Often seen locally as the starting point of the festival season, the multi-award-winning Teddy Rocks brings together a host of national and local artists and, even better, raises thousands for children’s cancer charities. Friday night is Pop Party night with Dick and Dom, Peter Andre and Be*Witched, whilst Saturday and Sunday are a rock tribute on the main stage with local acts like BLVCK VIOLET, Pronghorn, Chig, The Bottom Line.

Already in its eleventh year, the Cheese and Chilli Festival is a vibrant annual event that celebrates the delightful pairing of two beloved culinary ingredients: cheese and chilli peppers. Returning to Christchurch this year, next to Hurn Airport, this festival captivates food enthusiasts, families, and friends alike with an array of activities, flavours, and experiences. It is a feast for the senses, showcasing the best of local produce, artisanal cheese makers, and chilli growers, along with a lively atmosphere filled with entertainment and community spirit.

A three-day family-friendly festival, Cursus prides itself on being a fun, inclusive and grassroots event, a place to chill and make new friends and great memories. The collection of music at this festival is both original and eclectic - acts confirmed for 2025 include headliners Mad Dog Mcrea, Dub Pistols, and The Bar Stool Preachers, plus many more! Kids will love the DIY Den with self-led activities across the weekend, and everyone can enjoy crafts, campfires, Curmudgeon’s Corner and a chilled campsite immediately next to the arena.

Celebrating their 25th year, it promises to be the biggest and best festival yet, as they celebrate a quarter of a century bringing together food lovers, top chefs, and local producers in the heart of Christchurch. Alongside the amazing food, you can enjoy live music, family-friendly activities, and a vibrant festival atmosphere, celebrating the flavours of the South Coast. Whether you’re a  dedicated foodie, a home-cooking enthusiast, or just looking for a fantastic day out, the 25 Christchurch Food Festival is an event not to be missed.

Ultimate festivals are returning to the beautiful setting of Upton Country Park once more this year, with two open-air tribute band festivals set over two days where this usually quiet country park is transformed into a concert venue. Rock enthusiasts should come along on day one to party with Dirty DC, UK Queen, This is Pink Floyd, Guns and Roses Experience, and Oasiss, whilst pop lovers will find themselves fed on day two with Bowie Experience, Blondies, Duran,
Rocket Man and more. 

Freezone is unique on the Dorset festival scene. It’s a fully immersive mind and body experience, where one minute you’ll be attending a guided workshop to channel your positive energy, and the next you’ll be relaxing in a sauna before dancing away to Dippy Bamba, Rob Clamp or Jessie Elms. It is very eclectic and a real escape from the world, and a range of ticket options are available for the weekend including a bed and breakfast option on-site in Gaunt’s House itself.

June sees the start of the folk festival season, and one of the biggest is the famous free Wessex Folk Festival, held on the harbourside in Weymouth. ‘Warm up’ sessions kick off the weekend in the harbourside pubs Friday afternoon, with two stages at the festival proper - the main stage in Hope Square, and the Harbourside Stage itself. Both will feature a great selection of acts - many local - throughout the weekend, plus Morris dancing, musical workshops, and plenty of trade stalls for you to enjoy.

This festival combines a vibrant celebration of folk music, traditional dance, and community spirit with an eclectic fringe festival and the Party in the Paddock, a ticketed party all weekend for those of a more non-folk persuasion. The Allendale hosts a music programme - highlights include Eabhal and Murphy’s Lore Trio, Jigfoot hosting a Saturday Evening Ceilidh, and The Salts. Virtually every corner of the town will have entertainment or live music, with each pub running their own schedule featuring many local acts.

Another fantastic festival held at Upton Country Park, Upton House Food and Music Festival is held on the front lawn of the park’s grand, Grade II-listed Georgian house. Expect a gastronomic weekend packed with interactive experiences, food stalls, and live music. Upton Country Park is truly becoming the home of tribute acts in Dorset, so get ready for the likes of Kingz of Leon and Arctic Monkeyz, as well as local musicians Sixteen String Jack, Chris Payn, and many more.

The Hall & Woodhouse Dorset Beer Festival is run by one of the most popular breweries in Dorset - the producers of Badger Beers - at their brewery in Blandford St Mary. Now in their 12th year, Dorset Beer Festival was originally launched to celebrate the opening of the brewery, and it’s grown ever since. Expect hot food, live music, entertainment, and, naturally, a great line-up of real ales, ciders, and perries. 

Brought to you by the fine folks of Bridport Round Table, organisers say they’ve got ‘all the good stuff’ including ciders, cocktails, wine, and Pimm’s - so it’s not just for beer lovers. Here we have all the elements of a good festival: beer, marquees, live music and good vibes. Held on the picturesque Askers Meadow Nature Reserve in the heart of Bridport, this event brings the community together - and what can go wrong with a selection of over 130 beers and ciders?

Celebrating their tenth anniversary this year, this free, two-day event focuses on both local and regional food, drink, and art, celebrating the best of what Dorset has to offer. With live music, entertainment, and plenty of great food, this is a brilliant way to enjoy the local culture. Expect celebrity chefs and cooking demonstrations at the beloved Mary’s Kitchen food theatre, named for their founder, Mary Reader, plus stalls selling products from independent restaurants and producers.

Celebrating its tenth year, Swanage Fish Festival is an annual tribute to the town’s long-running heritage of fishing and the sea. This year, they are opening an Artisan Tent, bringing together the best in local crafting, art and food specialist artisans, and gourmet foods. Spotlighting Swanage and Purbeck businesses and skills, there will be entertainment for the whole family with fishy crafts, plus stalls offering a huge variety of fish, cockles, mussels, scallops, and champagne - plus more, if seafood isn’t your thing!

One of a few ‘urban festivals’ taking place in the green spaces Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole area. Grooves on the Green is held on Ashley Cross Green, providing unforgettable experiences for the whole family - from toddlers to grandparents. The festival features a host of tribute, covers and local acts such as the Oassis, Rat Race and Kingsmen, plus a variety of entertainment catering to all ages, turning a usually dormant space into a bustling cultural celebration of togetherness complete with plenty of food and drink.

Another family-friendly favourite, held at Warren Farm atop Bulbarrow Hill in the Dorset Downs, DorsetFest offers a great range of music, entertainment and food stalls and is organised and run entirely by volunteers with all proceeds going to charity. There’s camping available and well-behaved dogs are more than welcome. At the time of going to print, they were still finalising their 2025 line-up, so keep an eye on their social media for updates.

The small town of Beaminster is transformed for a week every summer into a vibrant arts festival, featuring music, theatre, literature and more. With the local community at its heart, Beaminster Festival includes a range of internationally acclaimed artists such as the KNDS Fairey Band, Steve Knightley, and Martin James Bartlett, offering something for everyone regardless of taste. 

Another BCP area favourite, Shake & Stir takes over Southbourne with a vibrant celebration of all things vintage, featuring the very best rock’n’roll tunes from the 20s to the 70s. The festival invites people of all ages to immerse themselves in the retro vibes with a full dive into all the vehicles, dancing, fashion and lifestyle of the times. Acts playing include Rockin The Joint, The Satin Dollz and Rip It Up, and there’s an evening party to kick off the festival on 27 June at Ludo Lounge.

Small but mighty and now in its third year, Bredy Reunion, run by Bredy Farm, boasts a fantastic line up of some of the best dance acts and DJs around, including Stanton Warriors, Krafty Kuts and Plump DJs. The beautiful location lends itself well to festival camping, and tickets include overnight tent camping within the festival arena, with more camping available separately across at The Orchard or The Mead. Camping not your thing? Then there’s glamping available! Check out all the details on their website.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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!

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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. 

Making a welcome return to the Dorset festival diary is Last of the Summer Cider! Set on the fantastic Myncen Farm, home of Cranborne Chase Cider, this festival is the last chance to enjoy great music and finish off the season’s cider - and what better place to do it? This year the festival features The Skimmity Hitchers, Lady Winwoods Maggot, The Zipheads, Monkey Bizzle and Quinn’s Quinney.

The South West’s biggest celebration of art, culture, people and place. This year’s theme, We Are Here, is a bold declaration of belonging and identity, celebrating the vibrant diversity and creativity of the area. The festival will capture the essence of belonging and the vibrant diversity of our local cultures alongside national and regional acts to uplift and inspire whether through dance, theatre, a mass sing-along or parkour. Keep your eyes peeled for details!