| Boomtown Fair | |
|---|---|
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&sq=Facebook&lang=en&file=File:Boomtown_2019_Lion%E2%80%99s_Den_night.jpg) The Lion's Den stage at night during Boomtown Chapter 11 (2019) | |
| Genre | Music & Theatre Production |
| Frequency | Annually |
| Location(s) | Matterley Estate, Alresford Road, near Winchester, Hampshire, England. |
| Coordinates | 51°03′05″N 01°14′44″W / 51.05139°N 1.24556°W |
| Years active | 15 years |
| Inaugurated | 7 August 2009 |
| Founders | Chris Rutherford, Lak Mitchell[1] |
| Most recent | 7 August 2024 – 11 August 2024 |
| Next event | 6 August 2025 – 10 August 2025 |
| Capacity | 66,000 |
| Organised by | Boomtown Festival UK Limited[2] |
| Website | www |
Boomtown (also known as Boomtown Fair) is a British music festival held annually on the Matterley Estate in South Downs National Park, near Winchester, Hampshire. It was first held in 2009 and has been held at its current site since 2011, and runs during the second week of August each year. The event features a diverse lineup of live bands, electronic music DJs, MCs, speakers, and theatrical performers across many genres.
Each yearly event is known as a 'chapter' and expands on the story line from the previous year, told through the set design, immersive theatre performances, and many forms of alternate reality games. The 1,250 acre festival site is split into 8 fictional districts, each with a distinct design and identity, and housing more than 50 hidden 'street venue' stages run by independent artists, collectives, and record labels, alongside 12 main stages run by Boomtown. The large scale of the build and its infrastructure requires six weeks of construction, and a month of disassembly.[1]
The event is centred around the progressive ideas of environmentalism and social equality, conveyed through the narrative, as well as many performances by speakers and activists, including the RMT, Palestine Action, Extinction Rebellion, and author Rob Hopkins in previous years.
The festival is run by Boomtown Festival UK Limited, partially owned by Live Nation UK (18%),[3] and originally founded by Chris Rutherford and Luke Marcus 'Lak' Mitchell, both from Bristol.[2] Since 2020, the event has a licensed capacity of 76,999 from Winchester City Council, but is currently still limited to 66,000 pending permission from the South Downs National Park Authority.[4]
- ^ a b Taylor, Kat (23 February 2017). "Interview with Boomtown co-founder Lak Mitchell". Festivalmag. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
CompaniesHousewas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Live Nation has acquired a stake in Boomtown, according to new documents". Mixmag. 17 August 2022. Retrieved 15 August 2024.
- ^ Warrenger, Sam (31 July 2019). "Boomtown capacity increase to 76,999 approved by council". TheFestivals. Retrieved 31 July 2019.