Despite reports of improved safety measures, Boardmasters 2025 has faced online complaints of spiking and sexual assault by festival goers.
Over the weekend, fans headed to Cornwall’s coastal town of Newquay to see the likes of The Prodigy, Raye, and Central Cee headline.
However, complaints have sprung up across social media after the festival, claiming that fans were being spiked with needles while in the crowd.
Spiking refers to giving someone drugs or alcohol without their consent or even knowledge about it, usually in their drink or by injection.
Boardmasters told Metro there were ‘no confirmed cases of spiking’ over the past two years, although there were a ‘small number of people’ who reported to their medical centre.
Other concerning accusations included one young girl who was allegedly sexually assaulted and left in floods of tears after the horrific experience.
Speaking on TikTok, user for_the_love_of_riding shared two separate incidents she was made aware of, both involving young girls.
‘The most upsetting event for me happened on Saturday night,’ the woman began, explaining that she saw a young girl, ‘maybe 16 or 17 years old’, who was being looked after by a steward.
The festival steward was walking her over to hospitality as he believed she needed a bit of ‘time out’ when they crossed paths with the woman.
‘She just looked at me and said “help”, I think probably just because I was a female,’ she continued, explaining that the steward and various other staff supporting the young girl were men.
The TikToker continued: ‘I put my arm around her and said “whats the matter?” and she [broke into] floods of tears. She kept repeating “I kept saying no, I said no, he wouldn’t stop”.
‘She proceeded to be very upset and described a pretty nasty sexual assault that she had suffered in the main arena.’
The young girl and the woman went over to a welfare tent, specialising in sexual violence support, where she once again described the horrific incident.
Eventually, the woman left the girl in the care of the female staff at the tent, calling it ‘extremely upsetting’ to hear the details.
She claimed this was the second incident she was made aware of at the festival, having spoken to the mother of another girl who believed she was spiked.
‘Her daughter was also 16 and the scary thing for them was that she was completely sober for the whole festival but she came out of the crowd looking as if she was suddenly really drunk,’ the poster explained.
‘Her mum spotted that and thought that was a little bit odd. She went to go over to her daughter, a guy stood in between them and said “oh she doesn’t look very well”.’
Pushing the stranger out of the way, the mum got to her daughter and quickly realised she was potentially ‘given something’ and spent the night in the medical tent.
A mark was allegedly found on the 16-year-old girl’s arm, but this was ‘not conclusive proof’ and the medical team said it would either react as a bite in the morning or remain flat, indicating spiking.
She was also advised to go to hospital for treatment for a ‘needle stick injury’, which will also include tests for HIV and other illnesses as the needles are not sterile.
‘Sexual assault, spiking, and girls made to feel very very afraid was a frequent occurrence,’ the TikToker said.
‘It definitely felt more dangerous as the days went on,’ she continued. ‘It felt quite aggressive at times. It’s really sad because girls should be able to go to these things and not have to feel like they’re at risk.’
Other social media users shared their experiences, from other stories of needle spiking to mindless acts of vandalism such as ‘tent slashing’ and fires.
Cooper May, a 17-year-old influencer, was attending with his dad — ItsDaddyMay on TikTok — and also reported being spiked with a needle.
After five hours in the hospital, the family gave an update stating his blood tests had ‘all come back fine’ but he had a hepatitis B vaccination and still needs further testing to ‘prevent HIV’, which his dad acknowledged was ‘highly unlikely’.
He said Boardmasters had ‘let them down with their duty of care’ and they weren’t going to just ‘move on’ from the incident but for now, until Cooper is given the final all clear, they just wanted to go home.
In a statement shared with Metro, Boardmasters said: ‘Over the past two years, there have been no confirmed cases of spiking at Boardmasters. This year, while a small number of people reported to our medical and welfare facilities believing they had been spiked, all later either tested negative following the onsite testing process or retracted their reports.
‘Even so, safety is at the heart of everything we do and we know that spiking is a wider societal and community issue. We know how important it is to stay proactive, and we take our responsibility and duty of care seriously. That’s why our site has dedicated safety teams, trained staff, spiking test kits, medical professionals, and specialist welfare teams ready to help anyone who feels unwell or unsure.
‘The onsite testing for spiking at Boardmasters is a rigorous process, involving assessment and review by multiple teams. Following welfare testing and assessment and medical triage, case details and circumstances are reviewed collaboratively by Safeguarding teams and Devon & Cornwall Police.
‘We’re committed to doing everything we can to prevent spiking and to educate people about the risks, as part of our wider mission to promote safety and well-being. In recent years, we’ve invested heavily in awareness campaigns, partnering with It Happens Education to run year-round webinars and school sessions with teachers and pupils helping young people feel informed and supported before they even set foot at the festival.’
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