Boomtown 2026: the line-up, travel and welfare guide

Boomtown’s 2026 edition took place from Wednesday 12 to Sunday 16 August at Matterley Estate, Ovington Down, Hampshire, near Winchester and within the western edge of the South Downs National Park. Although this year’s festival has now finished, its details are useful for anyone looking back at the event or planning around future editions. The site had to be cleared by noon on Monday 17 August. It was an 18+ festival, cash-free, and used RFID wristbands managed through Kaboodle for payments.

The programme covered 12 main stages and more than 50 smaller venues spread across the festival’s themed districts. The headline names included Kneecap, Scissor Sisters, Madness, Skrillex, Four Tet, Faithless, Scooter, Ashnikko, Shaggy and EVE. Friday brought a particularly broad mix, from Madness, KNEECAP and High Vis to Shy FX, Sub Focus, Groove Armada, DJ EZ and Camo & Krooked B2B Mefjus. Saturday moved between Ashnikko, Princess Nokia, Sampa the Great and Peaches, with Four Tet, Floating Points, Andy C, Alix Perez and Brutalismus 3000 also on the bill. Sunday’s line-up included Scissor Sisters, The Faithless, Skindred, Less Than Jake, Vengaboys, David Rodigan and Skrillex. The opening day was smaller, while Thursday’s programme stretched across a large number of artists and venues.

For people travelling from Southampton, the practical options were coach or train. National Express ran services from more than 50 UK locations, including Southampton-area routes and nearby cities such as Bournemouth, Bristol, Bath Spa and London. Return travel operated around 16 and 17 August, with fares starting at £50. Coach arrivals were scheduled for 10:00 between 12 and 14 August, while departures on 16 and 17 August were set for 16:00. The alternative was a train to Winchester, roughly three miles from the estate, followed by the festival shuttle bus. The organisers said the shuttle timetable would be published in July. Public transport tickets went on sale on 30 October 2025, and bus bookings had to be made before 1 July.

Welfare planning was a central part of the site information. Two medical centres operated around the clock: one at Pepperpot Market near Hidden Woods and another at Hilltop, between Oldtown and Thrutopia. Safer Spaces dealt with sexual harassment, assault and domestic violence, while TLC Welfare and harm-reduction services included The Loop, The Drop from Bristol Drugs Project and Cocaine Anonymous. Boomtown also operated a zero-tolerance policy on illegal drugs, including nitrous oxide or NOS; anything found was confiscated and the person involved was expelled. Naturism was allowed, but required a non-sexual nudity consent form. For anyone attending, saving the welfare locations, keeping the RFID wristband secure and checking the official travel information before setting off were straightforward parts of preparing for the festival.