Other festivals,( boomtown )

[Steel city camper]

Didn't get tickets for Glastonbury this year so me and the wife are going to Boomtown for the first time instead.dont know if it's because it's the unknown but we're knowhere near as excited as what we normally be for Glastonbury, I would normally have been bouncing off the walls for the last few weeks but there seems to be a bit of trepidation in the air . I've heard nothing but good things about the place so I'm sure we'll have a fantastic time ,does anybody have any tips ,info ,experience of the place ,I've been on efestivals boomtown section but it's like a morgue on there .

[pilton digger]

I have been to a lot of these, it is full on and worth it.

You will almost certainly be searched. Even as 2 old gits in a van, we sometimes get a dog through the van and things taken out.  If you rock up in a van smelling of weed and wearing a bucket hat be prepared for extensive searches.  The crew have been having a difficult time this week with searches taking up to an hour for some people we know. If you intend to take anything in be aware that these can be proper searches and not just going through the motions.

 

Enjoy the experience, drink Guinness in the Shamrock, try the story, embrace the who postal posse / daily rag / boomtown bobbies vibe.

[Skip997]

1 hour ago, pilton digger said:

 

You will almost certainly be searched. Even as 2 old gits in a van, we sometimes get a dog through the van and things taken out.  If you rock up in a van smelling of weed and wearing a bucket hat be prepared for extensive searches.  The crew have been having a difficult time this week with searches taking up to an hour for some people we know. If you intend to take anything in be aware that these can be proper searches and not just going through the motions.

 

And this is why I don’t go.

 

Searching crew FFS

[pilton digger]

19 minutes ago, Skip997 said:

And this is why I don’t go.

 

Searching crew FFS

unsurprisingly it was worked out a long time ago that it is usually the crew bring the bulk supplies in. Just because someone has a crew ticket, doesn't mean they are pure as the driven snow.

[Skip997]

Just now, pilton digger said:

unsurprisingly it was worked out a long time ago that it is usually the crew bring the bulk supplies in. Just because someone has a crew ticket, doesn't mean they are pure as the driven snow.

That’s exactly my point. I’m well aware that the crew bring the drugs. Someone has to, it’s Boomtown after all.

 

Plus, as I’ve said several times before, a venue full of folks on

MDMA is loads friendlier, safer and more fun than a venue full of pissed up folks

[Steel city camper]

3 hours ago, pilton digger said:

I have been to a lot of these, it is full on and worth it.

You will almost certainly be searched. Even as 2 old gits in a van, we sometimes get a dog through the van and things taken out.  If you rock up in a van smelling of weed and wearing a bucket hat be prepared for extensive searches.  The crew have been having a difficult time this week with searches taking up to an hour for some people we know. If you intend to take anything in be aware that these can be proper searches and not just going through the motions.

 

Enjoy the experience, drink Guinness in the Shamrock, try the story, embrace the who postal posse / daily rag / boomtown bobbies vibe.

Thanks for the advice its much appreciated,  we're aiming to get in early Thursday afternoon,  hoping to get a little bit of something in but not to big an amount , I'm already resigned to getting collared by a dog but hoping to be clever enough to get let through .

[incident]

3 hours ago, Skip997 said:

And this is why I don’t go.

 

Searching crew FFS

 

Not only searching on entry, either. It's been known for them to walk dogs around crew campsites.

 

I kinda feel like Boomtown is a festival everyone should experience once, but f**ks sake it's a pain in the arse and so not one I'm intending to go back to.

[Skip997]

4 minutes ago, incident said:

 

Not only searching on entry, either. It's been known for them to walk dogs around crew campsites.

 

I kinda feel like Boomtown is a festival everyone should experience once, but f**ks sake it's a pain in the arse and so not one I'm intending to go back to.

Yea a part of me feels I should go once. But they really can f-off with that sort of nonsense. 
 

It’s way past time for a reasonable and sensible drug policy in this country. And on-site testing facilities should be mandatory. 
 

If anyone is interested in reading about the effects of prohibition I highly recommend the book “ Chasing the Scream” 

[balti-pie]

I've considered volunteering it, its only a couple of hours down the road from me, but to be honest the inevitable slew of drug-induced psychosis i'd be dealing with doesnt half put me off. Thats my day-to-day job, i have zero desire to deal with it on days away from work. 

I dont really want to pay for tickets for festivals either any more 😄 but it does look visually spectacular, and there'd be enough music there to keep me entertained i suspect -  i think i'll go when i can wangle a volunteering spot thats very cushy, or get a spare ticket off someone. 

[philipsteak]

3 minutes ago, balti-pie said:

I've considered volunteering it, its only a couple of hours down the road from me, but to be honest the inevitable slew of drug-induced psychosis i'd be dealing with doesnt half put me off. Thats my day-to-day job, i have zero desire to deal with it on days away from work. 

I dont really want to pay for tickets for festivals either any more 😄 but it does look visually spectacular, and there'd be enough music there to keep me entertained i suspect -  i think i'll go when i can wangle a volunteering spot thats very cushy, or get a spare ticket off someone. 

 

I've volunteered twice, and weirdly had some of the quietest shifts I've ever had at any festival. Although I do know that that is VERY unusual. Could tell that just from listening to the chatter on the walkie talkies and some of the stories from other stewards.

[Skip997]

So their drug search policy has clearly failed. 
 

Maybe it’s time for a harm reduction policy instead 

[incident]

2 minutes ago, Skip997 said:

So their drug search policy has clearly failed. 
 

Maybe it’s time for a harm reduction policy instead 

 

To be fair, Boomtown were one of the earlier festivals pushing forward a sensible Harm Reduction strategy with The Loop, albeit alongside their ridiculous and ultimately futile gates (and beyond) search policy. Until the government of the time decided to prevent it.

[incident]

26 minutes ago, balti-pie said:

I've considered volunteering it, its only a couple of hours down the road from me, but to be honest the inevitable slew of drug-induced psychosis i'd be dealing with doesnt half put me off. Thats my day-to-day job, i have zero desire to deal with it on days away from work. 

I dont really want to pay for tickets for festivals either any more 😄 but it does look visually spectacular, and there'd be enough music there to keep me entertained i suspect -  i think i'll go when i can wangle a volunteering spot thats very cushy, or get a spare ticket off someone. 

 

If it helps, most MyCause shifts at Boomtown are on the gates and so in theory you're less likely to encounter anyone too f**ked by that point.

[balti-pie]

11 minutes ago, incident said:

 

If it helps, most MyCause shifts at Boomtown are on the gates and so in theory you're less likely to encounter anyone too f**ked by that point.

That definitely helps, great intel 👍

[Neil]

4 hours ago, Skip997 said:

And this is why I don’t go.

 

Searching crew FFS

boomtown crew should just be happy that the organisation has been good enough to put  their name on the crew list.

[Skip997]

1 minute ago, Neil said:

boomtown crew should just be happy that the organisation has been good enough to put  their name on the crew list.

Boomtown should be happy that people are prepared to work/volunteer there 

[tomf3]

1 hour ago, Skip997 said:

Boomtown should be happy that people are prepared to work/volunteer there 

It's a great place to volunteer. a lot of them involve 2 shifts that are completed by the Wednesday before the main weekend, and doing it means unlimited alcohol allowance, really nice showers, decent crew food and lovely camping with cool hub spaces for the crew to hang out (including cinema movie nights, massages, sauna etc). They do their utmost to look after the crew there more so than other festivals I've worked at. 
The police searches are obviously not what the organisers want, but rather the demands of Hampshire police (who also forced Glade festival out of business when it was on the same site), but unfortunately it is massively off-putting and for many it's not worth the potential agro.  

[stuie]

2 hours ago, Skip997 said:

Yea a part of me feels I should go once. But they really can f-off with that sort of nonsense. 
 

It’s way past time for a reasonable and sensible drug policy in this country. And on-site testing facilities should be mandatory. 
 

If anyone is interested in reading about the effects of prohibition I highly recommend the book “ Chasing the Scream” 

 

Someone once told me that Hampshire Constabulary use the festival as a way of boosting their 'solved crime' statistics. 

 

I went to Boomtown for four years and have absolutely no desire to return. 

 

 

[incident]

29 minutes ago, tomf3 said:

They do their utmost to look after the crew there more so than other festivals I've worked at.

 

Unless you're bar staff.

 

To be fair, I believe most of the previous issues didn't occur last year - but it's sh*t that really shouldn't take place once let alone over (at least) 3 festivals before they address it.

[tomf3]

8 minutes ago, incident said:

 

Unless you're bar staff.

 

To be fair, I believe most of the previous issues didn't occur last year - but it's sh*t that really shouldn't take place once let alone over (at least) 3 festivals before they address it.

Yeah my experience was working directly for them and not via a third party (such as the bar situation), but totally agree that should not ever be tolerated and the fact that it happened more than once is very problematic. 

[Pinhead]

3 hours ago, philipsteak said:

 

I've volunteered twice, and weirdly had some of the quietest shifts I've ever had at any festival. Although I do know that that is VERY unusual. Could tell that just from listening to the chatter on the walkie talkies and some of the stories from other stewards.

Stewarded for Oxfam there in 2017. During the Woodland shift, we were basically loading one OD on the back of the medi-truck after the other for the duration - never seen so much ket.

 

Later on the crew road through downtown, the polish takedown crew basically tried to run us down when we said they were not allowed in yet by direction of site control...

 

Otherwise it was ace! Very spectacular and great vibe throughout, tho it's a bit smaller now these days I gather.

[westholtschic]

8 hours ago, Skip997 said:

And this is why I don’t go.

 

Searching crew FFS

They did at Glastonbury this year every day 

[Skip997]

33 minutes ago, westholtschic said:

They did at Glastonbury this year every day 

I’ve never even seen drug dogs at Glastonbury, never mind experienced it. 
 

Mind you I haven’t been through a pedestrian gate since 1985 and never turn up later than the Saturday before these days 

[philipsteak]

1 hour ago, Pinhead said:

Stewarded for Oxfam there in 2017. During the Woodland shift, we were basically loading one OD on the back of the medi-truck after the other for the duration - never seen so much ket.

 

Later on the crew road through downtown, the polish takedown crew basically tried to run us down when we said they were not allowed in yet by direction of site control...

 

Otherwise it was ace! Very spectacular and great vibe throughout, tho it's a bit smaller now these days I gather.

 

I was working the year of the car park fire. My friends shift was a lot less chilled than mine. He was the supervisor for that area. 

He's not stewarded since.

[stuie]

1 hour ago, westholtschic said:

They did at Glastonbury this year every day 

You mean crew camped outside as they came in to the festival?

I’ve never had, or even seen, a van/car search of crew on the way in to glasto ever.

 

56 minutes ago, Skip997 said:

I’ve never even seen drug dogs at Glastonbury, never mind experienced it. 
 

Mind you I haven’t been through a pedestrian gate since 1985 and never turn up later than the Saturday before these days 

I’ve never seen any drug dogs at glasto either. A few years back I saw an explosives dog sweep Gate C before the gates opened to the public, but that’s all.