Is Boomtown fair festival worth the hype?

I’ve heard many things about Boomtown festival, some good some bad, but mainly that it was unlike any other festival. Last week I put this to the test and experienced the madness that was Boomtown Chapter 9: Behind the Mask

Located in Winchester, which is basically at the bottom of the country, Boomtown is one of the most diverse festivals on the scene. It features a variety of musical genres, with everything from indie, country, folk, drum & bass, house and many more. The festival prides itself on creating an immersive experience, using very well structured set designs and actors to make attendees feel like they’ve entered a dream like town in a different world.

I’ll admit that I was a little apprehensive before I went to Boomtown. I didn’t know many people that had been previously and the ones I knew were going seemed a bit…wild? I’d heard stories that on the last night everyone descended to the forest banging on pots and pans until 7am refusing to accept the festival was over. I was worried it would be a weekend of ‘free spirits’ reviving the flower power movement one illegal substance at a time. I also had no idea what to wear (‘do people even wear clothes at boomtown?!’) and racked up a large online order filled with backless sequin crop tops, velvet play-suits and patterned flares.

I guess I’m writing this blog to put anyone who is worried about going to Boomtown next year at ease, because it was easily one of the best festivals I’ve been to. It’s huge and crazy at times, but the atmosphere is incredible and there is something for everyone. So much effort was put into creating an entire town to party in, complete with districts, sub-towns and hidden venues.

There is nothing scary about it, and even though 60% of the people there did have dreadlocks, most punters are your average ravers. There’s a good mix of young and old people and you even spot a few families around due to the special Kidz’ Town section. Of course, there were still chavs there, but they flock to any place with music and the possibility of getting off your face for four days.

Tips & tricks for Boomtown Festival 

Be prepared for a big queue – Some people had to queue for 7+ hours to get in to the festival, so be prepared for long waits. We were also stuck in at least an hour’s worth of traffic once we got closer to the time.

Explore everything on the first day – Boomtown is massive, we spent most of our time in the same areas but looking back on it I wish I’d explored more. We found an amazing place on the last day which was a bit of a walk from the main old town section.

HOOCH – They sell Hooch at all the bars! Even better, they sell Hula Hooch! In case you didn’t know, hooch is a retro alcoholic lemonade style drink and it is delightful.

Make the most of it from the moment you wake up – Once again, I spent quite a lot of time hanging around the campsite drinking and getting ready, when I should have gotten ready as quick as possible and explored the festival. You can take alcohol from the campsite with you, so there’s no excuse to stay in one place.

Take a few outfits but don’t go crazy – Although there were loads of people who were dressed up, most people didn’t make as much effort with their outfits as I’d imagined. Honestly, everyone is having such a good time no one really cares what you look like. It’s definitely a low maintenance/no judgement festival. I ended up wearing the same top most of the time because I really liked it!

Take ear plugs – The music goes on all night, even when the main stages are finished there’s always something going on and rowdy people making noise. If you want to sleep, then pack some ear plugs.

Try the food – Boomtown has loads of quality food vendors in each of the sections, I tried a Tibetan place which was amazing and a peking duck wrap place that was so good we kept going back to for more! However, it’s not cheap so make sure you bring enough money for food for 4 days (about £10 per meal).

Bring sun cream – Apparently, beautiful weather is a Boomtown tradition so make sure you bring your sun cream. It was boiling every day and lots of the people we were with got sunburnt/sunstroke so don’t risk it!

Festival season is over, which makes me so sad because I enjoy going to them so much (here’s some of the reasons why I do!) Hope you enjoyed this post, I will try and write some more event style posts for the future.

Have you even been to Boomtown? What’s your favourite festival?