General

Wednesday is a set up day only with limited entertainment. On Thursday there will be a limited number of stages, bars and venues open later in the afternoon. The full show, with all stages and attractions will be open at 12 noon on Friday onwards.

The site needs to be vacated by midday on Monday 12th August. Please make sure you are all packed up and on your merry way home by then.

Head over to our Connect section where you'll find all our various application forms and their opening dates.

The legislation regarding smoking inside public places applies to tented venues in the same way it does at your favourite club or pub. You will be asked to finish your cigarette (including e-cigarettes) outside. Please don’t smoke or vape in a venue.

As with most larger festival sites, phone signals tends to be a bit hit and miss. There are no payphones onsite so it's best to do things the old fashioned way and plan a pre-arranged meeting spot. Our app also has some offline functionality, so you’ll still be able to check the programme & the map!

As of 2024, Boomtown is an over 18’s event. You may see some under 18s during the event. This is because some of our crew live on site for many weeks creating the festival. They will be accompanied by responsible adults and well cared for to ensure their safety and wellbeing.

Yes! Boomtown has comprehensive access facilities in place in order to welcome deaf and disabled citizens. This includes free Personal Assistant tickets, a dedicated accessibility campsite and extensive wide access facilities located throughout the site. 

Find out more about the support available on our Accessibility info page. If you have a specific access need you’d like to discuss or have any questions about our existing facilities, please do get in touch with the access team who can assist you further: access@boomtownfair.co.uk

Details of Boomtown's layout will be announced closer to the festival. We will announce this via our social channels and in our newsletter.

The whole Boomtown site is pretty big, you can expect to do quite a lot of walking over the weekend so please bring appropriate footwear. 

The Matterley estate is a green-field site that utilises the natural amphitheatre, neighbouring woodland and the surrounding fields to form the unique festival experience of Boomtown.

Boomtown takes place over the second week of August between 7th-11th August 2024.

Boomtown is set in the rolling hills of Matterley Estate, a working dairy farm in the most westerly point of South Downs National park, near Winchester. Exact routing information will be sent with your ticket, please follow it carefully!

Boomtown was started by a small team of young creative party goers who wanted to create something different -  - an experience that brings to life underground music, art and theatre culture.

The festival is still run by the same people who started it - but we’ve come a long way in the last 15 years!

Boomtown is a five day immersive music festival set in a parallel world. We’re on a mission to  inspire the emergence of a better world all while having a blast. 

Eight city districts come to life, each with their own unique vision for how we build a perfect world. There’s characters to meet, causes to join and secrets to be revealed around every corner.

To find out more about Boomtown please visit Discover The Fair

Tickets

There is no difference in what you receive between phases, we'd recommend purchasing earlier rather than later to be able to get the best price

Ticket plan Refund Protection is available and we strongly recommend that you include this option. Your booking is non-refundable and this will protect you against cancellation resulting from accidents and illnesses, up to a maximum of £5000 per refund application. Full details are included in the TicketPlan terms and conditions, which we advise you read and retain. These can be seen here: Terms & Conditions

Yes, we do! If you feel that you need a PA to help you get the best out of your time at Boomtown, and you have a current middle or higher rate DLA or you receive a PIP then you are eligible for a free PA ticket. Other applications will also be taken on a discretionary case by case basis.  For more information on the facilities we provide and information on how to apply for your free ticket please visit our accessibility page here.

Yes, if you live locally (in and around Winchester) and are interested in coming to Boomtown please email local_community@boomtownfair.co.uk and we will be able to help you.

If you would like to add any items to your booking you can do so by logging into your Kaboodle account here or by reaching out to our team on boomtown@kaboodle.co.uk. Please ensure you are the lead booker and have your booking reference to hand when getting in touch.

Tickets will be sent out closer to the festival date.

Yes, you can change the name on the ticket by contacting Kaboodle at boomtown@kaboodle.co.uk. There is an admin fee charged for changing names.

Note, the name on the ticket must match your ID.  

If you wish to change the name on your Coach Travel Ticket, please contact National Express directly on 03 8181 (charged at local rate) or email enquiry@nationalexpress.com. There is an admin fee for making this change.

All booking confirmations are sent to the ticket buyer's email address. If you are the ticket buyer and haven't received your booking confirmation, the most common reason is that you typed in your email address incorrectly on your order. Please contact boomtown@kaboodle.co.uk and they will assist you in finding your booking.

Boomtown is best experienced for the full four or five days! We don’t sell day tickets but you are welcome to arrive at any point throughout the festival (within gate opening times).

Your name on your ticket must also match your ID. Acceptable ID can be either Passport, Driving Licence or ID card bearing the PASS hologram. You can get a Boomtown branded CitizenCard card (not to be confused with Citizenship festival entry tickets) by visiting their website here.

Booking fees pay for the administration, customer and IT support that goes into processing ticket orders and they also pay for the huge amount of infrastructure that is required to set up and operate the wristband exchange and gates on site.

An Eco Bond is added at the point of purchase. This is your bond to the environment aimed to help reduce the amount of waste that is sent to landfill. The Eco Bond is fully refunded on-site in exchange for bringing two full bags of mixed dry waste and sorting it at the Eco Bond hub.

We cannot guarantee entry for any tickets bought from third party services. We’re not affiliated with any of these platforms and you run the risk that ticket owners will change the names again, rendering your ticket useless. Please only purchase tickets from our ticket providers Kaboodle and Ticketmaster.

Please note that if you get to the site and you have purchased a fake ticket OR your ticket does not match your ID, you will not be allowed entry into Boomtown.

As of 2024, Boomtown is an over 18’s event.

You may buy 8 tickets per transaction.

If you miss a payment of one of your instalments you should contact Kaboodle immediately by logging into your account or emailing them at boomtown@kaboodle.co.uk

If you fail to make the payments in accordance with Kaboodle’s terms and conditions of your payment plan then your ticket may be cancelled and you will not be eligible for a refund. This includes all added extras, accomodation and travel tickets.

Yes! You can opt to split the cost of your ticket with a payment plan, select this option at the end of the checkout process.

Yes, you can purchase a Wednesday upgrade by logging into your Kaboodle account.

All Green Transport Citizen tickets, and Citizenship tickets with Wednesday upgrade allow you access to all the public campsites to get set up early. The full city opens from Thursday onwards.

A Citizenship ticket allows you access to all the City and its districts and the 3 main public campsites from Thursday - Sunday.

Wednesday Tickets

Yes, your five day Citizenship ticket will still be valid if your plans change and you choose to arrive on Thursday instead. Please note that if you have a ticket to arrive on Wednesday and wish to now arrive on Thursday, your Wednesday upgrade is non-refundable.

Wednesday entry is FREE for anyone arriving by public transport who has purchased a Green Transport Citizen ticket.

If you have a standard Citizenship ticket, adding a Wednesday upgrade will cost £30.

If you have a Green Transport Citizenship ticket this already has Wednesday entry, so you won’t need to upgrade.

If you want to upgrade a standard entry ticket you will need to log into your account and select the 'Wednesday Upgrade' in the group 'Added Extras'.

You'll have access to all the public campsites from Wednesday as well as several entertainment areas. There will be a reduced amount of entertainment provided on Wednesday. More information will be released in the coming months.

Wednesday is a setup day to allow you to get settled before Boomtown officially starts on Thursday. If you would like to come to Boomtown on the Wednesday set up day, you must purchase a Citizenship Ticket + Wednesday Upgrade: Valid from Wednesday-Sunday (Standard adult 18+). 

If you purchase a Green Transport Citizenship ticket, the Wednesday upgrade is already included for free, so you don’t need to add this. Just book your Wednesday travel with the ticket.

Green transport tickets

You can get in touch with National Express in a number of different ways.

Website: http://www.nationalexpress.com/events/boomtown-fair.aspx

No, you must travel on the coach or shuttle in order for your Citizenship Ticket to be valid upon entry. You will not be permitted entry to the festival if you have booked a Green Transport Citizen ticket and do not travel on the coach or shuttle.

We offer discounted Green Transport Citizen Tickets to coach travellers to encourage public transport. We calculate the size of our car parks based on coach package customers coming by coach. If all of these people were to drive, we would run out of space and the traffic would be horrendous. Please don't do this.

Anyone can buy a shuttle bus ticket on the day from Winchester Train station.

Yep! You can still add on coaches to standard festival entry tickets, find them on the ticket page.

Green Transport Citizen Tickets are festival entry tickets that must be purchased alongside a return coach or shuttle bus ticket. Festival tickets are offered at a reduced price to reward public transport travellers, but you must also buy a coach or shuttle ticket and travel to Boomtown by that transport in order to be validated to receive your wristband on arrival at the festival.

To take advantage of the reduced price festival ticket, simply add a Coach Ticket or Shuttle Ticket to your basket along with the Green Transport Citizen Ticket.

Car parking passes

We can not allocate cars to a specific car park in advance. As you approach the festival we will ask you to follow the signs to Public Car Parks. This is because we direct the cars on to the best car park depending on the real time flow of traffic and the direction you are coming from.

The only exceptions are for customers who have booked a car parking pass linked to a specific area (such as The Meadow accessibility camping or Camp Skylark). You’ll receive all the information you need on driving routes with your car pass when you receive it.

Campervan passes can be purchased for campervans, caravans and trailer tents. All members of your party will each need a valid Citizenship Entry ticket. The campervan field will be open from Wednesday onwards.

Standard Car Parking passes are for all Citizenship Ticket holders. In addition there are specific car parking passes available to purchase for customers who are staying in certain campsites. This enables people to be directed to the most suitable car park for their campsite.

  • Camp Skylark
  • Camp Orchid
  • Tangerine Fields

Blue badge holders can park in the reserved blue badge parking areas at any car park - you will also need to purchase a car parking pass. If you are planning to camp in The Meadow accessibility campsite, please purchase a standard car parking pass and contact the access team to arrange parking close by.

All car parking passes are valid for arrival on any day. Please note that on Wednesday each person in the vehicle needs to have purchased a Wednesday Upgrade entry ticket.

All cars wishing to park at the festival require a car parking pass.

Travel

Yes! This year we are running a guided cycle from Bristol all the way to the Boomtown site.

If you are planning to drive yourself to Boomtown remember to book a car parking pass for your vehicle - these are much cheaper when booked in advance! We would strongly recommend car sharing if you’re coming by car - It’s not only less environmentally impactful but also makes the journey cheaper.

Yes! If you have booked your own private coach or minibus for you and your mates to come to the festival, you need to book a space to be dropped off at our coach park.

More details about this will be shared later in the year.

Absolutely! This service is available for anyone. You can buy it online via our ticket page or on the day.

We run a regular shuttle bus from Winchester train station to the festival site. A timetable will be published in July via the Boomtown website. The shuttle service will be wheelchair accessible.

There are loads of ways to get to the festival! We recommend coming to the festival via public transport. Shuttle buses also run to and from the local train station in Winchester and taxis and car share schemes are available.

Sleeping and campsite

There is a dedicated solo camp in Downtown, an easy walking distance from the public transport gate. An unofficial Facebook group is run by one of our citizens to join up intrepid explorers coming on their own, who all camp together in one community!

There will not be a designated quiet campsite, however, the areas further from the entertainment venues tend to be less densely populated and we would recommend campers seeking a little more tranquillity to pitch up there.

Each campsite has its own Campsite Village, which is a space to chill out, a selection of workshops available and the chance to listen to speakers. There will be bars, traders, and composting toilets. 

Each Campsite Village has a 24 hour campsite help point  with a campsite manager who is always on hand to help and advise with any concerns, questions or issues the public may have.  Stewards and our SIA trained Security staff are also available at all times. They are easily identifiable by their high vis tabards. There are also roaming welfare teams who patrol the campsites to offer support if anyone needs a hand, compost toilets and access to water points.

The three general campsites will have a dedicated area called the Campsite Village. This is the communal hub of the campsite where you will find entertainment, traders and facilities.

There are three main campsites across the festival site each with their own Campsite Village. These can be found in the West, East and North sides of the festival.

Yes. All Citizenship Tickets include access to all general campsites which all have a Campsite Village at their hearts.

Yes, You will be allowed to bring alcohol into the arena from the campsite areas.

Hot showers are available in Camp Orchid and Camp Skylark upgraded campsites. To make use of these you will need to have booked either Camp Orchid or Camp Skylark.

Yes, We are still offering phone charging facilities.

Yes, We have a huge range of pre-bookable campsites to suit all budgets, from basic tents to luxurious canvas homes with a huge range of added extras and facilities to suit all budgets. To find out more info on both of them please see our pre-pitched info here.

We define a live-in vehicle as something with either a fixed bed or fixed washing and cooking facilities.

Yes. We have one main campervan field, as well as The Meadow accessible campervan field available. These require a campervan pass which you can purchase at the time of booking your entry ticket or via your Kaboodle account.

Please remember that each person staying in the vehicle must have a valid Festival Entry ticket too. More information about pitch size and regulations can be found in our T&Cs.

Yes, we have a dedicated accessibility campsite called The Meadow, for more info on camping and the additional facilities available please visit our Accessibility Info page.

Arrival and departure

Yes, you can be dropped off at Boomtown using our designated Drop and Collect area, but we would rather you take advantage of all the other great options that are more environmentally friendly.

Yes, of course. You can leave at any time but you will not be able to get back in after 9.30pm until the following morning at 10am, even if you already have your wristband.

The car parks will open at 10am each day and close at 9pm sharp, so make sure you have plenty of time to arrive before they close.

The gates open on Wednesday 7th August for those with Wednesday upgrades. Everyone else will be able to arrive from Thursday onwards.

What can I bring with me?

Please do not bring fireworks, glass containers, potential weapons, portable laser equipment including laser pens or any illegal or offensive items. This is a family friendly event and antisocial or illegal behaviour will not be tolerated and may result in you being ejected from the site, or worse, arrested.

Sorry, it is against our licence terms to have animals on site. Should you arrive with your dog/cat/goat/hamster etc... you will be refused entry to the site, so please leave your furry friends at home.

Only assistance dogs are allowed.

No. Small personal speakers are allowed but we would ask you to be considerate of your fellow campers with them. The campsites are patrolled for rogue systems, which will be confiscated and you run the risk of being ejected from the site, which we really don't want to happen!

As pretty as twinkling tea-lights can be, they are very dangerous in a camping situation with all those flammable tents around. A torch or electric lantern is much better and far brighter.

Open fires, BBQs and candle flares are strictly forbidden for safety reasons.

Of course! As long as you can store it safely, then feel free to bring your own food.

You may bring up to 16 x 440ml cans of lager/cider/beer OR 17 x 250ml cans of premix spirit drinks OR a 3-litre box of wine OR 7 litres of cider/lager/beer in plastic bottles or cans.

Due to licence conditions no glass is allowed on site and will be confiscated at point of entry. Unopened plastic bottles are allowed, but if the seal is broken these will also be confiscated at the gates as we cannot allow unidentifiable substances onto the festival site. No re-entry with alcohol also applies.

Boomtown is a big festival. A big, outdoor festival in a hilly valley. Even though we make it feel like a proper living, breathing city filled with fantasy worlds, it is still a field, and you are attending a four day camping festival. Please pack accordingly, bring all necessary provision (within reason and bearing in mind the entry conditions and restricted items).

Only bring what you can afford to lose and what you can carry from the gates to your campsite. Work out what you're sleeping in and what you will need to keep warm and dry and only bring what you think you will need for the weekend. And please, please, please only bring things that you are going to take home with you.

We have loads of food stalls and bars throughout the festival so there is no need to rely on pot noodles and cold beans for the whole weekend!

Medical and welfare

In order for the security staff at the gates to determine whether a bottle of oil is CBD, and therefore legal, we require for the bottle to be sealed (and never to have been previously opened), and a commercially labelled product that clearly displays the CBD and THC content information. 

At the entry gates, if the product has been previously opened, fails to display the content information, or is suspected by the search staff of being any substance other than CBD, security staff may treat it as a contraband item, and confiscate it. Within the festival site, security will be looking at the content information to determine legality.

Boomtown’s position on CBD reflects the current national approach, however, it is important to note that Government departments are currently reviewing these products, and if there is any change in the regulations, Boomtown's position will by necessity change accordingly. Any such changes will be communicated via our T&Cs and on our website, so if you plan to bring CBD to the festival, you are advised to check our website prior to the event for any updates.

Medical waste can be disposed of at the Medical Centre. For extra information, please email email access@boomtownfair.co.uk and they will be able to help you with any specific query you may have.

Medication can be stored at The Meadow accessibility campsite - if you need this option please contact the access team.

To bring your medication with you, just bring a copy of your prescription, put all the medication together in its original packaging in a clear plastic bag with your name (that matches your ID and the name on your ticket) and contact number clearly marked on it.  

Please make sure you only bring enough for the period of your stay and make sure you keep it safe or with you at all times.

The Medical and Welfare tents provide experienced, caring and confidential help for all kinds of medical, practical and personal problems.

Drug policy

To find out the full Boomtown policy on drugs please visit our Drugs and Safety section here.

As with all festivals, towns and cities across the country, UK law applies. Do not bring drugs into the city, they will be confiscated and you run the risk of being prosecuted.

Please see our drugs safety page here for full details and advice.