Safety & Security

Each year we welcome harm reduction partners to work with us in our planning and to offer advice and education around drug usage to our citizens onsite.
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The Loop

The Loop will have their drugs education tent on site to offer information and guidance on drugs to our festival goers for free.

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TLC 

Our dedicated welfare team is here to offer support and welfare services for anyone who feels they may need it. Please pay them a visit if you are feeling a bit overwhelmed by anything or just need a bit of TLC. 

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Cocaine Anonymous 

If you are just looking for someone to talk to about how you are feeling, or would like information about ongoing help, these teams are here to listen.

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In 2021, pills contained around 150MG of MDMA. Now, the average sits at over 180MG. Stronger IS NOT better. It’s more dangerous. ALWAYS start low and go slow and allow your body to feel the effects. A lot of drugs have come on the market that are incredibly pure, which doesn't mean they are ‘safer’ or good for you... Always pace yourself.

Mixing substances intensifies the effects of any individual drug and makes them more dangerous. The more drugs that are used simultaneously, the greater the risk is. Do not mix substances. Some examples and risks of them are: 

Depressant + Depressant (such as ketamine and alcohol): Combining these can slow down your central nervous system way too much, which can be really dangerous and even lead to death. 

Stimulant + Stimulant (such as ecstasy and cocaine): This combo puts a lot of strain on your heart and can cause insomnia or even drug-induced psychosis. 

Stimulant + Depressant (such as cocaine and alcohol): Mixing these can trick your body into thinking it can handle more, but when one wears off, the effects of the other can hit you all at once. 

Many people don’t think of alcohol as a ‘drug’. Alcohol can however, have a big impact on the way many substances affect you. Some of the time this involves enhancing the effects of the other drug, but with many substances, alcohol can create a dangerous, potentially fatal, chemical reaction.

At Boomtown we aim to treat drug usage as more of a welfare issue than a criminal one. We raise awareness of drug safety throughout the year and implement a series of harm reduction measures on site designed to safeguard our citizens. This has long been a priority for us and we are proud to be able to say we have participated and led the way in this safety drive. 

We do not condone any usage of drugs at Boomtown and anyone found in possession of drugs,  will have them confiscated and you might be ejected from the festival site and could face prosecution. If you get a police record for drugs it may impact your future employment, education and travel plans.

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Please read this information on the areas we have highlighted for this years festival that many people should be fully aware of before experimenting with drugs.

Not only does taking Ketamine dissociate you from the festival surroundings, it also has some very serious and very real side effects; 

• Taking Ketamine can be fatal, particularly if it is mixed with other drugs or alcohol • Taken in high dosage can cause seizures 

• Ketamine can increase your heart rate and blood pressure. It can make you confused, agitated, delirious and disconnected from reality. 

• Because you don't feel pain properly when you've recently taken Ketamine, you can injure yourself and not know you've done it. 

• Abdominal pain, sometimes called ‘K cramps’, have been reported by people who have taken ketamine for a long time. 

• In the longer term, Ketamine can cause serious bladder problems, with the urgent and frequent need to pee.

 • Evidence of liver damage due to regular, heavy Ketamine use is emerging.

While it might seem like harmless fun, using or supplying nitrous oxide can actually land you in serious legal trouble. Nitrous Oxide (NOS/Balloons) are now a Class C controlled substance. This means possession with intent to use is a criminal offence. In the UK, it’s illegal to sell or distribute nitrous oxide for recreational use. If caught, you could face fines or even worse, imprisonment. And let's not forget those discarded canisters can cause significant environmental harm. They’re not biodegradable, and they litter our festival grounds, causing damage to wildlife and the environment.

• Confiscate drugs without recording the process.
• Under no circumstances can they carry out any form of intimate body searching of an individual. This can only be carried out by the police. There will be police onsite supporting our search procedures, who may conduct intimate body searches where they deem it to be necessary.

Security must follow the rules and respect everyone on site. Boomtown is a community which celebrates diversity and does not tolerate any form of intimidation, violent or threatening behaviour or prejudice or anti-social behaviour.If at any point you feel that Security staff are not behaving in an appropriate way please DO report it whilst you are on site, so we can ensure it is followed up and we can take affirmative action immediately. You can do this by reporting it to the Info Point and the Campsites Help Points, or via the Boomtown app. You can also request that a different security staff member requests assistance from a manager to deal with the situation. To help us investigate this fully, if possible please make a note of the following details:

• SIA / ID number (this is found on security’s hi vis jacket)
• Tabard number
• Location
• Date / time
• Physical description of the staff member

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You will see security all across the festival site and below outlines some things security does around the festival to try and keep everyone feeling safe throughout the weekend.

Security constantly keeps their eye on crowd flow! Sometimes they might:

• Stop people entering an area or stage if it has reached capacity, or you don’t have the right wristband for a specific area
• Shut down venues
• Implement one-way systems
• Cordon off areas
• Remove tents if they are blocking fire lanes

You can help them by listening & following their instructions. Security staff are very friendly and you are more than welcome to ask them why they have implemented a venue close/one way system but if they do look busy they may not be able to answer straight away.

You will also find security in and around campsite areas to keep an eye on everyone’s safety and wellbeing as well as ensure everyone gets the chance to rest up, refuel and have some much-needed sleep, security are on hand to:

• Provide support to anyone who may feel they have been put in an uncomfortable position by any anti-social behaviour
• Provide a presence across campsites to check for suspicious behaviour and protect against opportunist tent theft
• Ask the more boisterous amongst us to move if they are in a designated quiet area or if it’s the early hours
• Switch off rogue and prohibited sound systems

They can also…

• Stop people from putting themselves and others in danger by climbing on sets or equipment
• Stop tagging and vandalism of sets
• Confiscate any item that is on the prohibited items list
• Confiscate any alcohol brought into the festival that is over the official limit
• Implement no smoking regulations
• Enforce the festival policy on overt drug taking. Security staff are briefed to intervene if they see drug taking. They can confiscate drugs found, issue a warning, or remove you to evictions. Any person seen overtly taking drugs will have their name checked against any prior drug taking/possession onsite, if you are seen taking/possessing drugs on more then 1 occasion you will be automatically evicted
• Restrain anyone who is a danger to themselves or others
• Carry out searches in cars, campervans, bag and outer clothing person searches

There are a lot of measures in place to help keep everyone safe, including our security teams who assist in ensuring things run smoothly for all of us. They are all Security Industry Authority (SIA) trained and are here to help, listen, advise, take reports and deal appropriately with difficult situations. 

You can find them easily in their hi-vis tabards throughout the city, in all campsites and campsite help points, stages and venues, where their primary objective is to keep us all safe and secure.

We’d recommend bringing a small stocked first aid kit including plasters, basic medication like; painkillers, antihistamines, antiseptic cream, sun cream, after sun and insect repellant.

If you have pre-existing medical conditions such as asthma or diabetes make sure you bring what you need for your time on-site and see our prescribed medicine section below. 

Bring a refillable water bottle to use at any of our water points to keep hydrated throughout the weekend

Ensure you have clothing for all weather eventualities

The most important things you can do

• Eat, sleep, hydrate - repeat!
• Know where Medical and Welfare are located and that you can ask anyone in a tabard (stewards, security) for help at any time. 
• Look after your friends
• Understand the risks and educate yourself around using drugs and alcohol. The Loop will have a presence onsite to offer drug education. (They will not have a drug testing service this year).

For our citizens who need to make use of a calm environment there are welfare centres on site where there are trained staff on hand to help. 

Here you’ll find confidential help, counselling services and advice for any emotional problems. The welfare teams have staff trained to provide professional support and advice on a wide range of issues, including drug and alcohol abuse, addiction, bereavement, eating disorders.

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Sexual harassment, assault and domestic violence support will be offered by Safer Spaces, who have a chill out and glam tent as well as outreach posts in the Campsite Help Points. The team will be on hand to talk about harassment, sexual health and consent, as well as supporting with any sexual assault reports. Safer Spaces works to prevent violence against women and girls, but are gender informed and gender inclusive.

‍We will have a 24-hour medical centre for first aid support, plus an on-site field-hospital staffed with medical professionals, including doctors, nurses, paramedics and mental health practitioners. Medical outreach and response is carried out by foot patrols and 4x4 ambulances.

The medical centres are equipped to deal with almost all medical emergencies, right through to minor illnesses and injuries. They function in a similar way to many A&E departments across the country and are supported by festival ambulance buggies and paramedics.

There is a pharmacy service available at the medical centre where you can buy over the counter items such as paracetamol, ibuprofen, plasters, tampons and condoms.‍

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