Fancy Dress Ideas

The four year wait is finally over and the eyes of the whole World will be on Rio to deliver the most exciting Olympic Games yet! Tune in from the 5th to the 21st August to cheer on your country. Olympic Games As the name suggests, the first games were held in Olympia. It all began back in 776 BC in the time of the ancient Greeks, sports events were held in honour of the god Zeus. The games continued on for 12 centuries before being suspended in 392AD by Emperor Theodosius who banned anything he deemed a “pagan cult”. Almost exactly 1,500 years later in 1896 Greece reclaimed their history and began holding the Olympic Games once again in Athens. This was the beginning of the modern Olympics which has shaped the events we see today. Continue reading →

In light of recent events, it is important now more than ever to support your local businesses here in Britain. Holiday at home, buy from little independent shops and spend more time enjoying each other’s company! Holiday in Great Britain! We have so many gorgeous un-spoiled places to see right here on your doorstep that most of us have never heard of. Why cross the Channel to Paris if you haven’t explored the stunning architecture of Bath or Chester? Save the airfare of travelling to Australia and surf the beautiful beaches of Cornwall and Devon. With so many extravagant castles such as Arundel, St Michael’s Mount and of course, Windsor there is more to see than you can imagine! Celebrate your heritage while taking a much needed break in the Cotswolds or get a massive adrenaline rush in one of our many adventure theme parks. The possibilities are endless! Continue reading →

The UK’s best family festival is back for 2016 and this time it really will be out of this world! Camp Bestival is everything you could want from a festival rolled into one and held at a castle. Camp Bestival Is Back! Camp Bestival is the sister festival to Bestival held annually on the Isle of Wight. From the first event in 2008 it has won multiple awards including Best New Festival in its first year and Best Family Festival four times since! What more excuse could you need to treat the whole family? Get yourself down from Thursday 28th to 31st July for the best long weekend ever! Continue reading →

Americans will be waving their flags high and singing out their national anthem as American Independence Day is near! On Monday 4th July the USA will be alive with celebration of their most famous national holiday! This year will mark the 240th year. Why The 4th July? The 4th July is a holiday known worldwide and is a celebration of American independence. In 1776 the second continental congress met in secret to vote on the resolution of independence to separate them from the rule of Great Britain. The Declaration of Independence was written up by Thomas Jefferson with the help of other members of the comity and signed on 4th July that year. Continue reading →

Bourne Free is Bournemouth’s very own LGBT pride event that takes place annually in the heart of the town for everyone to enjoy! This year the team have come up with the perfect theme, Rio Carnival! In light of the recent attacks in Orlando, we need to come together now more than ever to support our LGBT community and show tolerance, understanding and love for everyone. Stand together, stand strong and stand free! Bourne Free In 2004 Bourne Free was created when news spread that an organisation was coming to Bournemouth to preach that homosexuality is wrong. The gay community banded together to stand against them and celebrate their diversity and to hold Bournemouth’s first gay Pride march. Since then the event has flourished and grown into a huge three day party to bring everyone in the community together. Bourne Free is now a registered charity run by trustees and volunteers, as well as contributors from the LGBT community and local businesses. This year they will be supporting the Julia’s House charity. Continue reading →

Last year marked the 10th year of Winton Carnival and the bar was well and truly raised with a stunning turn out! 2016 has a lot to live up to, but we recon we can put on an even better show this year. Winton Carnival Winton Carnival has always been a non-profit event run by volunteers from the local community and we can certainly say that they have done us proud for the last 10 years. Over 7,000 people join in the fun at Winton carnival so make sure you’re one of them. Whether you sign up as a volunteer or marshal, enter a float in the parade or just come along and watch, make sure you do your bit for the community. Continue reading →

On Saturday 18th June everyone will be flocking to watch Totton Carnival. It will be a day full of fun and laughter as the streets come to life! Totton Carnival It is a great day out for all the friends and family, a giant parade with an amazing fun fair waiting for you on the other side! It all sounds so exciting! Every year the theme changes and this year the theme is ‘Party on Down’ so you’re in for a treat! You will be joined by party animals, disco diva’s, punk rockers and so much more. The parade is made up from a whole range of different participants, such as floats, dancers, bikers and even the marching band who put on a jolly good show. It’s defiantly something you don’t want to miss. Every year the event is held by the Totton Carnival Committee to fundraise for local charities. This year’s benefactors will be Youth & Families Matter and Age UK New Forest. Two amazing Charities! Continue reading →

Dads. They are the heroes that don't wear capes (At least not all the time), but they are always watching out for you. This Father's Day, take a minute to appreciate all of those tough times that daddy got you through. The modern day father has a lot to contend with now that toddlers know how to use iPhones and everyone loves dressing up (Sorry!), but there are plenty who take this all in their stride! Dad's are a girls first love and a boys first hero so always remember to set good examples for them. Nowadays that includes dressing as princesses with them, so good luck with that! Continue reading →

Summer Ball is one of the biggest fancy dress events in Bournemouth and the very best on the student calendar. When it comes to what to wear, trust Hollywood Fancy Dress to sort you out with the best costumes and accessories on the coast! Summer Ball From Saturday 11th June to the early hours of Sunday 12th, the students of Bournemouth will be partying harder than they have ever partied before! Will you be joining them? If the answer is yes then you need to check out what we have in store for you for 2016! What To Wear? There have been a whole host of new lines release for 2016, so you can trust us to bring you the freshest fancy dress on the scene. Continue reading →

Arrrr! It’s that time of year again land lubbers! The Pirates of Poole are taking over the Quay for Harry Paye Day! The Pirates of Poole are a local community group who strive to keep the maritime history of Poole alive and they also hold events to raise money for local charities and causes. In 2006 they began an event to celebrate Poole’s most famous and notorious pirate of all and thus Harry Paye Day was born! The day was such a success that it became an annual celebration. Who Was Harry Paye? Harry Paye certainly made a name for himself in the 15th Century, so much so that you still hear the tales to this day. Both Paye and his ship, the Mary , appear in the Kings records as being a transport to Spain, but the Spaniards marked him as a thief. He is said to have stolen the gold cross from the Church of Finisterre... We wouldn’t put it past him! Paye became notorious for burning the Spanish city of Gijion, home of his lover Countess Isabel. All of his terrible escapades drove the Spanish to seek revenge on the dreaded Arripaye! In 1405 passing Spanish and French Galleys discovered that Poole was the home of their nemesis and unleashed a deadly fighting force upon the town. When Harry Paye got wind of destruction to his home and that his brother fell in the horrific battle, he took action! He gathered a fleet of ships and captured French and Spanish cargo vessels, seizing copious amounts of booty, including rather of lot of high quality wine. Paye took the cargo back to Poole and shared it with the town’s people in hope that it would ease the suffering that he bought to them. According to the stories they feasted and drank for days after. Continue reading →

[caption id="attachment_3916" align="aligncenter" width="409"] THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW: L-R: Laverne Cox and Ben Vareen.[/caption] Unless you’ve been living in a cave your whole life, you will have seen The Rocky Horror Picture Show or at the very least know some of the musical numbers! Well this October we will be seeing a whole new imagining of the cult classic movie featuring some of our old favourites! The Rocky Horror Picture Show 1975-2016 The 2 hour television show will be celebrating Rocky Horror’s 40 years of theatrical distribution, which is longer than any film in history! It’s such a popular movie that it still shows in cinemas today and there have been countless stage shows across the world. The Rocky Horror Picture Show was everything you could have asked for in a film. It had mystery, scares, glitz and the catchiest songs in the history of cinema, what’s not to love?! At the heart of it all was actor and legend Tim Curry who owned the role of sexually ambiguous Dr Frank N Furter. He delivered his lines like he was born for the role and the energy was infectious. Continue reading →

This year’s Isle of Wight festival will be the biggest one yet with music giants The Who headlining! So pack your bags and escape across the water to an island of dreams for a long weekend you’ll never forget! Isle of Wight Festival Since 1968 the Isle of Wight Festival has been a huge hit and was originally regarded as the European equivalent of Woodstock. The headline acts have always been major player in the music industry from Jimi Hendrix to the Sex pistols. Of course, this won’t be the first and probably not the last time that The Who will play this festival and we can’t wait to be transported back to the 70’s! Continue reading →

For those about to rock, don’t forget to buy your tickets to Download 2016! This year will be another mammoth event that you will not want to miss. Download Festival Donnington Park has been the spiritual home of rock for over 25 years with festivals like Monsters of Rock and Ozzfest taking place on the grounds. In 2003 Download was born as a 2 day, 2 stage event on the grounds that had already been graced by so many legends. Huge names like Iron maiden, Marilyn Manson and Disturbed set the mark for festivals to come. Over the years, Download has become bigger and better with more stages and an ever longer weekend to pack it all into! This June, grab your mates, pack up a tent and get down to Donnington Park. Continue reading →

People across the UK will be donning the biggest, brightest and silliest wigs they can find to help raise funds for CLIC Sargent on Wednesday 25th May for Wig Wednesday! So get your friends together, buy yourself a wig and get involved! Wig Wednesday Now in its 6th year, Wig Wednesday was born in 2011 from the idea of a CLIC Sargent supporter. Inspired by a family member he decided to wear a wig for the day and collect vital funds for the charity. It was a fun new way to get people involved and caught on right away! And it’s not just the local community pitching in; they have even had support from famous faces such as Natalie Cassidy and Roberts Glenister! Continue reading →

SUBU Summer Ball is the student fancy dress event of the year, so make sure you dress to impress! With a helping hand from the good people of Hollywood Fancy Dress, you will find the perfect outfit for you! SUBU Summer Ball From Saturday afternoon on 11th June to the wee hours of Sunday 12th, the students of Bournemouth will be enjoying the biggest event on the uni calendar. With a huge festival at Chapel Gate and an after party at The Old Fire Station, you’re going to need all your strength to make it to the end! But if you do, you will receive the ultimate glory of the survivor’s photo at pier approach as the sun comes up over Bournemouth beach. Continue reading →

The Pink Army unite for another fantastic Race For Life event! Women all across the UK will be slipping into their pinkest attire to raise money and awareness for Cancer Research, will you be joining them? Race For Life Bournemouth Race For Life events kick off from Sunday 12th June and continue across the South throughout the summer. To find your nearest event just click the link! There will be 2 events to choose from in Bournemouth this year with the 5k and 10k race. They will both take place at the pier approach on Bournemouth seafront and start from 11am. Continue reading →

It’s been an exciting FA Cup and now it’s all coming to a close with a head to head between Manchester United and Crystal Palace! On Saturday 21st May, watch as these boys make history at Wembley Stadium. The FA Cup Final 2016 marks the 135th FA Cup Final, making it the world’s oldest football competition! History is repeating itself this year too as it will be the first time since 1990 that Manchester United and Crystal Palace have gone against each other in the FA Cup Final. If you’re not lucky enough to be going to Wembley Stadium to catch all of the action, have no fear! You can catch the game and all the highlights over on BBC ONE and BBC Sport 2. If you’re watching from outside the UK, be sure to check which FA partners will be bringing the game to you. Continue reading →

It’s that time of the year again guys and girls! Slap on the sun screen and hit the student party of the year with the SUBU Summer Ball! SUBU Summer Ball! For the past 20 years students from Bournemouth University have enjoyed the biggest and best festival party in the South. This year it will take place on Saturday 11th June at Chapel Gate in Parley, so save the date. If you have been before, you will know this is serious business! With stages, food stalls and fun fair rides, there will be plenty to keep you entertained for a full 10 hour experience. As always there will be an after party at The Old Fire Station from 2am called ‘Encore’. For those still standing at the end of it, there will be the ultimate glory of the survivors’ photo at Bournemouth pier! Continue reading →

The London 7’s is an annual rugby sevens tournament which is going to be held at Twickenham on the 21st -22nd May 2016, London. The Game is popular at all levels with amateur and club tournaments throughout the summer months. Rugby sevens (seven-a-side) is one of the most well distributed forms of rugby and continents such as Africa, Asia, Europe and America have taken a particular shine to the sport. The 2015-16 seasons kicked off in Dubai on 4th-5th December 2015 and will visit 5 new destinations, Cape Town, Vancouver, Singapore and Paris. London will be the last major tournament for many of the nations before they Travel to Rio to compete at 2016 Olympic Games. In 2009 England made a momentous comeback in front of 35,000 fans beating New Zealand with a score in the final second of overtime. Come on England! Twickenham Stadium Twickenham is a stadium in Twickenham, south west London, England. It is primarily a venue for rugby union and hosts England's home test matches, You wouldn’t think that this well-known stadium started off as a cabbage patch but that's exactly what it was before the RFU (Rugby Football Union) purchased the land for just over £5,500 in 1907. The first game was played in 1909 - a battle between local sides Harlequins and Richmond - and here we are, over 100 years later, still going strong. Continue reading →

2015 saw yet another sold out event for Bournemouth 7's with over 30, 000 sports and music lovers attending! Let’s see if we can top that for 2016! If you’re looking for a big bank holiday blow out then get yourself down to Bournemouth Sports Club at Chapel Gate from the 27th to the 29th May! Bournemouth 7's Since 2008, Diamond Sporting Group have been giving us the biggest and best sports festival in the south and 2016 will be no exception! Bournemouth 7's is the largest sports and music festival in the world so it is sure to impress even the most seasoned festival veterans. It is an annual event that takes the south coast by storm with fierce rugby, netball, dodge ball and hockey tournaments between the best teams in the UK! Continue reading →