BIC Bournemouth parking: show rates and nearby car parks compared
The BIC car park charges a flat £12 from 5pm to the end of a show; 9 car parks near the BIC and Pavilion compared on 4-hour and 24-hour prices, summer and winter.
Facts checked against official sources on 11 October 2026. How we research
Car parks for the BIC and Pavilion compared
All prices were read from the operator's own page on 11 October 2026. The council's high season runs from 15 March to 31 October and its low season from 1 November to 14 March; the car parks with only one price column show no seasonal change. Walking times are estimates from postcodes, worked out the way described at the end of the page.
| Car park | Est. walk to BIC / Pavilion | Spaces | 4 hours | 24 hours | Evening rate | Height limit | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BIC multi-storey, Exeter Road | At the BIC / about 4 min | 644 | £12.40 all year | £23.50 all year | £12 flat from 5pm to end of show; £11 pre-booked for selected shows | 2m | BIC parking |
| Pavilion, Westover Road (BH1 2BU) | About 4 min / next to the Pavilion | 185 (BIC says 165) | £15.40 to 31 Oct; £8.20 from 1 Nov | £28.00 to 31 Oct; £20.90 from 1 Nov | None: charges apply 24 hours | Not stated | BCP: Pavilion |
| Bath Road North (BH1 2EW) | About 7 min / about 3 min | 116 | £15.40 to 31 Oct; £8.20 from 1 Nov | £28.00 to 31 Oct; £20.90 from 1 Nov | None: charges apply 24 hours | 2m | BCP: Bath Road North |
| Bath Road South (BH1 2EW) | About 7 min / about 3 min | 163 | £15.40 to 31 Oct; £8.20 from 1 Nov | £28.00 to 31 Oct; £20.90 from 1 Nov | None: charges apply 24 hours | 2m | BCP: Bath Road South |
| Winter Gardens (BH2 5AQ) | About 6 min / about 7 min | 250 | £5.80 | £12.90 | None: charges apply 24 hours | 2.1m | BCP: Winter Gardens |
| West Hill (BH2 5PG) | About 10 min / about 14 min | 127 | £5.80 | £12.90 | None: charges apply 24 hours | Not stated | BCP: West Hill |
| Berry Court (BH1 2LD) | About 11 min / about 7 min | 152 | £5.80 | £6.40 | None: charges apply 24 hours | 2m | BCP: Berry Court |
| Avenue Road (BH2 5SL) | About 11 min / about 12 min | 900 | £5.80 | £12.90 | None stated | 2m | BCP: Avenue Road |
| Richmond Gardens multi-storey (BH1 1JD) | About 12 min / about 10 min | 859 | £5.80 | £12.90 | None: charges apply 24 hours | 1.91m | BCP: Richmond Gardens |
- Est. walk to BIC / Pavilion
- At the BIC / about 4 min
- Spaces
- 644
- 4 hours
- £12.40 all year
- 24 hours
- £23.50 all year
- Evening rate
- £12 flat from 5pm to end of show; £11 pre-booked for selected shows
- Height limit
- 2m
- Source
- BIC parking
- Est. walk to BIC / Pavilion
- About 4 min / next to the Pavilion
- Spaces
- 185 (BIC says 165)
- 4 hours
- £15.40 to 31 Oct; £8.20 from 1 Nov
- 24 hours
- £28.00 to 31 Oct; £20.90 from 1 Nov
- Evening rate
- None: charges apply 24 hours
- Height limit
- Not stated
- Source
- BCP: Pavilion
- Est. walk to BIC / Pavilion
- About 7 min / about 3 min
- Spaces
- 116
- 4 hours
- £15.40 to 31 Oct; £8.20 from 1 Nov
- 24 hours
- £28.00 to 31 Oct; £20.90 from 1 Nov
- Evening rate
- None: charges apply 24 hours
- Height limit
- 2m
- Source
- BCP: Bath Road North
- Est. walk to BIC / Pavilion
- About 7 min / about 3 min
- Spaces
- 163
- 4 hours
- £15.40 to 31 Oct; £8.20 from 1 Nov
- 24 hours
- £28.00 to 31 Oct; £20.90 from 1 Nov
- Evening rate
- None: charges apply 24 hours
- Height limit
- 2m
- Source
- BCP: Bath Road South
- Est. walk to BIC / Pavilion
- About 6 min / about 7 min
- Spaces
- 250
- 4 hours
- £5.80
- 24 hours
- £12.90
- Evening rate
- None: charges apply 24 hours
- Height limit
- 2.1m
- Source
- BCP: Winter Gardens
- Est. walk to BIC / Pavilion
- About 10 min / about 14 min
- Spaces
- 127
- 4 hours
- £5.80
- 24 hours
- £12.90
- Evening rate
- None: charges apply 24 hours
- Height limit
- Not stated
- Source
- BCP: West Hill
- Est. walk to BIC / Pavilion
- About 11 min / about 7 min
- Spaces
- 152
- 4 hours
- £5.80
- 24 hours
- £6.40
- Evening rate
- None: charges apply 24 hours
- Height limit
- 2m
- Source
- BCP: Berry Court
- Est. walk to BIC / Pavilion
- About 11 min / about 12 min
- Spaces
- 900
- 4 hours
- £5.80
- 24 hours
- £12.90
- Evening rate
- None stated
- Height limit
- 2m
- Source
- BCP: Avenue Road
- Est. walk to BIC / Pavilion
- About 12 min / about 10 min
- Spaces
- 859
- 4 hours
- £5.80
- 24 hours
- £12.90
- Evening rate
- None: charges apply 24 hours
- Height limit
- 1.91m
- Source
- BCP: Richmond Gardens
How much is parking at the BIC?
The BIC multi-storey charges by the hour at any time before 5pm: £3.10 for up to 1 hour, £6.20 for 2, £9.30 for 3, £12.40 for 4, £17.70 for 6 and £23.50 for 24 hours. These prices do not change with the season. On a show night the rate becomes a flat £12 from 5pm until the end of the show; arriving before 5pm means the hourly rate applies.
For selected shows the BIC sells a pre-booked show rate of £11, which has to be booked up to 48 hours before the day of the event. Entry is by number plate recognition: take a ticket on arrival and pay before leaving. The car park is open 24 hours, accessible bays are on levels 1 to 3 with ramp access to the foyer, and the fixed barrier at the entrance is 2 metres (6 feet 6 inches).
Where to park for the Pavilion
The Pavilion car park is on Westover Road and is run by BH Live. The council page says it has up to 185 spaces, eight of them disabled bays, while the BIC's parking page says 165. Payment is by card, phone or the RingGo app, and charges apply 24 hours a day.
Bath Road North is the other car park described by the council as next to the Pavilion. Bath Road South has 163 spaces, 11 of them disabled bays. All three charge the same seasonal prices: until 31 October that is £7.70 for 2 hours and £15.40 for 4; from 1 November it is £4.70 and £8.20.
Cheaper car parks within walking distance
The council's town-centre car parks charge less and keep the same price all year. Winter Gardens, about 6 minutes from the BIC, charges £5.80 for up to 4 hours and £12.90 for 24 hours. West Hill, Avenue Road and Richmond Gardens charge the same, and their shortest ticket is 2 hours (£3.30).
Berry Court, about 7 minutes from the Pavilion by the estimate here, is the cheapest for a full day at £6.40 for 24 hours, paid by card or mobile only. It has 152 spaces, so it is the small one of the group; Avenue Road (900) and Richmond Gardens (859) are the large ones.
Which is cheapest on a show night?
Taking an evening show with arrival at 6.30pm and departure at 10.30pm (a 4-hour stay), and a full conference day from 8.30am to 5.30pm (a 9-hour stay, which needs the 24-hour ticket), the prices on 11 October 2026 work out like this:
| Car park | Evening show, 4 hours, to 31 Oct | Evening show, 4 hours, from 1 Nov | Conference day, 9 hours, to 31 Oct | Conference day, 9 hours, from 1 Nov |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BIC multi-storey | £12 (£11 pre-booked) | £12 (£11 pre-booked) | £23.50 | £23.50 |
| Pavilion, Bath Road North or South | £15.40 | £8.20 | £28.00 | £20.90 |
| Winter Gardens, West Hill, Avenue Road, Richmond Gardens | £5.80 | £5.80 | £12.90 | £12.90 |
| Berry Court | £5.80 | £5.80 | £6.40 | £6.40 |
- Evening show, 4 hours, to 31 Oct
- £12 (£11 pre-booked)
- Evening show, 4 hours, from 1 Nov
- £12 (£11 pre-booked)
- Conference day, 9 hours, to 31 Oct
- £23.50
- Conference day, 9 hours, from 1 Nov
- £23.50
- Evening show, 4 hours, to 31 Oct
- £15.40
- Evening show, 4 hours, from 1 Nov
- £8.20
- Conference day, 9 hours, to 31 Oct
- £28.00
- Conference day, 9 hours, from 1 Nov
- £20.90
- Evening show, 4 hours, to 31 Oct
- £5.80
- Evening show, 4 hours, from 1 Nov
- £5.80
- Conference day, 9 hours, to 31 Oct
- £12.90
- Conference day, 9 hours, from 1 Nov
- £12.90
- Evening show, 4 hours, to 31 Oct
- £5.80
- Evening show, 4 hours, from 1 Nov
- £5.80
- Conference day, 9 hours, to 31 Oct
- £6.40
- Conference day, 9 hours, from 1 Nov
- £6.40
Until 31 October the BIC's show rate beats the Pavilion and Bath Road car parks; from 1 November it does not. Walking 6 to 11 minutes from Winter Gardens or Berry Court brings the same evening down to £5.80 in either season.
Parking for the O2 Academy
The O2 Academy Bournemouth is in Boscombe, at 570 Christchurch Road, about 1.8 miles in a straight line from the BIC. None of the car parks above is within a reasonable walk of it. The venue's getting-here page points to the Sovereign Centre car park next door, which it says is open until midnight on Friday and Saturday, with charges applying and accessible bays and lifts. It also says free on-street parking can be found in the local area.
Pokesdown station is about 1,100 metres from the O2 Academy, by the venue's figure, but it is not accessible to wheelchair users. Bournemouth station is about 2,000 metres away. Buses leave from Boscombe bus station at the eastern entrance of the Sovereign Centre.
Can you pre-book parking?
At the BIC, yes, for selected shows only: the £11 pre-booked show rate, booked up to 48 hours before the event day, through the BIC parking page. The council car parks list pay on the day by card, phone or the RingGo app, and none of the pages checked offers advance booking.
How the walking times were worked out
Each estimate is the straight-line distance between the car park's postcode and the venue's (BIC: BH2 5BH; Pavilion: BH1 2BU), using postcode centre points from postcodes.io, multiplied by 1.3 for street routing and divided by a walking pace of 80 metres a minute. Bath Road North and South share a postcode, so they share an estimate. Allow 2 or 3 minutes either way.
Frequently asked questions
Is there free parking near the BIC?
No. Every car park on this page charges, and all but Avenue Road say charges apply 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. No official source checked for this page lists free street parking near the BIC.
Where do coaches drop off at the BIC?
The BIC's transport page says groups can be dropped off and collected outside the venue, and names Queens Road Car and Coach Park (BH2 6BE) as the nearest coach park.
Is the BIC car park open overnight?
Yes. It is open 24 hours, and an overnight stay costs the 24-hour price of £23.50. A hotel's own car park can cost less: see hotels near the BIC, where Travelodge Bournemouth Seafront charges £8.50 to £9.50 per 24 hours.