Jane's Midlife Journey

Shake & Stir – rebranded for 2026 as Shake & Stir Armed Forces Weekender, is a two day festival with a vintage theme, which takes place annually in the Bournemouth suburb of Southbourne. This year, there was an added military element with a parade plus a Military Heritage & History Hub.

Although Shake & Stir bills itself primarily as a vintage music festival, there are also vintage vehicles, vintage and artisan craft stalls, food and drink and fairground rides. In 2024, the festival drew a crowd of 30,000 people over the weekend and went on the win Event of The Year at the local tourism awards. 2024 also saw the festival celebrate its tenth anniversary.

In 2025, the event was ticketed for the first time, which wasn’t very successful, with attendance falling to just 2500 over the two days. So, for 2026, attendance is once again free, but with a slightly different emphasis.

How to get to Shake & Stir

The event takes place in Fisherman’s Walk; a linear park which runs from the main road in Southbourne (Southbourne Grove) to the cliff top. It is a couple of miles east of Bournemouth town centre along the A35.

By Bus

There is a very regular (every 3 minutes or so) bus link. Buses No 1b/1c/m2 stop at the top end of Fisherman’s Walk. The No 70 Breezer bus stops at the bottom end at Fisherman’s Walk Overcliff.

Parking

There is free roadside parking in the roads around the festival site and along the cliff top. If the weather is nice, good luck finding a space!

Dates

Shake & Stir takes place over a weekend in early summer, as follows:

2026

• Saturday 27 June (Parade – 10.30)
• Saturday 27 June (Festival – 11 am to 5 pm)
• Sunday 28 June (Festival – 11 am to 5 pm)

2027

• TBA

Price

For 2026, Shake & Stir is a free event but with donations appreciated.

Live Music

Bandstand

The Bandstand features a full programme of live music. The acts are mainly local bands, although the first couple of years I attended, the headliner was Mungo Jerry.

Dance Area

Next to the bandstand is a Dance Area for dance demos, lessons or just because you want to strut your stuff. If you’ve ever want to learn to jive or lindy hop, here is your chance. For 2026, to reduce costs, dancing had to be done on the grass, rather than a bespoke dance floor.

Vintage & Artisan Shopping

The park is rammed full of around 100 stalls selling vintage and artisan goods with plenty to choose from clothing and jewellery to soaps and sweets.

Food & Drink

There is a food area in a circle surrounding the bandstand offering a wide range of cuisines. There’s not much seating. If you want to sit and eat/drink, it would be advisable to bring a chair or a picnic rug.

Classic Vehicles

One of my favourite parts in past years has been a great selection of vintage vehicles, including some American classics and plenty of classic bikes.

Armed Forces Weekender

As mentioned above, this year the festival has incorporated a military element. With Saturday being Armed Forces Day, the event started with a military parade through Southbourne. There was also a last minute addition of a fly past by an Airbus A400M transporter, which I wasn’t expecting until it flew right over my house and I thought it was crashing!

The festival site itself had a Military Village with armed forces, veterans’ associations and military history all represented.

Shake & Stir is both unique and nostalgic. However, to be honest it does get rather crowded. In previous years, the event used to spread into the high street with the road being closed to traffic. But more recently, it has been contained in Fisherman’s Walk. With attendance of around 15,000 a day, that’s a lot of people rammed into a small space. It can be difficult to find a space to watch the entertainment or to find a way past the bandstand to get from one end of the park to the other. Personally, I find it all rather claustrophobic.

Shake & Stir for Children

There is some children’s entertainment, such as vintage fairground rides, face painting and pocket money stalls.

If you want to carry on partying afterwards, many of the bars and restaurants in Southbourne hold Shake & Stir themed events across the weekend.

• Updated: June 2026

I hope you found this information useful. For more inspiration on things to do in and around Bournemouth, check out my 101 Things to do in Bournemouth here.

For more inspiration on things to do in and around Bournemouth with young children, check out my 101 Things to do in Bournemouth with Babies and Toddlers here.