We speak to organisers about this years event covering exciting new areas, acts to look forward to, favourite districts, sustainability and more.
James Cousins: Music Programmer
Could you tell us a little about your job role at Boomtown Fair?
I’m part of the booking team at Boomtown with a focus on Dance music. This year I’m looking after 3 districts; Metropolis,The Relic, Barrio Loco and the brand new AREA 404 dedicated to techno. I also DJ, so you’ll find me popping up throughout the festival!
As Boomtown introduces new stages and upgrades existing areas, what new aspect are you looking forward to the most?
For me it’s got to be AREA 404. We’ve always had techno at Boomtown but this year it’s on a far bigger scale so we created a new district to honour it! We’ve invited Drumcode and Bugged Out to host a day each on the new main Nucleus stage, as well as huge techno acts such as Carl Cox, Four Tet and Amelie Lens heading up the area. It’s brand new for Chapter 11, got a post apocalyptic theme and is as immersive as ever. It’s going to be immense! We’ve added 3 more new areas too, The Grid which covers all things Bassy, The Fallout Disco and the Acid Leak so be sure to explore.
Is there a district you’ve enjoyed watching grow over the years?
I find it hard to single out a District as I look at the festival as a whole. The growth of Boomtown has happened at such a crazy rate, and every year I am blown away by the scale of the production and how it keeps on pushing boundaries!
Who are you most looking forward to seeing at this year’s event, or who would you recommend festival attendees check out?
Wow! There are so many different styles of music at Boomtown, it’s really hard to limit it to just a few! I think my faves would be UK hip hop legends, Blackalicious. Plus Little Sims, and queen of techno Amelie Lens. Also Lenzman B2B LSB ft DRS and Detroit spinner, DJ Bone. I can’t wait to see Salt N’ Pepa, and two live shows I reckon will be outstanding are Groove Armada and Little Dragon.
What would be your best advice or one tip for festival attendees having a more positive impact and helping Boomtown Fair become more sustainable?
Please take your stuff home! It’s the single biggest thing any of us can do.
Mair Morel: Creative Producer
Could you tell us a little about your job role at Boomtown Fair?
I’m the Creative Producer, so my job is to bring the Director’s vision to life and deliver that extra layer of magic and interaction that is unique to Boomtown. Our team is responsible for Boomtown’s ever-changing story and theatrical performances and includes all the fantastical characters in the districts, the immersive maze and the main stage shows. It’s a high pressure and demanding role but it’s also super fun and inspiring. It’s so satisfying to be a part of delivering a show as jaw-dropping, exhilarating and inspiring as Boomtown! It’s a
collective effort and the team are the most passionate bunch of caring, capable and forward-thinking people I have had the pleasure of working with!
As Boomtown introduces new stages and upgrades existing areas, what new aspect are you looking forward to the most?
As always I’m looking forward to all the theatrical highlights! I don’t want to give the game away but each district has something special up their sleeve. The plans for new district AREA 404, as well as the new stages Relic & Nucleus look absolutely amazing, so it will be epic to see them in the flesh! At the close of Chapter 10 AMI (Artificial Machine Intelligence) left us with the ominous message of “Boomtown has no future unless it considers Environment, Sustainability, and Consequences.” We all know the urgency of this message and are making big steps to make the festival more sustainable. Each district, all the characters and venues will respond and I’m looking forward to seeing how our public react.
Is there a district you’ve enjoyed watching grow over the years?
That’s a tough question as the whole city has evolved so much! The quality of the theatre across all our districts has improved year on year, even more so since we secured funding from the Arts Council England to run theatrical workshops to develop all the crews involved. I loved the new vibe of Barrio Loco last year, the new set was beautiful and full of colour, Bassline Circus did an amazing job animating it all with aerial, dance and circus skills on the upper levels and the party vibes were high the whole weekend!
Who are you most looking forward to seeing at this year’s event, or who would you recommend festival attendees check out?
Get involved in the story! Knock on those doors, interact with the characters, get silly and lose yourself in the crazy world of Boomtown. The main gameplay happens 1pm – 7pm each day so there’s plenty of time to get involved before you get into the hard dancing in the evenings. If I get a minute to dance I make an effort to catch Kelvin 373 & the Born on Road crew and underground dons Jim Bitch & Resist who first made their name in the 90s free party scene and continue to be two of the best DJ’s in their game! Also looking forward to Eva Lazarus, Shy FX, Nicky Blackmarket B2B Kenny Ken, Calyx & Teebee, Mefjus, 25 years of rinse fm, Gogol Bordello, Lauryn Hill, Prophets of Rage.
What would be your best advice or one tip for festival attendees having a more positive impact and helping Boomtown Fair become more sustainable?
Leave no trace. It’s the free party ethos we started with, leave the land as you left it so we can enjoy it again.
Robin Collings: Production Manager
Could you tell us a little about your job role at Boomtown Fair?
I’m the Production Manager and look after everything design and production wise behind the scenes to create the almighty beast that is Boomtown, and make sure the Festival runs smoothly! I work with stage designers, performers, choreographers, lighting, sound designers and structural engineers to bring the initial creative ideas to life.
As Boomtown introduces new stages and upgrades existing areas, what new aspect are you looking forward to the most?
It’s probably the techno area AREA 404 and the Nucleus stage this year. The designs are incredible. The team are second to none, expectations are super high and I can’t wait. Plus there’s big changes afoot with Bang Hai, which has been transformed into Relic. Clearly the details are top secret, but needless to say it’s going to be AMAZING…
Is there a district you’ve enjoyed watching grow over the years?
Yes. Barrio Loco has really developed and grown. It used to be a corrugated shanti town and then we upcycled an old film set, transforming it into something more layered and multi-faceted… Some years on now, it is it’s own fully fledged town with a church, a circus and layer upon layer of incredible detail from the imaginations of awesome Set Designer, Dan Graham.
Who are you most looking forward to seeing at this year’s event, or who would you recommend festival attendees check out?
The spectacle shows on Nucleus stage, are really going to go off this year! Each night the stage will come alive with incredible performers and seriously integrated tech… I’m not going to give much away but it is going to blow the audience away! Even the original rave don Carl Cox is going to have a hard act to follow there!
What would be your best advice or one tip for festival attendees having a more positive impact and helping Boomtown Fair become more sustainable?
My one tip is to take your rubbish home. Operationally we’ve made huge changes behind the scenes to reduce the impact we make on the environment. We’ve just launched our Green Mission, banned the sale of single-use plastic, brought in compostable cups to all bars and all serveware is compostable and we need the public to play their part too.