Launch party for Dorset Towns of Culture 2025

B-Side is helping organise the events for Dorset's Towns of Culture

Dorset's joint Towns of Culture for 2025 are set to begin 12 months of events with a launch party later.

Weymouth and Portland received a combined £60,000 from Dorset Council in funding as part of the new County of Culture scheme.

Every year, the initiative, run by the Arts Development Company, sees a different town, village or hamlet in Dorset named as the host, with last year's winner being Bridport.

The locally based not-for-profit arts organisation, B-Side, is working with both town councils to organise events for the next 12 months.

This evening St Nics Gallery in Weymouth will host what organisers called "an unforgettable evening of music, art and dance".

Activities from ballet and brass bands to natural history walks, film clubs, DJ nights festivals and more are expected over the next year.

Starting this weekend, there will be street performances in Weymouth Town Centre and a brass brand playing at the Portland High Angle Battery.

Reveal is the name of this year's scheme, because the board said it wanted to uncover creativity and change the way that people conceive of towns that sit in rural or coastal settings.

Director Rocca Holly-Nambi said: "Our communities have so much to offer creatively, and our places are rich with culture.

"We see this year as a springboard for working together, celebrating who we are, and putting in place solid foundations for a thriving cultural sector for years to come."