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Boomtown Festival 2018, everything you need to know: Tickets, lineup, dates, location

After 2016 and 2017, here’s everything you need to know about Boomtown 2018


Boomtown Fair is not just one of the summer's prime festival offerings, it's a full-on pop-up city where you can immerse yourself in the weird and wonderful atmosphere. With a variety of music genres, you'll never be bored and you'll probably meet some unforgettable characters.

The impressive lineup boast Billy Bragg, DJ Q, Eats Everything, Gorillaz, Idris Elba, Lady, Leshurr, Limp Bizkit, Maribou State, Oneman, Redlight, Romare, Soul II Soul and many more.

But what about all the nitty gritty info? What are toilets like? What's the best way to travel? How extensive is the security search on the way in?

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Boomtown tickets

Tickets are still available online, and prices start at £240. Click here to get to the ticket site.

When do I have to pay off my split payment ticket by?

Final payments must be received by 4th June. If you don't meet this deadline your ticket will be cancelled and you will not be refunded your deposit or booking fee.

Boomtown day tickets

Boomtown do not sell day tickets.

When do Boomtown tickets arrive?

E-tickets are emailed to the tickey buyer's email address in June.

Boomtown ticket refund

Boomtown provide the option to securely sell your ticket back to them. Up until June, they offer a full refund on entry tickets. To request a refund send an email to [email protected].

Boomtown Wednesday ticket

Wednesday entry tickets are free for coach and shuttle travellers but must be booked in advance. If you are travelling by car they are a £40 add-on. You can find out more information here.

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Boomtown lineup

Give a thousand monkeys a thousand typewriters for a thousand years and they still probably won't be able to produce the entire Boomtown lineup.

Highlights include Billy Bragg, Gorillaz, Maribou State, Redlight and Soul II Soul, but click here to explore what's going on across the vast number of different stages.

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Boomtown location

Boomtown Fair is held at the Matterley Estate near Winchester, Hampshire, SO21 1HW.

Boomtown dates

Boomtown will take place from Thursday 9th August until Sunday 12th August, and will coincide with Houghton 2018 which is happening the same weekend in Norfolk.

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Travelling to Booomtown by coach

Coach travel is available from over 50 locations across the country, thanks to Boomtown teaming up with National express. Prices start at £29 and you can find out more here.

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Travelling to Boomtown by train

The nearest train station is Winchester, with the journey time to London (Waterloo) coming in at just over an hour.

A shuttle bus service takes you from the station directly to the festival site. Return tickets can be bought with cash on the day for £10 and the bus timetable will be announced closer to the time of the festival.

Travelling to Boomtown by car

Boomtown are encouraging those who travel by car to car share, and everyone driving to the festival must buy a car pass by the 22nd June, which will be posted out to you nearer to the festival. You can buy car passes on the gate but they will cost twice the price, so click here to buy one online now.

When does music start and end at Boomtown?

Here's the music schedule for Boomtown festival:

Thursday: 12pm – 12am

Friday: 12pm – 4am

Saturday: 12pm – 4am

Sunday 12pm – 12am

Boomtown camping

All festival tickets include access to all general campsites. There are no segregated arenas at Boomtown so you can choose the area that suits you.

There are loads of different campsites with massively different vibes. Some are chilled and laid back whereas others are literally right next to drum & bass tents for those looking to have a medium-to-large time.

The Meadows is Boomtown's accessible campsite, situated near to Whistlers Green and the Lion's den.

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Reserved camping

You can book a 7m by 5m camping pitch online so you know you have a decent spot before you arrive. It's located between Town Centre and Lion's Den and is the flattest and most prime camping spot at Boomtown.

If you're arriving in a large group, you can nominate a group leader during the booking process and the campsite managers will group you all together.

Campervans and live-in vehicles

Boomtown has three live-in vehicle areas to suit all needs: main, family and accessible. You can find out more information about all that here.

Their main campervan field is sold out for this year's festival, but suggest the Morn Hill Caravan Club if you want to park off-site with the opportunity to have an electric hook-up. The site is within walking distance of the festival.

Boomtown luxury camping

Camp Skylark

This year's festival sees the return of Boomtique, Boomtown's luxury accommodation option.

Camp Skylark is located just behind the Lion's Den and provides a peaceful camping experience. The range goes from simple tents to giant tipis, and is equipped with toilets, shower facilities, a cafe and bar.

Tangerine Fields

This year there are two camps – Tangerine Fields West (located by the coach drop-off point) and Tangerine Field's East (located by Camp Skylark).

Tangerine Fields east is sold out but there are still tickets for Tangerine Fields West.

Camplight

Camplight are an organisation that pick up tents abandoned at UK festivals and are fully pre-pitched at the festival in their own campsite.

Aimed at those who like to travel light,you can select any size tent for £30. Options range from single pop-up tents to massive three-compartment nine-man tents. All the usual essential facilities will be close by AND you don't even need to take the tent down when you leave.

The tents come unfurnished but you can also book add-ons, such as chairs, water stand point, showers, rubbish bins and mirrors from the Camplight website.

What's the crowd like at Boomtown?

It's basically a massive mix between 40-year-old wreck-heads, big groups of 18-year-olds who are really fucked, a couple of families wandering around, and then lots of weird Psytrance people. Quite a lot of oddballs it's fair to say.

What is the food like at Boomtown?

Literally just your standard festival offerings, nothing stands out above the usual.

Boomtown toilets and showers

Zooloos provide hot private showers and clean flushing toilets, hooray! Open from 7am-11pm, peak times are between 10am-2pm when you can expect to queue for 10-30 minutes.

The Zooloos are available at three campsites – Downtown, Town Centre and Wild West.

Boomtown lockers

Lockers are available at Hilltop and Downtown, include mobile phone charging and are accessible 24-hours a day. You need to bring your own padlock (30mm or less) and a £5 deposit is required.

Boomtown phone charging

Charge Candy are providing phone charging and offer either 'drop and return' or portable charging. Prices are cheaper if you book in advance anda for the portable chargers a £20 deposit is required on top of fees.

Will I be searched for drugs at Boomtown?

Boomtown have said attempts to enter the festival with drugs will result in refusal of entry, eviction or prosecution if you are caught. Security measures, amnesty procedures and searches at the gate have been increased to try and prevent any drugs from entering the festival.

Boomtown drug testing

There is free front of house (mast) drug testing available, thanks to The Loop, which also includes a one-to-one 15-minute drug consultation session.

There will also be trained drug workers at each of the seven campsite hubs in addition to extensive medical and welfare provisions.

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How much alcohol can I bring to Boomtown?

Boomtown allow you to bring up to 16 cans of beer/cider or 17 cans of pre-mixed spirit drinks or a 3-litre box of wine .

No glass is allowed on site and will be confiscated at entry. Unopened plastic bottles are allowed but if the seal is broken they will be confiscated.

When can I arrive at Boomtown?

Gates open on Thursday 9th August at midday and close at 9.30pm.

What's happening on Thursday at Boomtown?

A few stages, bars and venues will open in the afternoon but everything opens properly on the Friday.

What time do gates open at Boomtown on Friday, Saturday and Sunday?

Gates open from 10am to 9.30pm each day. You can leave any time but will not be allowed to re-enter after 9.30pm until the following morning, even if you have your wristband.

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When do Boomtown carparks open?

Car parks open at 10am and close at 9pm each day.

When does Boomtown close?

Boomtown say everyone has to be off-site by midday on Monday 13th August.

What is the security like at Boomtown?

Security is pretty tight, in the past they've had the main security and then you go on a bit and sometimes they have sniffer dogs. They are certainly stricter than some other festivals.

Related articles about festivals recommended by this writer:

1) How to survive a festival this summer: A comprehensive guide

2) How to sneak drugs into a festival, with diagrams

3) People confess their gross festival sex stories, confirming shagging in tents is nasty