Boomtown Festival looks to increase capacity by 11,000 following license review
The festival was subject to a licensing meeting earlier this week
Boomtown has been allowed to keep its license after it was subject to a review earlier this week, and has now proposed to increase its capacity by 11,000.
The Hampshire Constabulary applied to look at the running of Boomtown following the death of a man who had attended the festival’s 2024 edition, triggering a licensing hearing.
Winchester City Council’s licensing committee concluded that the premises licence for alcohol and music at the annual festival would not be changed.
The review followed the death of a 22-year-old attendee last year, who passed away after a “medical incident”. He was taken to the Royal Hampshire County Hospital in an ambulance from the festival site, but was pronounced dead in the early hours of August 11, 2024.
According to the BBC, the police withdrew their complaint before the licensing meeting went ahead this week, and said that they were in talks with festival organisers to settle any concerns ahead of this year’s edition, which is set to go ahead from August 6 - 10.
The committee also heard that Boomtown has received 17 complaints from locals, ranging from an inability to sleep while the festival is ongoing, to ecological concerns.
One complaint raised concerns over wildlife in the area where the festival goes ahead, alleging that it takes away habitats from nesting birds. Boomtown’s lawyer said there was no proof of this.
In a separate application following the license review, Boomtown has applied to increase its capacity from 65,999 to 76,999, Access All Areas reports.
In a statement, the festival said it was “planning to grow back out of Downtown and return to the surrounding hills”, despite unsuccessfully applying for its expansion for the past four years.
Boomtown also committed to put 1,000 Sunday tickets aside for local residents, with a promise of improving its ecological and sonic impact on the area. Read the full planning application here.
Gemma Ross is Mixmag's Assistant Editor, follow her on Twitter
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