The Observatory

This workshop is a guided, body-based experience designed to foster deep social connection between participants in a safe, playful and attentive environment. Through simple physical exercises, shared movement and moments of collective awareness, participants are invited to reconnect with their own bodies and with others beyond words.

Drawing from physical theatre, somatic practices and group dynamics, the session explores how attention, presence and embodied listening can create trust and a sense of belonging within a temporary group. No previous experience is required: all activities are accessible, adaptable and based on everyday movement, breath and perception.

The workshop unfolds gradually, beginning with individual awareness and gently expanding into paired and group interactions. Participants are always free to choose their level of involvement, with clear guidance, consent-based exercises and respect for personal boundaries at all times. There is no expectation to perform, speak or share personal stories.

Rather than aiming for a specific outcome, the workshop offers a shared space to slow down, tune in and experience how connection can emerge through the body. It is particularly suited to festival contexts, where strangers gather briefly and meaningfully, and where moments of genuine human connection can feel both rare and valuable.

Participants often leave with a renewed sense of openness, groundedness and connection to themselves, to others and to the collective atmosphere of the festival.

How do our bodies respond to fear and threat—and how might our responses be related to the ways that we think about politics? Join a ground-breaking interactive research experience that brings social science out of the lab and into Boomtown!

Scientists are interested in understanding how our fear responses might be shaped by political attitudes and ideologies. Studies on this topic typically attempt to evoke fear in participants through “scary” still images, imagination tasks, or news reports. This project pushes beyond thoughts, pictures, and words by inviting participants to experience fear directly (but safely) through immersive, embodied tasks—all in the name of science.

If you participate, you will be quickly introduced to current findings on threat sensitivity, fear responses, and political ideology before being fitted with a Research Ring that unobtrusively measures heart rate and skin conductance in real time. You will then take part in two brief, controlled fear-eliciting challenges.

First, flirt with a fear of heights and enter a VR heights simulation, where you will put on a VR headset with controllers and step out onto the edge of a virtual skyscraper. Second, face a very different kind of threat in our tarantula encounter, where you will be asked to place your hand next to our live lab spider (just for a few seconds).

Following both task experiences, you can view anonymised physiological data, compare reactions across tasks, and reflect on how fear is felt, regulated, and interpreted in relation to our everyday social and political attitudes.

Step into a unique blend of movement, science, and art! Join us for an accessible yoga session where we explore how mind-body practices shape our brains in real time. Using wearable EEG headbands, we’ll capture your brain’s rhythms as you flow through gentle yoga postures.

But that’s not all! We’ll transform your neural patterns into vibrant Neuro-data Mandalas, turning complex brain activity into stunning visual art. These mandalas reflect the beauty of your inner world and the dynamic connection between movement, mind, and social connectivity.

This interactive workshop invites you to experience yoga not just as a physical practice, but as a window into your brain’s adaptability and wellbeing. Whether you’re curious about neuroscience, passionate about yoga, or simply looking for a moment of calm and creativity, this is your chance to see science come alive at Boomtown.

Sessions last around 45 minutes and are open to all levels! No prior yoga experience needed. Come discover how technology, art, and ancient practice can meet to inspire transformation and connection.

With increasingly potent synthetic drugs in circulation, UK drug markets are more risky than ever. The workshop will start by outlining current trends in drug use and drug-related harm before outlining recent developments in harm reduction including drug checking, by The Loop’s Potty Professor. Then The Loop’s 2 Crazy Chemists (in white lab coats) will provide hands-on interactive experience on staying safe. Given the two biggest risks are poisoning from adulterants and overdose from variable strength drugs, the workshop will illustrate how to identify adulterants and how to test for high strength using cheap, legal and easily available testing kits. There will be a Q&A on drug myths and realities which usually leads to lots of questions from the audience about (mis)understandings around drug effects, as well as the opportunity to explore audience thoughts regarding the high profile political debate around drug policy (eg. between the Labour Party and Green Party at the recent Manchester Gorton by-election). The workshop will end with a call to collective action to support the rollout of harm reduction services and the return of drug checking to festivals (currently not allowed); to be an active bystander if seeing someone who might need support; and to leave with a heightened awareness of the relationship between the personal and political, against the backdrop of the tensions between (more liberal) individual festivals and (prohibitionist) national drug policy.

The hour can involve an open conversation and talk getting people involved in a discussion around psychedelic integration, belonging, grief, nervous system and somatics.

Talk & workshop exploring lucid dreams, what are they, what are the pros and cons, and how to access them. With some practices.

Step off the dancefloor and into a pioneering social experiment on the future of democracy, where your voice is your power, not just your vote.

In this 90‑minute experience, you’ll join a group of fellow Boomtown revellers to move together, deliberate and decide together. We’ll start with a shared dance to get everyone on the same wavelength, then shift into a citizens’ mini-assembly on a real issue that affects festivals and local communities.

You’ll hear a short, balanced intro to the topic, then discuss in small groups to come up with concrete recommendations. Finally, you’ll gather in a circle to agree on a simple “We recommend…” statement from your mini‑assembly.

Along the way, we’re interested in what it feels like to do democracy together. Do you feel moved or “heart‑warmed” by moments of connection? Do you feel listened to, empowered, part of a “we”? After the session, you’ll answer a short, anonymous survey about your experience – no right or wrong answers, just your take.

Throughout - for a sample of willing participants - we will also be collecting biosensory data such as heart rate, pulse and electrodermal activity using equipment similar to a mood ring!

For participants who cannot join during the festival but are interested in the study will be invited to take part in an immersive digital version of the same research but in a virtual world, so we can see whether the same feelings of togetherness and empowerment is replicable to the same extent online.

We will keep all participants and anyone else interested updated on this study as it progresses!

No prior knowledge, or political expertise needed – just curiosity, openness, and a willingness to move and be moved.

This research is being conducted by Isabella Roberts, a PhD student at the University of Southampton, in collaboration with the Winchester School of Arts.

This workshop explores conspiracy theories from a psychological perspective, why they seem convincing to so many people and how to recognise them in everyday life. It is designed to be engaging and non-judgemental, and to equip festival-goers with practical tools for navigating misinformation in the wild.

The first part of the workshop examines what psychologists mean by “conspiracy theories”, how these narratives differ from healthy scepticism, and why they often feel more satisfying than ordinary explanations. Through demonstrations and interactive tasks, participants will take part in our Conspiracy Kitchen, collaboratively constructing conspiracy theories from “ingredients” that make up all conspiracy theories.

The second part will introduce participants to psychological inoculation—the idea that, like a vaccine, learning common misinformation tactics in advance can build mental resistance against them. Participants will then take part in a guided play-through of the “Bad News Game”, experiencing the strategies used to spread misinformation online. The session concludes with summarising the psychological toolkit for evaluating online claims, alongside links to further inoculation-style games and resources participants can explore after the festival.

This activity invites festival-goers to take part in a short, anonymous psychology study. Participants will complete a brief hands-on task that takes only a few minutes to finish.After taking part, participants can choose to learn more about the study and related research of the research team.

You’re invited to take part in a Boomtown psychology study running before and during the festival.

By completing a short online survey before you arrive, and answering a few very brief questions while you’re at the festival, you can help researchers learn more about festival-goers, the Boomtown storyline, and how people think about the world around them.

Everyone who completes all parts of the study will be entered into a raffle to win cash top-ups on the final day of the festival (Sunday). (**IF THIS IS POSSIBLE!!**)

IMPORTANT NOTE: I wouldn’t share this description with festival goers, but here is a brief summary anyway:

This study will use a “lost letter” field method to examine real-world helping behaviour at Boomtown. Across the days that the Postal Posse is open, stamped and sealed envelopes will be discreetly placed around the festival (e.g., left on seating area stamp-side up) not too far from the working post office. The letters will be addressed to different types of groups (e.g., Pro-Vaccine Discussion Group vs. Anti-Vaccine Discussion Group). The key outcome is whether festival-goers choose to post the letters.

The study focuses on natural, everyday behaviour. No festival-goers will be approached, questioned, or recorded. Returned letters will be tracked either by counting the letters returned to a PO Box address, or (if possible) by collecting returned letters directly from the Postal Posse team onsite.

Belief Tubes is a live, interactive display at the Research Tent that creates a growing visual picture of people’s beliefs about important issues across the festival.

In the Research Tent you will find a series of clear tubes, each labelled with a different statement. You are invited to drop small balls into any tube that reflects what you believe. As more people take part, the tubes gradually fill up, creating an evolving snapshot of how people’s beliefs about different issues are distributed across the festival.

Citizens of Boomtown! Are you weary from the revelry? Does a thunderous hangover threaten your festival spirit and your ability to skank?

Professor Dinger - the brilliant, disgraced psychopharmacologist once exiled for their radical theories on sobriety - has emerged from the untamed wilds of the Old Town. After decades spent cataloguing the restorative properties of tinctures, they have returned to stage a revolution in sesh recovery.

Professor Dinger and their team of rogue scientists (aka Dingbats) claim to have engineered a bespoke recovery compound so potent it can banish the morning-after malady and restore peak cognitive vitality. But a discovery this monumental requires data. It requires brave guinea pigs from the citizens of Boomtown.

On Friday and Saturday, we invite you to step into our cutting-edge lab and join the frontlines of hangover research. You will report to Professor Dinger and their assistant Dingbats to complete a baseline survey. You will then be randomly assigned one of three experimental interventions.

Once you receive your intervention, you will leave the lab and go forth to immerse yourself in the depths of Boomtown, consuming as many warm ciders and Piña Coladas as your heart desires. The Professor's research depends entirely on your dedication to the party.

The following morning, complete a quick questionnaire on your phone to document your recovery and verify just how compos mentis you truly are. Upon completion, you’ll be entered into our grand prize draw! You have nothing to lose - except, perhaps, a very painful head.

This workshop will explore the potential of EEG as a research and artistic tool. Our workshop will engage small groups of festival goers to explore their emotional response to BoomTown and consider the wider implications of EEG data for personal insights and cultural impact.

The future of emotional design, neurotechnology and AI will expand the way we research, design and create for emotion. In this workshop, Kinda introduces EVE, a live emotional visualisation tool that transforms EEG signals into beautiful, dynamic, responsive visuals. EVE presents EEG data as creative material, feedback systems, and provocations for reflection. Blending neuroscience with creative technology, EVE invites new ways of thinking about emotional insight, personalised storytelling, and co-design.

Join us to explore the future of emotional interfaces, as research tools and platforms for creativity, reflection and imagination.

Join leading neuroscientist Dr. Grace Blest-Hopley, founder of Hystelica, for a unique talk delving into the intersection of women’s health and psychedelic science. Drawing from years of research and lived stories, Dr. Blest-Hopley explores how unique aspects of female biology, psychology, and social context shape responses to psychedelics and mental health interventions. The talk will unpack the critical roles of hormones, stress, and life-stage transitions—including menstruation, menopause, and reproductive health—and how psychedelics may interact distinctively with these biological rhythms. Attendees will learn about the urgent research gaps around women’s psychedelic use, and how Hystelica’s community-driven projects are building both data and understanding where little has existed before. This session isn’t just about science; it’s about fostering community, sharing experiences, and driving meaningful change in women’s wellbeing. Includes practical insights, interactive elements, and a closing 15-minute guided meditation or mindful movement designed for self-reflection and integration

The Liminal WallWhat are you ready to leave behind?Not everything needs to come with you.Here, you can leave a word. A mark. A feeling.There’s nothing to fix. Nothing to perform.Just a moment in between.Watch the wall change as the festival unfolds.Anonymous. Voluntary. Collective.Hosted by The Observatory at Boomtown and Trybes.

In these workshops, we will collectively explore the experiences of Neurodivergent festival goers (e.g., those who are Autistic, ADHD, dyslexic, dyspraxic, Tourette's, have a learning disability etc.) for a groundbreaking research study! We will share in discussion and creative activities, such as art and crafts, to explore lots of different festival experiences, including the joys, the challenges, and the impacts. As well as having the opportunity to connect with other Neurodivergent festival goers, you can contribute to research. We ultimately want to understand what makes a festival a truly magical but also an accessible and inclusive experience for Neurodivergent people. This can help ensure that festival organisers make festivals inclusive for Neurodivergent people.

Welcome to Abdominal attunement brought to you by Natalie Davis from The School of Intelligent Bodywork. In this workshop you will learn why getting to know your abdomen might be one of the most worthwhile personal relationships you ever build. Our abdomen houses our vital organs, and most importantly for this session we will be getting to know our gut. Meet your microbiome, learn how your hands can connect you to you deep self. Think of this workshop as science meets soul; Natalie will teach you some basic anatomy and share science based facts about your gut. You will learn about the science of touch and why and how abdominal massage can improve digestion, regulate mood and enhance our relationship to this beautiful and vital space. You will leave the workshop with some interesting facts, a self massage routine with a handout to take home. Access to online resources and hopefully feeling calm and connected to yourself and those around you.

This interactive workshop explores why rhythm-based music and movement feel so powerful — emotionally, physically, and socially.

Drawing on neuroscience, music culture, and embodied experience, participants will be guided through a gentle, accessible movement session led by rhythm-focused music. No dance experience is required. The emphasis is not performance, but feeling, regulation, and connection.

Participants will be invited to notice how their body responds to rhythm, repetition, and collective movement, and how music can shift emotional state, reduce stress, and create a sense of shared experience. Before and after the session, attendees will be invited (optionally) to complete a short anonymous questionnaire as part of a live research project exploring the emotional and psychological impact of music-led movement in festival environments.

This session offers a space to move, reflect, and contribute to ongoing research into why music and dance have been used for regulation, healing, and connection across cultures for thousands of years.

This gathering will unite those of you, dearest citizens of Boomtown, seeking to manage your energy levels by immersing in ritualistic practice and partaking in an offering designed to pause and reflect in between other exciting celebratory offerings. Join us for a mindful yet fun transition from festival day to festival night. Gift yourself a pause, a chance to reflect, to connect with like-minded others, and to enter the rest of your festival adventures in a state of embodied manifestation – though be careful what you wish for ;)

We’re running a before-and-after Boomtown survey led by researchers from 10 universities to explore how festivals shape the mind, emotions, and behaviour. By taking part before and after the event, you’ll help us understand how experiences at Boomtown may influence mood, connection, identity, and the ways people think, feel, and act. It is a rare chance to capture the psychology of a festival in real time, and to build one of the most exciting pictures yet of what collective experiences like this do to us. Everyone attending Boomtown as guest or crew this year is welcome to participate and for anyone completing both surveys, there’s a chance to win a £250 voucher which will be drawn by the end of August!