ARTISTS who created stage sets for the Rolling Stones will kick off Bournemouth’s Arts By The Sea Festival on Friday.

Joe Rush’s Mutoid Waste artists’ collective also directed the closing ceremony of the London 2012 Paralympic Games and will start the free events in the town centre next weekend which mark the opening of the third year of the event.

Expect the Mutoids to have giant articulated vehicles and machines parading the beach to set the scene for what is bound to be another wonderfully intriguing three weeks packed with more than 50 events.

Performances at the Daily Echo backed festival will also include films by Alfred Hitchcock and the new theatrical fairytale The Girl and The Shoes, which draws on classics like the Wizard of Oz.

Carol Maund, the festival director, told Later the festival boasts a vast array of attractions.

“It is great that it is all free for the opening weekend, so everyone can enjoy everything,” she said.

“I would pick out two unmissable events.

“Mutoid Waste will do something outrageous and unexpected on the beach for their Saturday night performance and Ray Lee’s mesmeric spinning sound sculptures to be found outside the Pavilion will be an incredible visual and sensory experience, both during the day and at night.

“They will look like flying ufo’s as dusk falls, so it will be an out of this world experience.”

The creations of Mutoid Waste will be at the Lower Gardens on Friday at 6pm and on the seafront on Saturday at 7.30pm.

And there is an exhibition at Pier approach from noon on Saturday and Sunday.

They created stage sets for The Rolling Stones at this year’s Glastonbury.

Mutoid Waste was founded by Joe Rush in 1984 and is a collective of artists famed for producing giant installations, sculptures and machines.

Their Glastonbury Trash City and the Unfairground were voted the best UK Festival field by the Daily Telegraph and the Times for 5 consecutive years.

A specially created sculptural parade and performance will open the festival with animatronics, lights, sound and special effects.

Carol said film and music fans will get a treat at the festival this year too.

She added: “I am also very excited to bring the restored Hitchcock films to the wonderful Pier Theatre, with live score from the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra’s Kokoro to add a live dimension to these classic black and white silent films.”