Who BH Live are and what they run in Bournemouth
BH Live is the charitable trust that operates Bournemouth's two largest stages on behalf of BCP Council: the Bournemouth International Centre on the seafront, and the Pavilion Theatre in the Lower Gardens. Between them they take almost everything that tours the south coast, which is why a single autumn week can offer a physicist, a brass-heavy pop band and a radio drama performed live.
The two venues are a seven-minute walk apart, both in the town centre, and both a short walk from the beach. That matters more than it sounds in November: you can eat in town, walk to the show and walk back without ever finding a car park.
The autumn and winter season at a glance
These are the dates currently confirmed at the two BH Live venues.
Bournemouth International Centre
- 30 October — Steve Backshall Deadly Live, a wildlife show built for families
- 7 November — Brian Cox, Emergence Tour
- 12 November — Suede and Manic Street Preachers, co-headlining
- 14 November — Myles Smith, My Mess My Heart My Life Tour
- 16 November — The Script, Man In The Arena Tour
- 19 November — The Archers Live
- 26 November — Australian Pink Floyd
- 4 December — Squeeze with Billy Bragg
Pavilion Theatre
- 12 November — Blancmange
- 14 November — Jools Holland and His Rhythm and Blues Orchestra
- 15 November — The Stylistics
- 16 November — Tony Hadley's Christmas Tour, a festive big band night
Mid-November is the pinch point. On 12, 14 and 16 November both venues have a show on the same evening, so the town centre fills twice over and the restaurants near the Square book up earlier than usual.
Which venue suits which night
The BIC is the bigger room, and it is where arena-scale tours land. Standing shows there have the atmosphere you would expect; seated tickets in the upper tiers still have clear sightlines, but you are a long way from the stage.
The Pavilion is the older, smaller, prettier building, and everything in it is seated. It suits the acts who want the audience listening rather than moving, which is why the Jools Holland and Stylistics kind of booking tends to land there rather than on the seafront.
If you are bringing children, the family shows are almost always at the BIC, where there is more room to move at the interval.
Getting there, parking and the walk back
Both venues sit inside the town centre, so the practical advice is the same for each: arrive by train to Bournemouth station and walk down through the Gardens, about fifteen minutes downhill, or park once and leave the car where it is.
The BIC has its own car park on Exeter Road, and it empties slowly after a full house. The Pavilion shares the Lower Gardens car parks. On the nights when both venues have a show, leaving by car means queueing with everybody else, and the walk back up to the station is often faster.
For what else is happening around your visit, see our what's on listings, and for the festive season specifically, our Christmas in Bournemouth guide.
Staying near the venues
Both stages are within a ten-minute walk of the West Cliff, which is the closest concentration of places to stay to either venue. Walking back after a show, rather than driving or waiting for a taxi with the rest of the audience, is the single thing that makes a concert night in Bournemouth easy.
Our accommodation guide covers the options across town. For a self-contained flat within that walk, Flexiestays let serviced apartments in Bournemouth on the West Cliff, and for anyone booking several nights around a run of shows, their long term stays in Bournemouth work out differently from nightly rates.
Before you book
Check the venue on your ticket rather than assuming. "Bournemouth" on a tour poster can mean either building, and on the busy November nights the two shows start within half an hour of each other at opposite ends of the same town centre.