Inside Out Dorset

We bring live performance to unexpected places – town centres, village squares, beaches and hilltops – for everyone to enjoy.

Inside Out Dorset is an international outdoor arts festival that takes place across the county every two years. After postponing the 2020 festival due to the global pandemic, Activate was pleased to commission and present a range of UK and European artists for a festival in September 2021, which attracted 27,500 visitors.

We celebrate Dorset, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, and aim to promote our natural landscape and sense of place. Some of Dorset’s most remarkable urban and rural spots are transformed with experiences that touch hearts and minds like nothing else.

At the heart of what we do is a belief that performing arts should be accessible for all – no matter what your experience or background. Therefore, all of Inside Out Dorset 2021 was free to attend - and it will be the same for the 2023 edition.

Experience extraordinary events in extraordinary places.

In everything we do, we have just two rules. Anything’s possible. And everyone’s invited.