• Name of experience: Boomtown Festival 2024: Chapter 3, The Revolution of Imagination
• Reviewer: Olivia Squire – Head of Content, World Experience Organization
• Location: Hampshire, UK
• Dates visited: 8-12 August 2024
• Ticket price per person: £300 for a standard ticket
• Amount spent on food & beverage per person: £200
• Amount spent on other ancillary goods/services per person: £200
• Comments on food, beverage & merchandise: Wish I’d bought a t-shirt and still might! Unofficially, I walked away with loads of free “merch” that I’ll keep – fun questionnaires, special ticket stubs, the number for the Boomtown “partyline”, Boomtown Bucks, a wildflower seed… F&B was decent but could have been nice to have it in-world rather than generic stands. I did see one stand selling “elixirs of life”, but mainly it was burgers etc.

A hugely ambitious and immersive more-than-a-festival of music, creativity, theatre and imagination, run by a team of pioneers and co-created with a much bigger network of creators in what I heard the Head of Narrative refer to as an “organic collaborative narrative”.

Inspiration (and perhaps transformation) at scale for over 60,000 ravers, revellers and participants in the annual “game”, with different levels of interaction and pathways depending on how much you want to engage.

For 5 days a miniature world is built in the Hampshire hills, with six “districts” peopled with actors, stages, sets, performers and props, which you can wander at will. There’s a strong green ethos and attempt to inspire those who come to respect their community, their planet, and themselves.

Purpose: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The aims were to engage and entertain, inform, challenge, and enable socialising. I might also add to inspire.

Anticipation: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

They created a brilliant app that had everything functional I needed (timetable, FAQs, booking links, etc) but also some intriguing beginnings to world building, such as a quiz to find your district that led you to a community chat.

Beginnings: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The beginning of the story/”game” was marked by an Opening Ceremony that gathered everyone together at 2 main stages and set out the theme for the event, Revolution of Imagination, with performances that ranged from fun and a bit bonkers to genuinely moving. It immediately set the tone for the event and introduced us to some story threads, as well as paying homage to the musical genres that went through the weekend.

There was a great vibe and sense of community among the crowd for the whole event, and I think setting the tone like this was definitely part of creating that camaraderie and caring. I also loved finding out that there were “hidden” elements to this – the team had had a private intention setting ceremony beforehand and some of the performers were witches who’d been walking lay lines to the festival in the previous days, who I’d seen on social media beforehand. I later realised this is typical of Boomtown – there’s always more depth to the rabbit hole!

Story: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

With a story going back 15 years to the point that it’s now become lore, there’s no doubt that there’s a compelling, complex and rewarding narrative behind the theatrics. As a first timer, I can’t pretend that I understood everything and sometimes it was frustrating trying to follow a track. Eventually I realised that it was better to just let go and dip in and out, and by the end I felt inspired to come back and participate on a deeper level for future editions.

My only real criticism would be that I suspect it’s not possible to design a story that 60,000 people can participate in, and there was a lot of being stuck in queues or not knowing where to go. I was told 500 people completed the game last year, which feels like a realistic target for how many people can truly become “divers/mermaids”.

Immersion: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I felt really immersed in the world that had been created and the world outside definitely receded for the time I spent there. I wasn’t in a permanent state of flow for 5 days, but had moments where I felt completely part of a community and in the moment, particularly during the performances or when participating as part of a team in the game.

Senses: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The sets were spectacular and the entire world transformed from day to night, giving a different feeling and experience after hours. The pyrotechnics and staging were also pretty incredible. Of course the music was brilliant and immersive. Touch, smell and taste were less deliberately designed, but a music festival is an immersive environment anyway that has its own feeling.

Emotions: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I felt several moments of awe at witnessing the world at scale, and at some of the more bombastic staging displays – Origin was like a giant, ancient spaceship that was unlike anything I’d seen, particularly at night. I was also surprised to find myself getting a bit teary during the Opening and Closing Ceremonies during the monologues/poems/songs being performed, thanks to their hopeful and impactful message.

Inclusivity & Accessibility: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

It’s set among hilly countryside and big crowds of people, so could be difficult to navigate. However I did notice several accessible viewing platforms and entrances throughout the site, as well as sign language interpreters on the main stages. I couldn’t see anywhere to chill out or retreat from the sensory overload, so I’d love to know if these spaces were available for more neurodivergent people who might need them.

The community of both performers and guests that has been created is built on inclusivity and diversity, and it was great to see how free people felt to express themselves as both performer and participant.

Impact: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I was super impressed with how the messaging, narrative and performances all led back to the idea of imagining a better future for ourselves and for the planet, and how you could engage with this lightly or really dive deep into it. Especially because the crowd is quite young, I felt quite moved during the Closing Ceremony’s mantra of “The Future Is Imagined First”.

There was also an emphasis on ethical and vegan food, an “eco bond” where people were given money on their wristbands for recycling, and workshops and sessions throughout on topics like Creative Disobedience, Subvertising, Palestine Action and more, as well as yoga and breathwork sessions.

Participation: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Co-creation is definitely at the heart of the experience – this year’s edition had six different potential endings, with participants voting for their “leader” in a mock election via the app. There were also plenty of opportunities to interact and ad lib with actors and your fellow revellers, from taking part in an escape room-inspired game to performing impromptu stand-up on stage.

Community & Belonging: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I definitely left feeling like I’d been invited to be part of something special and much bigger than just a festival, and the atmosphere created meant that I had loads of friendly conversations and interactions with strangers throughout. Am I a Boomer now…?

Transformation: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

I don’t know if I actually changed as a result of the experience, but I felt inspired by the creativity and imagination being expressed all round and it made me feel a little bit emboldened to live the same values more loudly.

Repeatability: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The “chapters” of the story are a great hook to come back and see how the experience evolves in coming years. The election that we voted for makes me want to see how next year’s event will change as a result. Now that I better understand how everything works, I’d love to return to participate more rather than skimming the surface and actually take part in the “game”.

Boomtown is also designed to generate FOMO – there are more stages, sets and moments than you could ever hope to cover, which stimulates your curiosity for what you’ve missed (and makes swapping stories with your friends much more intriguing).

Endings: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

As mentioned, there was a Closing Ceremony on Sunday night after the headline set which resolved the election narrative that had unfolded all week, brought home the theme and set up for next year, and also included some pretty spectacular pyrotechnics and fireworks.

Meaningful: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Reflection: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

While I have thought about my experience many times and what it meant for me both personally and professionally, beyond being sent a standard survey I wasn’t given any designed opportunities to reflect on what had happened in the days and weeks following the event.

Final rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4.4)

I think the fact that all of this is done at scale for 60,000 people and that it allows all of them to create their own experience at the level of participation they want is pretty amazing. You can be a raver just coming to lose your mind to DnB, or a hardcore superfan completing the game for the 12th year, or everything in between.

Also, the way that they integrate a deeper meaning and intention, both hidden and overt, and look to inspire and transform their audience rather than just entertain or be purely hedonistic, is something I haven’t experienced before at a music festival.

Tickets for Boomtown Festival 2025: Chapter 4, Power of Now are available to book now.

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