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Art events in Dorset

Are you looking to find the best arts events in Dorset?

Dorset is a hotbed of creativity and expression and hosts a vibrant programme of productions in theatre, music, comedy, dance and film alongside an exciting mix of exhibitions and visual arts.

Dorset is also proud to promote a well supported network of Art Centres and organisations that promotes cultural development in the county.

Enjoy a live performance

The atmosphere of watching a play or live music in a village hall environment is much more intimate and engaging than in a large theatre and it stimulates a special connection between the performers and the audience that you don’t get elsewhere.

Wherever you are based in Dorset, you’ll have the opportunity to see some amazing productions from professional touring companies.

Be astounded at the exquisite talents of ballet dancers as they pirouette before your eyes or marvel at one-man plays; feel your spirit soar as your venue becomes filled with the sounds of samba and giggle until your sides split at a local comedy night.

Extraordinary festivals

Each year Dorset wows the crowds with some of the zaniest events around.

Be surprised, moved, entertained or contemplative, or maybe them all, as you make your way round Dorset as part of the Inside Out Festival.

From circus acts in Gillingham, sculpture at Hengistbury Head, a big wild sleepout with the RSPB and an outdoor performance to celebrate the Autumn Equinox, these are extraordinary events in extraordinary places.

Feast your eyes

As well as performance, Dorset has a varied programme of touring visual art exhibitions which circulate to rural galleries and other venues throughout the area.

You can visit contemporary craft shows, thematic exhibitions and displays from both national and regional artists.

Find out more

For a more comprehensive view of all the great arts events going on in Dorset, visit:

Highlightedart events

Dorset Art Weeks May 26

Dorset Art Weeks

Dorset Art Weeks 2022 Artists from across the whole of Dorset are busy preparing for the ever popular Open Studio event in May. This year celebrates 30 years since the very first Dorset Arts Week. The...

Exhibition: The Lost Words May 26

Exhibition: The Lost Words

This enchanting exhibition combines the creative talents of writer Robert Macfarlane and artist Jackie Morris to celebrate the relationship between language and the living world, and nature’s...

St Michael's Artists @ Dorset Art Weeks May 26

St Michael's Artists @ Dorset Art Weeks

Venue 201 – St Michael's Artists – 9 artists working in different workspaces around St Michael's Trading Estate, now a vibrant hub for the visual arts, will be opening up their intriguing...

Waterline May 26

Waterline

Waterline 2022, the second in a long-term collaboration between two like-minded artists, Tricia Scott and Lois Wakeman, is a fascinating exhibition of contemporary abstract photography that features...

Accessible Weymouth! May 27

Accessible Weymouth!

A tour of some of the Weymouth Sculpture Trail, specifically for anyone who uses a mobility aid such as a scooter or wheelchair. In this tour, we will explore the barriers for disabled people in...

Art Exhibition - Andrew Thomas SWAC - Sculptor May 28

Art Exhibition - Andrew Thomas SWAC - Sculptor

A long awaited, not to be missed, solo art exhibition by Purbeck artist and sculptor Andrew Thomas SWAc, will be opening its doors from May 28th for nine days. This is the first opportunity in many...

Lyme Regis Art Society Annual Exhibition May 28

Lyme Regis Art Society Annual Exhibition

Our annual exhibition gives our 60+ members a chance to display their work. Many attend local art classes and there will be a wide range of artwork, together with prints, cards, painted pebbles and...

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