What to do in Bournemouth for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee

Celebrations for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee will take place in Bournemouth and the surrounding Dorset and New Forest areas for the special four-day weekend between Thursday, June 2, and Sunday, June 5, to mark the occasion.

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Bournemouth is counting down the days when street parties and public events are in abundance for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. If you’re planning to go to a pub and celebrate with the locals, pubs will be allowed to extend their opening hours from 11 pm to 1 am so people can celebrate longer. If you want to traverse the south coast in search of good times, here’s everything you need to know about what’s happening in Bournemouth.

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Public Platinum Jubilee events in the South Coast

A number of public events are also taking place across the area. Here's a selection of what's happening across the conurbation and beyond. 

Bournemouth 

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Outdoor Screenings

BCP Council will be setting up a large screen in the Bournemouth Gardens, showing the BBC television broadcasts of the Platinum Jubilee parade and Royal-related films as part of the celebrations in June.
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Head of destination and events at BCP Council, Jon Weaver, said: “On the Thursday (of the Jubilee event) we will be holding a beacon lighting event. Beacons will be lit in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole at the Jon Egging Trust, Christchurch Quay and Sandbanks. We are also finalising plans for firework displays at two of the sites and the large screens will be back in the gardens showing television broadcasts from the BBC and Queen-related films.”

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Poole

Community Picnic

The beautiful walled garden at Upton Country Park in Poole will host a community picnic celebrating the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. Visitors can bring their own picnic or purchase one from the on-site Tea Rooms to enjoy while Swing Unlimited’s Community Big Band provides live music in 45-minute sets at 11.30 am, 1 pm and 2.30 pm.
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The grounds will be open from 11 am to 4 pm. To learn more, visit their website.

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Community Party

A community party will be held in and around Merley, Poole in the field next to the Down in the Woods Nursery off Chichester Walk on Sunday, June 5, open to anyone in the local area.
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Take the entire family on a lovely day out to enjoy activities for all ages, including five bouncy castles, face painting, a DJ and live music, soft play, sumo wrestling suits and a waterslide! There is no parking available on site. Visitors are encouraged to walk, cycle or use public transport.

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Jubilee Proms in the Park 

A Jubilee Proms in the Park event will be held at Merley House Holiday Park on Saturday, June 4 and Sunday, June 5 at 6.30 pm with the concert starting at 8 pm. 
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This evening of classical and modern music celebrates the more sophisticated significance of this momentous day in the Queen’s honour. Tickets cost £25 for adults and £10 for children.
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To buy tickets and learn more, visit this website.

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Christchurch

Two Riversmeet Leisure Complex Free Event

Enjoy a host of activities such as a free bouncy castle, trampolining and soft play at the Two Riversmeet Leisure Complex. This free family event will be held on Thursday, June 2 between 12 pm and 5 pm for the Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

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Other activities include a free giant inflatable assault course, cream tea, snacks and live entertainment.

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Ferndown

In Ferndown, an afternoon picnic will be held at King George's Fields on Friday, June 3, between 1 pm and 4 pm with people invited to take along their own picnic and enjoy some family entertainment.
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Later the same day, a party will take place at the same location between 7 pm and 10 pm with an evening of fireworks and live music. 

New Forest

Residents of Ringwood are invited to attend and enjoy four days of celebrations, culminating in a ‘Party in the Park’ on the Jubilee weekend with live music, family entertainment, a bar, hot food and more.
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On Sunday, June 5, the celebrations will be held at Carvers Recreation Ground all afternoon. A giant screen will be installed so residents can watch the national coverage of the occasion.

Fordingbridge Recreation Ground

Fordingbridge Events Group and Fordingbridge Town Council have a picnic event planned for June 2 from 3.30 pm to 10 pm for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee over the bank holiday.
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Cllr Pete White, of the Fordingbridge Events Group, said: “It’s a full-on afternoon of entertainment that we have planned. We have several bands booked to play, a choir, Crazy Kev – who you may remember from the Fordingbridge Festival - as well as Best Disco taking us through seven decades of tunes.”
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The Rotary Club will hold its charity duck race as well.
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Details for performances and timings can be found on fordingbridgeevents.com

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What else is there to do in Bournemouth?

If you plan on staying down by the coast after the Jubilee events, there are a number of other big events that will be taking place which will coincide with the Jubilee weekend celebrations above. For a full list of events in June, visit the Official Bournemouth website.

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Street parties

Residents are being encouraged to organise street parties to celebrate this momentous occasion, with an update from BCP Council last month that said more than 250 street parties were being planned across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole. In the wider Dorset area, more than 100 applications had been submitted. 
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It’s good to note that if you’re driving down or you plan on using a car to get around that some roads might be closed off due to street parties. Otherwise, for our pedestrians, you may encounter a ‘Street Meet’ in a cul de sac or driveways, parking areas and front gardens animated with cheery festivities.

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Christchurch Food Festival

This huge celebration is a great open-air showcase hosting amazing food and drink, the festival of Christchurch Quay over a very special Jubilee weekend. 
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Experience the atmosphere of this much-loved event, dedicated to tasty UK sourced food and drink, chef demos, entertainment and the ever-popular Sheep Show that attracts vital tourism to the town and helps support the local economy.
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Running from June 2nd to June 5th, gates open at 10 am all weekend. Find out the full lineup of chefs, vendors and entertainment by visiting their website. 

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Bournemouth 7s

Welcoming 400 teams of Rugby, Netball, Hockey, Dodgeball and CrossFit players showcased throughout the weekend with an impressive 30,000 people in attendance, one of the most popular summer events is the Bournemouth 7s Festival. 
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Starting Thursday 2nd June - Saturday 4th June, this 3-day celebration of sport and music hosts new arenas and concepts every year, along with an entertainment line-up curated to cover all tastes and genres. The famous Bournemouth 7s atmosphere is impossible to recreate, making every year a unique experience.
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To purchase tickets or find out more, visit their website.

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Verwood Carnival

The Verwood Carnival has returned and is being held on Friday 3rd June at Potterne Park, Verwood.
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The carnival parade will showcase bands, floats, beautifully costumed characters and performers and the carnival queen, princesses, and prince, along with the entertainment events at the showground. There will be plenty of food and game stalls as well as a bar and the Fun Fair.
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The Procession will leave the 'Fuzzy Bit' off Crane Drive at 10:30 and then travel past the Recreation Ground, down Vicarage Road onto Manor Road, past the Monnouth Ash and then finally arrive at Potterne Park at about 12:00 noon.
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Admission to the grounds is £4.00 per adult and £1 for children (free if accompanied by an adult)
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Everyone is encouraged to enter a float or a walking entry. It's free to enter, but please note that procession entries must submit a Procession Booking Form. Visit their website to enter.

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