In 2023 we built our first ever BEAF Arts Pavilion; a space for free workshops, performances and community events. Created by local designer Karolina Bilvinaite, from Bed Studio, the pavilion combined the work of artists and the community, making this a vibrant and colourful hub for the duration of the festival. Street artists Slam Daniels and Tech Moon worked together with students from SWRAC, the South West Regional Assessment Centre, supporting young people with learning differences, to create a four metre high artwork. 

Over the course of the 10 days; Keira Rathbone created a pop up exhibition of ‘typewriter eyes’, families watched the Buzztastic Bee-Balancing Blundershow, the Cabinet of Living Cinema delivered a sound workshop and screened the ‘Red turtle’ alongside a live orchestra. Throughout the week people took part in lino-printing, creative writing, printing t-shirts, up-cycling, mindful drawing, queer zine making and much more. 

Since then we have continued to showcase pop-up pavilions alongside our exhibitions at BAD.

In 2024, from 15th – 22nd June, we brought brand new exhibitions, performances, music and activities to Boscombe, highlighting National Refugee Week and National Windrush Day. We transformed the high street as we celebrated Caribbean carnival culture with a new flag commission produced by artist Kemba Earle, whose designs were also mirrored also in our colourful Arts Pavilion on Boscombe precinct.

Our 2nd Art Pavilion created a welcoming and colourful space on the precinct where we ran workshops and events every day. We delivered over 20 events with 100’s of participants, including music workshops with Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra; mask making and puppetry with our artists Mahtab Grimshaw and Carmel De’Lisser, cyanotype printing with our Seeking Refuge Project and creative writing with our Outsiders Project.

Our Pavilion events culminated on National Windrush Day, seeing over 1,500 visitors dropping by to take part in workshops, listen to great music from Four Corners and Dockinwaves and enjoy the brilliant food from Uncle Glenn’s and Jerk Hut.