Pivoting on the lower left hand corner of The Triangle lays The Expresso Kitchen, a small and fiercely independent coffee house the size of a large chest of drawers. Inside it flickers with the jovial glow of draped fairy lights against walls papered with the tanned newspaper of yesteryear resonating an age long since passed, the oldest piece of tabloid print dating way back to 1919.

Hanging from the walls are colanders as shimmering decorations that glint underneath a low resting ceiling lined w...

“We’re surrounded by cities,” Tor Byrnes says, in answering why Bournemouth often gets overlooked as a destination for live music. We Broke Free, the live music promotion agency set up and ran by Tor, grew out of her regular DJ night for indie music, itself held at 60 Million Postcards, which still functions as the central home for WBF.

Tor now sits on the Arts by the Sea council as their resident “indie child”, while still continuing to curate, book and run the WBF shows that take place either a...

Not long after my arrival to Bournemouth, when enquiring about alternative dining options for vegetarians, vegans and those just looking for a warm enclave to while away the hours, I kept on hearing mention of a certain green gourd of questionable sanity. I was thankfully relieved to find that it was in fact one of the town’s most frequented and beloved all-Vegan café/bistro; The Mad Cucumber.  

Owned and run by Ewelina and Kamial Obrebska/Obreski, the couple have been steadily developing a loyal...

You know that you’re in the midst of interesting company when 50ft towers of industrial strength, hand-tied bamboo, Bournemouth gardens awash with fire and an illuminated Puppet family all make an appearance. Activate Performing Arts; originally based in Dorchester, have been running various creative projects for the past 26 years, initially helping to produce and develop local and mid-level artists. Yet organic expansion has seen productions multiply in scope and ambition, as is showcased by th...

At one point in every sensible and conscientious person’s life come those essential questions; have I ever commandeered a merchant vessel, pillaging it for its cargo? When will come my time to read Bakunin and tear through the streets in my anarchist black and red? Thankfully, if you’re in need of that little extra push into your new anarco-pirate personal life choices, then you need look no further than The Firkin Shed on Holdenhurst Road, Bournemouth’s very own hidden gem of a pirate galley/mi...

For many years, Myriam San Marco didn’t write, wasn’t creating. From a Parisian, bohemian upbringing she was for the first time in a stable situation, finding herself somewhat unsure. It was not, she says, “how she saw herself.” Working at the time in social care, aiding those with issues of mental health, she was forming her own arts collective (Jericho) which sought to induce a variety of creative endeavours to those involved. Alongside recycled art and scavenger projects, one of her students...

We've had another explorer join the Bournemouth Scene team! We're very excited to introduce James Kramer. So James, start off by telling us a bit about yourself! 

My name is James Kramer, and for the past six years I’ve been living in Beijing. I’m a fiction writer, poet and of late, sort of general journalistic hack. My work can be found at Jameskramerfiction.com

Well, we are very pleased you chose Bournemouth after Beijing! What do you get up to here in Bournemouth? ...

Sometimes it's a bit hard to know where to go to get info about what's going on in Bournemouth. To help you find out all the things that are going on we've made a list of good places to look! This is by no means an exhaustive list - if you know any places to look then add them in the comments! 

Note to people who put on cool events: These are also excellent places to list your shows, gigs, exhibitions etc that are also highly rated on Google searches. When you're searching for websites to adverti...

What do you think when you hear the words ping pong? 

If you're anything like me, it will be a) recalling memories of discovering a dilapidated table on some weekend away, and having a half-hearted attempt with a paddle in one hand and a glass of wine in the other. Or b) becoming slightly hypnotised by it during the Olympics in the middle of the night when a touch of insomnia strikes. 

However… since last summer The Pop-up Ping Pong Parlour has been operating from The Dolphin Centre, Poole, and it...

We're a growing team of explorers at Bournemouth Scene. We're very excited to introduce to you our new fellow explorer - Marcia Moody! 

Marcia is going to be exploring Poole to report on the exciting things going on in the wider BH postcodes. 

Daisy went and had coffee with Marcia to find out a bit more about her love of Bournemouth and Poole. Here's how the conversation went! 

DC: Hi Marcia!

MM: Why hello! 

DC: So, let's cut to the chase, what inspired you to be a Bournemouth Scene Explore...