Фестиваль Boomtown представил масштабную перестройку территории и новую тему «Radical Redesign»

Boomtown promised a “bold new era”, and nailed it Opting for the theme of Radical Redesign for its 2026 edition, Boomtown Fair ramped up its offering in scale and scope, while still keeping its ethos of freedom and unpredictability at the core “This is in my top 10 experiences ever,” says a wide-eyed teen standing atop the staircase connecting Boomtown’s Hilltop and Downtown areas, jaw slightly agape as she surveys the sights below. Night is falling in Hampshire and this pocket of the English countryside is transitioning into a rave galaxy, with its many twinkling lights and flaming pyrotechnics illuminating the sky. She makes a big claim, but that’s the exact sort of reaction Boomtown tries - and clearly succeeds in - provoking. Nothing about Boomtown is low-key: it’s bold, extravagant, proudly extra in the most alluring way. The festival looks just as impressive in broad daylight, bursting at the seams of its expansive perimeter with spectacular production and eccentric characters, with gorgeous rolling hills visible beyond its borders. A smattering of disconnected tents and speaker stacks this is not. Boomtown bills itself as “The World’s Largest Interactive Theatre”, and shapes its offering in that mould. There’s detailed narrative informing the design and execution of its seven varied districts, with interactive actors who can set you side quests leading to secret stages. You can read the line-up and plan your day by sets, but you can’t predict what you’ll end up experiencing. An open mind and sense of adventure can take you down a rabbit hole that couldn’t be adequately billed on a poster stuffed with artist names. As Boomtown’s co-founder Luke Mitchell explains: “Boomtown is very much an art festival rather than a music festival. Music sits as one genre of the arts, alongside the storytelling, theatre and set design.” It’s this varied offering that has built Boomtown’s reputation since it debuted in 2009 and uniformly attracted a sold-out crowd. But while it’s a consistently beloved event and 2026 was once again a sell-out, there was a nervous sense around this year being pivotal among the organisers. The pandemic and the wildly inflated infrastructure costs it brought hit Boomtown hard, and it was forced to reduce its significant scale in the following years, notably removing the beloved Lion’s Den stage. But 2026 was all about ramping things back up. The team promised a “bold new era”, with a refreshed approach and an array of upgrades and additions, including the return of The Lion’s Den. A bar was set, now Boomtown had to deliver. Put simply, it did, serving up an immersive, exploratory and hugely entertaining five days under its banner theme of Radical Redesign. The return of The Lion’s Den was a roaring success. Having started life as a 500-cap tent back in 2009, it’s now a striking stage kitted out with lasers, fireworks and coloured smoke cannons. Situated in the dip of a natural amphitheatre, it’s blessed by the natural shape of the site and doesn’t waste that gift. The incline gives an unobstructed view of the stage wherever you stand, and when the crowd is packed out and going off, looking around to see the sweeping tiers of bodies responding in raptures is breathtaking. It hosts the standout set of the weekend from German hardcore outfit Scooter. They’re an act Boomtown has been attempting to book for a decade, Mitchell reveals, and finally got over the line. It’s hard to think of a festival and booking combo that’s more appropriate, as they perform a ludicrously fun show of outlandish dance music and crowd-pleasing interplay. “It’s hot tonight,” bellows bleach blonde frontman H. P. Baxxter, amid a weekend where the temperature averaged around 30°C, “but it’s not hot because of the weather,” he continues, “it’s hot because of you!”, complimenting the assembled dancers as another heavy drop of synths and bassline lands, drawing an enjoyable mix of amusement and appreciation from the energised audience. They whoop ecstatically as he follows up by shouting “We love hardcore!” amid the searing melody of Zombie Nation’s stadium-sized classic ‘Kernkraft 400’. It’s unsubtle, slightly ridiculous, deliriously fun. Boomtown to a tee. Across the weekend The Lion’s Den proves its versatility, providing a first-rate setting whether it’s dimming its extravagance to host the darker tones of a midnight drum ‘n’ bass set from Alix Perez and SP:MC or dialling it up for The Vengaboys, who have 30,000 people obediently moving to their prescribed Eurodance moves. The stages origins were formed around roots reggae and that remains integrated into the programming via the likes of Alborosie & Shengen Clan, Mungo's Hi Fi and David Rodigan, while the wider bill adapts to more varied tastes with the likes of Fcukers, Kneecap and Scissor Sisters featuring. A diversified line-up is one of the notable shifts in Boomtown’s approach, with its dance music billing especially expanding from a focus on d’n’b to incorporate all the house, techno and speed garage contemporary crowds can’t get enough of. The epicenter for this offering is the towering HYDRO XL, an imposing cluster of structures with a DJ booth in the middle and a 20,000-strong dancefloor stretching out before it. The stage debuted last year to rave reviews and duly upped the ante for 2026, more than doubling its capacity and scaling up the production. The booth is surrounded by two sloping arches, while slender curves of light sit at the flanks, poking up from the ground like the ribcage of a great whale. Four unevenly shaped towers stand at its rear, covered in colourful tiles and LED screens beaming out visuals of luminescent bubbles and tsunami-esque shapes. It’s like dancing in front of a cyberpunk version of Hokusai’s Great Wave off Kanagawa. A notable stack of back-to-back sets feature in the bill, including Faster Horses B2B Y U QT, who energise the field with greazy garage and breaks classics like Olive’s ‘You’re Not Alone’, Silva Bumpa B2B Rossi. dealing out slick tech-house, and KILIMANJARO B2B Oppidan, who draw out each other’s wildest selections. “Words can’t begin to describe how much fun I had doing that back-to-back with Oppidan,” enthuses KILIMANJARO after the set. “Boomtown, packed out HYDRO XL stage, Sunday afternoon, sun’s out, vibes high - what an experience! The energy was electric and getting to bring out MC Cunning was the icing on the cake.” The stage’s line-up is packed with massive names, including Four Tet, Marlon Hoffstadt, Brutalismus 3000, VTSS and Skrillex, who helms the coveted closing set, attracting a mega crowd with ferocious, high-tempo dance music and a surprise appearance from Chase & Status. It almost proves too popular, with the field hitting max capacity at the start of the set to the disappointment of those blocked off. But the overcrowding has eased by the latter half and there’s space to dance and take in the impressive closing ceremony, featuring an array of drones creating multicoloured shapes in the sky, from flowers to rainclouds to ultimately settling into the word “BOOMTOWN” with an infinity symbol in place of the “OO”. Imagery relating to the natural world ties into the environmentally-conscious ethos of the stage, which is emission free, powered by green hydrogen fuel-cell technology, leaving water vapour as the only direct by-product. Luke Mitchell says it’s part of the festival’s remit to champion innovative and change-making ideas. “Festivals exist to bring people together, to connect, to create memories, to tell stories, to grow, to learn, to celebrate, and they also give platforms,” he says. “We have an opportunity to put forward different ideas about how the world could look and how it could be fairer for more people, and ask questions and try ideas, try ways of just being, because we don't get these opportunities a lot in the outside world. Festivals, being a microcosm of society, allow out-the-box thinking, especially when we really open up and allow our imagination to run as free as it can.” HYDRO XL manages to implement sustainability without compromising on its blinding appearance. Visuals are a key part of Boomtown’s identity, which makes it a perfect place for artists to push the envelope with their performances, embodied by SHERELLE who brought her new A/V show to HYDRO XL, merging raucous jungle, heavyweight bass and a scintillating lightshow dominated by purple hues. “I love playing Boomtown so much, it feels like the closest thing to a free party,” says the Hooversound co-founder in the wake of the event. “Having the A/V show there was such a moment. They have really supported my career throughout and I will never forget that day for as long as I live! I will try to forget about the dust though…”. Weather-induced ground conditions aside, SHERELLE’s words hit upon the core appeal of Boomtown, which is the freewheeling spirit underpinning the experience. Even as a 77,000-capacity, big ticket festival, there’s an enjoyable sense of looseness and unpredictability to it all. The diversity of the festival ensures this. It’s made up of seven districts which all have their own distinct identity and offering. HYDRO XL is in the futuristic Metropolis. Oldtown feels like walking through an anachronistic film set, flanked by architectural facades that span from Medieval taverns to black-and-white revivalist design. Within its bustling streets and hiding behind its many doors, you’ll find everything from circus freaks to pumping dancefloors decorated like a ballroom, and a fully functioning Irish pub. Letsbe Avenue is a similar sensory overload: a surreal high street with an anti-establishment twist, home to spots like The Inconvenience Store, where you might find a stone forced into your shoe or a spoon of chilli con carne dumped into your hands, and Soapranos, a predominantly pastel pink and blue club that you enter through a washing machine door and witness filthy beats fighting for attention against dirty sock wrestling and detergent pistol fights. “We never take ourselves too seriously. There's a lot of silliness that goes on in what we create, a lot of weird sort of abstractness, a sort of spiritual cosmicness,” notes Luke Mitchell. “There's a lot of eccentricity in there, all these elements that come together to create what Boomtown is.” The free party energy is palpable at Area 404, a post-apocalyptic playground soundtracked by high-energy styles including speedbass, jungletek, acid techno, gabber and hardcore. The jewel in its crown is Spectrum 360, devised by rave lifer Mandidextrous. DJs play in the round, with the booth underneath a giant metal claw-like structure that has a circling LED screen and lasers firing out at all angles. Inclusivity is also a core part of the stage’s identity, with curated takeovers and a slot for the winner of a DJ competition for trans, non-binary, intersex and gender non-conforming artists. That extends through the festival, with new additions this year including The Observatory, a women-led academic research hub that hosted scientific studies, workshops, talks and panel discussions. “My experience was nothing but positive,” says CICELY, who stepped up at Spectrum 360 on Thursday. “The whole day was perfectly curated by Mollie Rush and packed full of incredible FLINTA talent.” On Saturday night she played the Cranked Soundsystem takeover at Botanica Zoo, a rowdy microvenue in the wilds of the Botanica, a contrastingly utopian-themed district decorated by verdant greenery, and is similarly effusive. “A whole takeover of Northern talent, the vibes were through the roof!” Tiny dancefloors that you often stumble into unwittingly are a core part of the Boomtown experience. While there’s 12 main stages with publicised bills, there are more than 50 hidden venues that reward anyone open to living spontaneously. Quite often you’re not entirely sure what you’re queueing up for, but quickly learn to trust that whatever is served up will be well-curated and inventively produced. There’s Nachtlicker, a steamy club room doused in subtle red lighting with the DJ booth in a cage and clothes lines of assorted fabrics strewn overhead, merging Berlin-style aesthetics with Brit-style rowdiness. Or Gabber Kebabber, a nightmarish den of extreme BPMs, unsettling decor and generally unhinged behaviour. There’s plenty of beauty to be found too. Tribe Of Frog’s stage is a trip: an enclave of woodland saturated with luminous greens, pinks and blues with lasers beaming through bright butterfly shapes and leaves overhead, seducing packed out crowds to lock into bewitching psytrance. Tangled Roots, where Deep Medi host a 20 year anniversary takeover on Friday, is a bass lover’s paradise, complete with sand underfoot that’s a comfortable stomping ground for the weighty selections of Skalah, Mala, Pinch and more. Twisted Time Machine at the Bad Apple Bar is in raptures anytime you enter. Queer crew to the front is the vibe, compelled by playful club sounds, theatrical dance shows and rainbow-coloured visuals bearing messages like “DONK IF YOU’RE HORNY”. Whether going big or small, intense or playful, outrageous or mindful, there’s a unifying thread across Boomtown of up-for-it energy and dedication to having a good time. It’s no mean feat for a festival that straddles so many lines to feel this cohesive. “Every single district holds an equal value towards the end result of the whole creative identity of Boontown,” says Luke Mitchell. “We want to make sure that no space is dominated by another space.” The crowd is diverse by age but has the feel of one big community, with an easygoing energy and no sense of being siloed by tastes. Making conversation in the crowd, that’s a major draw for the regulars who keep coming back for more. Welsh attendee Yanny Howells is at her tenth Boomtown, having first gone aged 17 and this year for the first time in her 30s. “We all crave community, and at Boomtown, it's so evident that it does exist," she says. “Everyone just wants to help each other. There was never any aggro in the queues for anything, everyone was just like up for yap, sharing experiences, just helping one another out. That is actually why I love it.” Having arrived with friends on Wednesday, the day of the solar eclipse, they found themselves sharing the once-in-a-lifetime moment with a group of strangers who invited them to see it through their eclipse-safe specs while blasting out Elton John’s ‘Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me’. “Moments like that are so organic, but I think Boomtown definitely brings out that freedom and creative edge to everyone,” she says. “It definitely feels like it's on the ley lines, doesn't it?” It’s true that it feels like there’s something in the air at Boomtown, but it’s also true that a lot of work behind the scenes fuels this. Boomtown ramping up and being able to expand back to its full potential this year helped bring out this liberated feeling. “All of the districts, all of the themed areas, everything was notched up with a level of art and creative expression that we had never really managed to tap into before,” says Luke Mitchell. “It was the same amount of people as last year, but more spread out. It felt like the crowd dynamics were really, really good. In quite a lot of festivals you squeeze together in one-way systems, sort of herded in. We really wanted to make sure that wasn't the case. It was open and free-flowing, as much as possible. There's more nature involved, there's more space to wander around, and there's gaps in between the dancefloors which are as equally important as the dancefloors. All the feedback has been that it felt the most friendly and inclusive edition.” He sounds exhausted but relieved, after intense months of fretting over the fine details and beginning to process the success of aiming big and sticking the landing. The Radical Redesign is complete, and next year’s theme is set: Wild Style. That feels like another concept Boomtown is primed to excel at. Patrick Hinton is Mixmag's Editor & Digital Director, follow him on Instagram