Boardmasters 2025 was meant to be the smooth, safety-first festival after last year’s infamous crowd surge. Organisers promised increased police presence, more search lanes, beefed-up medical support, and even 24-hour help for anyone facing harassment.
The festival’s safeguarding lead Dawn Grant said: “For many young people, this is their first festival. We want their experience to be a positive one.”
Well… about that.
The weekend quickly descended into the kind of chaos that makes Boardmasters legendary. First up, the Apollo 13 thrill ride decided to go full method acting and actually simulate being stranded in space — by stopping dead, upside down, 180ft in the air, for 20 minutes at 1.30am. Nervous families dangled in the night sky while bystanders filmed, obviously.
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Elsewhere, artist drama hit the main stages when several acts, including DJ The Blessed Madonna, pulled out over alleged ties between the festival’s owners and Israel.
Then there were the incidents straight out of a university Freshers’ Week fever dream: portaloos toppled with people inside (may their dignity rest in peace), entire tents and belongings swiped, and the epidemic of pantsing that swept through campsites. One unlucky group was even detained for six hours on suspicion of slashing tents.
Even headline sets weren’t immune. Raye had to pause mid-performance after spotting a fan in medical distress, urging the crowd to “pay attention to your crowds.”
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The most political moment came from punk-rap duo Bob Vylan, who fired off chants of “f*** England,” “f*** Reform UK” and “Free Palestine”. Despite backlash from politicians and pressure to cancel them, organisers stuck by the booking after consulting police, ensuring the set became one of the festival’s most talked-about moments.
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Boardmasters 2025 set out to prove it could keep things calm and safe. It ended up being a heady mix of thrill-ride rescues, tent-thieving mysteries, political theatre and a sprinkling of mild public humiliation. In other words, classic Boardmasters.
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Featured image credit: TikTok/@josh.b2007, TikTok/@cjf733
