For one whole week the picturesque seaside town of Swanage will be transformed for the Swanage Regatta and Carnival! There will be something to do for all ages every day so make the most of it and head down from the 30th July to the 6th August! Swanage Regatta The sun is shining so why not try your hand at some sporting events? Prizes will be on offer for all age groups throughout the week, so show them what you’ve got! There will be plenty on offer including fun runs, tennis, sailing, darts and even fishing. Sadly there will be no half marathon this year due to safety concerns and road closures, Swanage Carnival This year’s carnival procession will have a ‘Sitcom’ theme so expect to see all of your favourite TV characters old and new! As always it will take place on the Sunday 31st July at 3pm and will begin at Rabling Road, coming full circle back to that point. The parade travels a huge 2 mile stretch so you are sure to find a spot to watch from. 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 →

After the huge success of the first Bournemouth Film and Comic Con in August 2015, Showmasters are back for round 2! On Saturday 12th and Sunday 13th March Bournemouth International Centre will be buzzing with heroes and villains galore! Comic Con! Bournemouth Film and Comic Con promises to bring you big name stars all underneath one roof and with such high profile guests in 2015, the anticipation is killing us! They are holding their cards close to their chests at the moment and teasing us with a slow trickle of stars like Dr. Who’s Noel Clarke and Jemma Redgrave. Wrestling legend Al Snow will also be making an appearance on both days, as will artist Davide Fabbrie. Continue reading →

So it is coming up to the time of the year again where the colour green will spread across the nation. On Thursday 17th March the Irish and Irish at heart will take time out to enjoy the national holiday, St Patrick's day! What began as a religious feast day for the patron saint of Ireland has become an international festival celebrating Irish culture with parades, dancing, and special foods. St Patrick's Day! It all started Way back in The Fourth Century when Patrick was born, he was born into a wealthy Romano-British Family in Roman-Britain, but it wasn’t until He was 16 that he got kidnapped by Irish Raiders and Taken to Ireland to be a slave! He spent 6 Years in Ireland were he became a shepherd. After believing he found god he made his way home to later become a Priest. Patrick Returned To Northern and Western Ireland and by the 7th Century He was admired as the patron Saint of Ireland. Continue reading →

Whether you already have that special someone or you are planning on a big reveal, Valentine's Day is the perfect time to spread love and show that certain someone just how much you care. Valentine's Day St Valentine's Day has definitely accumulated plenty of traditions over the years and every year men (and women) whip out their wallets to buy their loved ones cards, flowers, jewellery and chocolates. This day of love is celebrated across the globe with couples showing their appreciation for each other. Singles also use it as an opportunity to show their feelings for the ones they admire in hopes of finding themselves a Valentine. Valentine's Day is also renowned for being a day of big gestures of love. You might plan to whisk your partner off to Paris, the city of love, for a long weekend. How about treating you both to a romantic spa day so you can relax and let professionals to do the pampering? If you’re truly wild about your special someone Valentine's could even be the day to pop the big question and propose! Continue reading →

New Years is a time for elegance so it’s no surprise that masquerade balls are hugely popular. Slip into your ball gowns and press your suits ready for the end of the year extravaganzas! Masquerade Masks For Everyone! No matter what your taste or style, you will have no trouble finding the perfect masquerade mask in a Hollywood store. You will be greeted with a wall full of glitz, feathers and colour, with hundreds of designs to choose from. From full face fancies to pretty lace eye masks, we really do have it all. It’s not just the ladies that will be spoilt for choice either as we have a great range of male and unisex masks too. Continue reading →

New Year is a time to party all your troubles away and start the next year as you mean to go on! For many people that will mean putting on your nicest clothes and raising a glass of champagne, but here at Hollywood we like to do things a little differently! Fancy dress is fast becoming a New Year staple and with each year we see wilder and weirder costumes emerge, but there will always be those few firm favourites. If you’re thinking of donning a funny costume to see in 2016 then check out some of our fancy dress ideas here. Continue reading →

It’s the film we’ve all been waiting 10 years for and it’s finally so close that we can almost touch it! I am, of course, talking about Star Wars “The Force Awakens”. There are some very high hopes for the new edition to an already huge saga and Disney has a lot to prove! Will it be the movie of the decade? Star Wars Star Wars is a franchise known all around the world. Since the release of the first movie in 1977, the empire (real and fictional) has grown more than anyone could have imagined. Whether you’ve seen the films or not, you know the characters because they are everywhere! Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker have become household names and you can’t go to any convention without seeing at least one group of Stormtroopers. Star Wars has such a dedicated fan base too, with people doing good deeds in the name of the force, like The SO16 troopers who often take part in charity events dressed head to toe in authentic Star Wars costumes! Continue reading →

Now for most people Christmas is an expensive time and working to a budget is essential, but that doesn’t mean that the fun has to be lost! Here at Hollywood, we know times can be hard so we make sure we cater for any budget especially over the festive season! Budget Santa When it comes to buying Santa costumes you will always be spoilt for choice. We stock a huge range so naturally there are budget options for those watching the pennies! You can pick up a full Santa costume for as little as £9.99 and that will even get you a fluffy white beard. It’s not just the men that get to dress up for less; we have some great ladies costumes too! How about a cute Miss Santa costume complete with hat for only £12.99 or something a little more slinky little this Santa Baby costume for only £14.99? Continue reading →

Children In Need is back this year and even bigger, with more excitement, courage and entertainment packed into one night than ever before! There will even be a space themed surprise! What To expect? This year’s Children In Need show will fall on one of the most unlucky days of the year, Friday 13th November, but fear not, there will be an imperial army on hand to defend us! This year the BBC has teamed up with Lucasfilm and Disney for a one off, extra special surprise! That’s right; there will be a Star Wars sketch! C-3PO, R2-D2 and everyone’s favourite Ewok, Warwick Davis will join forces to find a worthy human to trigger the totaliser for the night. Continue reading →

Come In And See Us! All Hollywood branches will have extended Halloween opening hours so you have even more chance to find the perfect costume for you! We will even be open on Sunday just for you! Here at Hollywood we know there’s not always enough hours in the day so we’re here to help! Our Bournemouth branches on Castle Lane...

Know your gnashers! Fangs are a staple Halloween accessory for a whole host of costumes so it’s important to get the right ones for you! Full Set If you ever went trick or treating as a kid you will know all about the plastic full set fangs. Quite often these will come in a set with fake blood. These are a little plastic mouth piece that you fold in half and place over your own teeth to give the illusion of fangs. If you’re after something cheap and easy, these will serve you well; just don’t expect to be able to talk too much with them in. These tend to be better for kids as swallowing them is pretty much impossible. Continue reading →

This Halloween gore is in and here at Hollywood we have made sure we’re ready for the flood! We have just about every kind of fake blood you can imagine so we’re here to tell you what the best blood is for you! We even have some new ranges this year so keep your eyes pealed. FAKE BLOOD Ok, ok, I know it’s ALL fake blood, but if the packet says “Fake” or “Vampire Blood” this is just your run of the mill fake blood, it's not very thick but it’s good for people on a budget or if you’re pouring it onto your costume. This stuff WILL sell out no matter how much we have in stock so be sure to pick it up as soon as possible! GEL For those true Halloween enthusiasts you’ll be in need of gel blood! This is the good stuff; the stuff that drips like real blood would, making it perfect for adding to face make-up and fresh looking wounds. For the most part all brands of gel blood have precision application tips so you can get it into the corners of your mouth and into the cracks and crevices you make in your wounds without the mess or fuss of the conventional blood tubes. Continue reading →

Halloween comes around every year, but that doesn't mean choosing a costume is easy! OH NO! We have such a huge range that even we struggle to pick, so here is a handy countdown of our most popular ladies costumes for Halloween.   Zombie Cheerleader This is a brain munchingly good costume! We love to zombify everything for Halloween and this is always a popular choice. It’s light, it’s comfortable and it’s covered in blood and the addition of the broken rib latex piece makes it that more gory! You even get the black and red pom poms in this costume so let’s cheer out Z.O.M.B.I.E!   Fever Devil Take them to hell and back in this sleek new dress! Unleash your dark side and rule the underworld with an iron fist. This stunning wet look dress has flame print and puff sleeve details to make you really stand out in a crowd; you even get some shiny devil horns to match. Finish off your costume with a devil trident and some red hot stockings! Continue reading →

Ringwood Carnival has come around once more so make sure you get down to the humble market town on Saturday 19th! There will be so much to do for all the family and of course a parade in the afternoon and evening to see. What To Expect From Ringwood Carnival? Continue reading →

This week the Isle Of Whight is the place to be as Robin Hill springs to life for Bestival! From Thursday the 10th to Sunday the 13th hop on a ferry and party in the Summer of Love. What To Expect From Bestival? Bestival is always a firm favourite for festival goers. There is so much to see do and hear...

Hollywood Fancy Dress Are Taking Poole By Storm! The Hollywood family continues to grow and expand as we open a brand new store at the heart of Poole in The Dolphin Centre. Come along and support us at our grand opening on Saturday 29th August from 10am. There will be plenty of goodies up for grabs so don't miss out...

Check out our brand new video! If you need fancy dress, Hollywood is the place to come! If you need balloons, we've got you covered! Just about anything you could need for a party all under one roof, why go anywhere else? Visit Hollywood Hollywood really does have omething for everyone so why not pop in and see us now...

The days are getting longer and warmer and once again it's time to get ready for the legendary Bournemouth Summer Ball! What Is The SUBU Summer Ball? This renowned event has now been running for over 20 years, raising funds for the Bournemouth Student Union and giving students the opportunity for an epic end-of-semester blowout! This year it will be held on Saturday the 6th of June and with the site open for a full on 10 hours, running all the way through Sunday morning. There will be a whole host of entertainment at this year’s ball which will boast a huge music show on multiple stages, with the likes of Sigma, Sunset Sons and Artful Dodger to look forward too! The site will also be alive with colourful tents, plenty of food stalls and the highlight of the night, towering fun fair rides! It’s the perfect combination to make the night truly memorable so bring it on! Continue reading →

Spring is starting to emerge and chocolate eggs and bunnies fill the supermarket shelves, this can only mean it is Easter time! Most people nowadays see Easter as a time to eat lots of chocolaty treats and look at cute pictures of fluffy baby animals, but we can do that any time! Easter is more of a spiritual event than we give it credit for these days. What Is Easter About? Easter is traditionally a celebration of Jesus’ resurrection after he was put to death on a crucifix. He was thought to be the son of God by the Christian religion and as such, this was a miracle to behold. Churches and schools across the country hold ceremonies to remember all that Jesus did for them in dying for their sins. In the leading up to Easter Christian also celebrate Holy week in which they celebrate the last weeks of Jesus’ life before re-birth and tell the stories from the Bible about his last supper and his betrayal from Judas. Long before Jesus’ time some European countries worshiped the Goddess of Spring, whose name was Eostre. Their belief was that the sun died in the winter and was born again in spring time and that this was the goddesses doing. Some believe that is was after her that Easter was named. Continue reading →