The UK’s Boomtown Festival will keep its license to operate following a sub-committee hearing brought about in the wake of the death of a festival attendee and several complaints from neighbors.
Organizers of the long-running festival, held annually at the Matterley Estate in Winchester, England, and one of the country’s largest electronic events, were called before the Winchester City Council on January 30, the Hampshire Chronicle reports. The licensing committee hearing came at the request of the Hampshire police, who filed their complaint after a 22-year-old man died during Boomtown’s 2024 edition due to a “medical incident,” according to the BBC.
Though police withdrew the above complaint before the hearing, the Hampshire Chronicle reports that the committee still heard complaints from 17 local residents who alleged Boomtown has negatively impacted them and area wildlife, citing things like lack of sleep, late-night noise, environmental damage, and traffic congestion.
According to the report, Boomtown is currently working with authorities to address these concerns and the Winchester City Council elected not to change the festival’s alcohol and music permits for this year’s festival, which will increase in capacity by 11,000 attendees compared to 2024.
Speaking to the Hampshire Chronicle, festival director Chris Rutherford said, “We are happy. It was the outcome that we anticipated.”
Historically regarded as one of the UK’s best festivals for drum & bass but still offering an array of multi-genre acts, Boomtown Festival is back from August 6-10, with headline performances from Overmono, Maribou State, Sex Pistols, Hybrid Minds, Rudimental, James Hype, Honey Dijon, Nia Archives, and Jyoty. Learn more here.
Read more about Boomtown Festival’s licensing hearing in the Hampshire Chronicle report here.
Featured image from Boomtown Festival.
