“The festival goes to show what great talent we have here in Bournemouth, and how important it is to nurture and support it, which is exactly what BEAF set out to do.

“BEAF has offered a platform to showcase Bournemouth’s artistic talent, and this year we are so pleased to be able to offer commissions to give our creatives the opportunity to present work specially made for the festival!”

On bank holiday Monday, May 7, the festival will be transforming Boscombe High Street into a hub of creative activity, featuring live street art created on pavements and installed shipping containers, street performances, art workshops for all ages, pop-up temporary exhibitions, the ‘Facebooth’ creating instant hand-drawn portraits, a parade of art cars, plus a feast of artisan traders, and “lots more wonders to delight and surprise.

Ashley Peevor, a local artist who took part at last year’s event said: “BEAF really raised the bar on showcasing work from local artists and performers, proving Bournemouth is a hot bed for lots of emerging creative talent.

“As a recent graduate from Arts University Bournemouth, it gave me the support to launch my new business with my first project, The Grass Man.

“After the performance at the BEAF festival I was invited to take part in festivals across the country.”

For a full range of activity visit website b-e-a-f.co.uk/ or find out on Facebook at facebook.com/bournemouthfringe/