13 – 16 August - Matterley Estate, Hampshire - Weekend Tickets £155
Boomtown’s music policy is straightforward and simple: Anything too serious or downbeat is out. It seeks to create an immersive fantasy world full of feel good positive vibes without the presence of overly commercial sponsors. And boy does it achieve that. It would seem that subtlety is not a word familiar to the organisers either. A wide spectrum of acts are on offer, but all add to that escapist party vibe.
The ‘town’ is divided up into nine separate themed districts, each with multiple stages. The areas and their themes are as follows: Old Town (pirates, balkan, gypsy); Trench Town (reggae, dub); Mayfair Avenue (electro-swing, glamour); Wild West (bluegrass, cowboys); Whistlers Green (folk, world); Kidztown (PG rated musicians, workshops, games); Barrio Loco (breaks, beats); DISTRIKT 5 (drum n bass, jungle) and Chinatown (ska, punk). It doesn’t get much more eclectic than that, but if that’s not enough they also boast the world’s ‘Biggest Baddest Boombox’ as well as the Arcadia Stage which is a huge metallic spider that shoots lasers out of its eyes. Arachnophobiac’s beware!