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B-Side Arts Festival
internationally recognised and locally loved arts organisation
B-Side Arts FestivalB-Side Arts Festival
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  • What’s On
    • b-side BIG Weekend
    • Fringe 2025
  • Projects
    • Towns of Culture
    • High Angle Battery
  • Get Involved
  • Artists
  • News
  • About Us
    • Explore Portland
    • Getting Here
    • Team
    • Who We Work With
    • Access at the BIG weekend
  • Support Us
  • Shop
  • Stay


b-side BIG Weekend

11th September 2025 - 14th September 2025

b-side’s Big Weekend honours the spirit of Portland and Weymouth as Towns of Culture 2025, revealing untold stories from our island.

With inspirational artists and communities as your guide, discover memories from the armed forces, moments of joy and resilience in LGBTQ+ lives, and heartfelt testimonies from those seeking asylum.

Whether you’re joining a mass stitching workshop to complete the Portland Dress, or dancing in a boxing ring, come celebrate the extraordinary people, captivating stories, and creative spirit that make Portland truly unique.

 




Our printed Summer/Autumn Guide is awaiting you at briilant arts venues, cafes, TIC's and community venues in Dorset. If you can't grab yourself a copy though here's a digital version - enjoy!

b-side Summer Guide

Big Weekend Events

Big Weekend 25
11th – 14th September 2025

Excess Baggage

High Angle Battery
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Big Weekend 25
11th September 2025

Batik Wax Imprints

Royal Manor Theatre
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Big Weekend 25
11th September 2025

Held by Threads – the final stitches

Old Engine Shed
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Big Weekend 25
11th – 14th September 2025

The Portland Dress

Old Engine Shed
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Big Weekend 25
11th – 14th September 2025

MAS(S)

High Angle Battery
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Big Weekend 25
12th September 2025

Green Apples Dance Workshop

Portland Amateur Boxing Club
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Big Weekend 25
12th September 2025

Bat Walk

High Angle Battery
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Big Weekend 25
12th September 2025

Excess Baggage Talk

Kimberlin Club
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Big Weekend 25
12th September 2025

Green Apples

Portland Amateur Boxing Club
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Big Weekend 25
12th September 2025

Green Apples

Portland Amateur Boxing Club
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Big Weekend 25
12th September 2025

Section 28 and Me (the b-side edition)

Royal Manor Theatre
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Big Weekend 25
13th September 2025

Pub Grub

Royal Manor Theatre
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Big Weekend 25
13th September 2025

Green Apples

Portland Amateur Boxing Club
Read More
Big Weekend 25
13th September 2025

Green Apples

Portland Amateur Boxing Club
Read More
Big Weekend 25
13th September 2025

Green Apples

Portland Amateur Boxing Club
Read More
Big Weekend 25
13th September 2025

Super 8 Caffeinated Magic

Portland Marina
Read More
Big Weekend 25
13th September 2025

Batik Wax Imprints

Royal Manor Theatre
Read More
Big Weekend 25
14th September 2025

Potty for Portland!

Royal Manor Theatre
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Big Weekend 25
14th September 2025

Meet the Portland Dress Makers

Old Engine Shed
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Big Weekend 25
14th September 2025

Sound and Form with Luke Wright

Royal Manor Theatre
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Plan Your Visit

Time to get practical – let us help you plan your b-side getaway from one day to a long weekend in this glorious place, experiencing incredible artwork and making new friends. Here’s some information on how to get here and some ideas on where to stay too.

Travel

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Accommodation

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Access

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b-side BIG Weekend Artists

SEE ALL ARTISTS

Mark Bruce Company

Tom Marshman

Anna Stoodley

Ria Ekasari

Concrete

Luke Wright

Tongues of Fire

Kevin Cameron

Sarah Whiteside

Antje Rook

Theo McInnes

Thomas Ralph

b-side BIG Weekend's Events

Events

Sound and Form with Luke Wright

14th September 2025
Discover how you can use rhyme, metre and other sonic devices to make your spoken...

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Events

Portland Parade 2025

14th September 2025
Everyone is invited to this celebratory parade through the streets of Portland led by YOU,...

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Events

Meet the Portland Dress Makers

14th September 2025
Discover the journey of The Portland Dress, which began as a simple idea in 2024,...

Read More

Events

Held by Threads - the final stitches

11th September 2025
Come and celebrate The Portland Dress and all the 100’s of contributions that have made...

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Events

The Portland Dress

11th - 14th September 2025
Inspired by The Red Dress visit to Portland in 2024, a sister dress has been...

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Events

Excess Baggage Talk

12th September 2025
While Portland’s naval legacy is familiar, this project turns its attention to the families -...

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Events

Bat Walk

12th September 2025
Catch a glimpse of our bat friends and learn some facts about this misunderstood animal...

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Events

MAS(S)

11th - 14th September 2025
created by artists Tristan Shorr and Rae Champion (CONCRETE) in collaboration with Scottish artist Lomond...

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Events

Excess Baggage

11th - 14th September 2025
Centring on Portland’s naval past, the project draws from the artist’s personal history as a...

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Events

Batik Wax Imprints

11th September 2025
Experiment with wax as a medium to reflect on environmental changes through storytelling. The session...

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Events

Potty for Portland!

14th September 2025
Join artist Anna Stoodley for this family-friendly session, to create your own clay masterpiece inspired...

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Events

Section 28 and Me (the b-side edition)

12th September 2025
Part performance, part presentation, this b-side edition invites audiences into theatre-maker Tom Marshman’s creative process,...

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Events

Green Apples Dance Workshop

12th September 2025
Join professional dancers Layla Bruce and Dominic Rocca for a unique dance workshop in the...

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Events

Green Apples

12th September 2025
Separated from the performers only by a rope, the audience is immersed in a visceral...

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Events

Super 8 Caffeinated Magic

13th September 2025
Prior to the mid-1980s, Super 8 was the only accessible way of making moving images...

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Events

Pub Grub

13th September 2025
After selling out shows across the country with JOY!, Luke Wright is back with a...

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