Boomtown Festival 2026: Set Times, Full Lineup and Ultimate Guide

Eight districts set across 1,250 acres of farmland with life-sized street sets, hidden music venues and stages designed to look like post offices, hotels or police stations. Yep, it’s that time of year again – Boomtown is back.

Now in its 17th year, the five-day festival has had a shake-up for 2026, redesigning the whole layout ‘as a living experiment in creativity, connection and collective change’. Six new districts and a revamp to its biggest stages are in store for 2026, with big name artists including Four Tet, Kneecap, Scissor Sisters, Madness and Skrillex all set to headline the long weekend. 

The festival expects more than 77,000 attendees for its 2026 edition, who will descend on Hampshire to explore the 12 sweeping stages and over 50 hidden venues.

Got tickets for the South Downs dance fest? Want to know how to make the most of the weekend? Here’s your ultimate guide ahead of Boomtown 2026. 

SKIP TO:
🎤 Lineup and set times – Friday, Saturday and Sunday
⛅️ Weather forecast
🎟️ Last-minute tickets
🚗 How to get to Boomtown
⛔️ Banned items

When is Boomtown Festival 2026?

Boomtown Festival starts on Wednesday August 12 and runs until Sunday August 16 2026.

Where is Boomtown Festival 2026?

As ever, Boomtown is taking place in Matterley Estate, a working dairy farm in Hampshire in the most westerly point of South Downs National Park, near Winchester.

Who are the headliners for Boomtown 2026?

Kneecap, Scissor Sisters, Madness, Skrillex and Four Tet are all headlining the festival this year. Here’s when and where you can see them performing

• Friday – Madness (Lion’s Den, 12.30pm-1.50pm) and Kneecap (Lion’s Den, 10pm-11.15pm)
  
• Saturday – Four Tet (Hydro XL, 10.35pm-12.05am)
  
• Sunday – Scissor Sisters (Lion’s Den, 8.10pm-9.40pm) and Skrillex (Hydro XL, 10.30pm-11.50pm)

Last-minute tickets for Boomtown Festival 2026

Boomtown Festival is sold out, but resale tickets are still on sale. Public transport entry tickets are still available to buy for Wednesday and Thursday, priced at £400 and £350 respectively. You can also grab general Thursday entry tickets from the Boomtown website, which are priced at £380.

All tickets can be purchased via the official Boomtown website here.

Weather forecast

The forecast is mostly sunny with high temperatures and a low chance of rain across the five days. Here’s the day-by-day forecast.

• Wednesday August 12 – generally sunny, with highs of 32C and lows of 22C. Very little cloud cover
  
• Thursday August 13 – the hottest day, with highs of 33C and a very low chance of rain
  
• Friday August 14 – slightly cooler, with highs of 30C and some cloud cover in the mid afternoon
  
• Saturday August 15 – sunny and cloudy with highs of 26C
  
• Sunday August 16 – the coolest day, with highs of 25C and lows of 15C

Full Boomtown 2026 lineup and set times

Electronic music, live bands, hip hop, punk, reggae and pop are all set to be heard at Boomtown this year. Its organisers claim that the 2026 edition will be ‘Boomtown’s broadest music programme to date’, with more than 1,000 performers playing across 12 main stages and over 50 hidden venues. Here’s the line up for three of the biggest stages this year. 

Friday August 14

The Lion’s Den

• Opening Ceremony: 12pm-12.30pm
• Madness: 12.30pm-1.50pm
• Shy FX ft. Rage: 2.05pm-3.30pm
• Sub Focus: 3.30pm-4.30pm
• Alborosie & Shengen Clan: 5pm-6pm
• Gentleman’s Dub Club & Friends: 6.30pm-8pm
• Ren: 8.30pm-9.30pm
• Kneecap: 10.00pm-11.15pm
• Wilkinson ft. MC AD-APT: 11.15pm-12.30am
• Camo & Krooked B2B Mefjus ft. Daxta: 12.30am-2am

Hydro XL

• Opening Ceremony: 12pm-12.30pm
• Groove Armada - DJ Set: 12.30pm-2pm
• DJ EZ: 2pm-3.30pm
• Notion: 3.30pm-5pm
• Diffrent: 5pm-6.30pm
• Faster Horses B2B Y U QT: 6.30pm-8pm
• Eats Everything B2B TSHA: 8pm-9.30pm
• Effy B2B Ross From Friends: 9.30pm-11pm
• 999999999 - AV Show: 11pm-12.30am
• Oguz: 12.30am-2am
• [IVY] vs [SAFYRE]: 2am-3am

Grand Central

• Dutty Moonshine Big Band: 12.30pm-2pm
• Frankie Stew & Harvey Gunn: 2.30pm-3.30pm
• Havoc of Mobb Deep w/ Big Noyd + DJ L.E.S: 4pm-5pm
• Big Special: 5.30pm-6.30pm
• Kae Tempest: 7pm-8pm
• High Vis: 8.30pm-9.30pm
• L’Entourloop: 10pm-11pm

Saturday August 15

The Lion’s Den

• Crossy B2B Gray B2B Harriet Jaxxon ft. Spyda [Royal Rumble]: 1pm-2pm
• Benny L B2B Break B2B Skeptical ft. MC GQ & MC Det [Royal Rumble]: 2pm-3pm
• Kings of the Rollers Present: Royal Rumble: 3pm-4pm
• Brockie B2B Micky Finn B2B Ray Keith ft. Jolie P & Shabba D [Royal Rumble]: 4pm-5pm
• Mungo’s Hi Fi Allstars ft. Aziza Jaye, Charlie P, Eva Lazarus, Flowdan, Gardna, Killa P, Magugu & Solo Banton: 5pm-7pm
• Shaggy: 7.30pm-8.30pm
• Scooter: 9pm-10.10pm
• Alix Perez ft. SP: 10.30pm-12am
• Andy C Presents: Nightlife: 12am-2am
• A.M.C ft. Phantom: 2am-3am

Hydro XL

• Melé B2B Olive F: 5pm-6.30pm
• Folamour: 6.30pm-8pm
• Rossi. B2B Silva Bumpa: 8pm-9.15pm
• Floating Points - Live: 9.25pm-10.25pm
• Four Tet: 10.35pm-12.05am
• Brutalismus 3000: 12.15am-1.30am
• Azyr: 1.40am-3am

Grand Central

• Hak Baker: 1pm-2pm
• Rose Gray: 2.30pm-3.30pm
• Antony Szmierek: 4pm-5pm
• Songer: 5.30pm-6.30pm
• Sampa The Great: 7pm-8pm
• Princess Nokia: 8.30pm-9.30pm
• Ashnikko: 10pm-11pm
• Peaches: 11.30pm-12.30am

Sunday August 16

The Lion’s Den

• David Rodigan Presents: Ram Jam ft. D Double E, Hollie Cook & Irah: 2.30pm-3.45pm
• Vengaboys: 4pm-4.50pm
• Eve: 5.10pm-6.10pm
• FCUKERS: 6.40pm-7.40pm
• Scissor Sisters: 8.10pm-9.40pm
• Faithless: 10.15pm-11.45pm
• Closing Ceremony: 11.50pm-12am

Hydro XL

• nimino - Live: 3pm-4.20pm
• KILIMANJARO B2B Oppidan: 4.30pm-6pm
• VTSS: 6pm-7.30pm
• Marlon Hoffstadt: 7.30pm-9pm
• SHERELLE - AV Show: 9pm-10.30pm
• Skrillex: 10.30pm-11.50pm
• Closing Ceremony: 11.50pm-12am

Grand Central

• Dub Pistols: 2pm-3pm
• Beans on Toast: 3.30pm-4.30pm
• Elvana: 5pm-6pm
• Dr Meaker - Live: 6.30pm-7.30pm
• Less Than Jake: 8pm-9pm
• Skindred: 9.30pm-10.30pm

Timings are subject to change. Download the official Boomtown app here for the full and updated timings.

Secret sets

DnB DJ Bou is rumoured to be heading to Boomtown for a secret set this weekend after dropping hints on Instagram last week, but that’s all the rumour mill has cooked up so far, with no odds or other hints being dropped by big name artists.

What’s new at Boomtown 2026

Quite a lot, actually! Boomtown’s organisers have said that the festival’s 17th edition will introduce the most significant transformation of the ‘city’ in its history. This means a redesigned layout, expanded areas and new stages. 

Lion’s Den, the festival's reggae and live-band anchor stage, has moved back to its original Temple Valley amphitheatre home, while the hydrogen-powered Hydro XL stage has doubled in size. Woodland area The Retreat, formerly known as The Rookery, has been redesigned as a sanctuary focused on restoration, crafts, and quiet environments, and we can also expect new themed districts and updated pathways. 

You can check out the new 2026 map and full programme through the Boomtown app.

How to get to Boomtown Festival

Train 

Boomtown’s nearest station is Winchester, which is about three miles away. Shuttle buses will be running between the station to the festival, and cost £22 for a return ticket. It’ll run on a loop all day throughout the festival. 

Coach

National Express is running a special coach service for the event from more than 50 locations across the UK. Coach tickets start from £45 return, and you can purchase yours here. 

Car 

If you’re driving to the festival, you can buy a parking space by logging into the Kaboodle account you used to buy your ticket. There are different car parks for the Skylark and Orchid campsites, so make sure to select the right car park for where you’re staying.

Banned items at Boomtown

These items are banned from the entire festival site.

• Illegal drugs (possession, use, or sale)
• Nitrous oxide
• All other products banned under the New Psychoactive Substances Act 2016
• Paint spray cans
• Marker pens
• Knives (including locking knives)
• Sound systems (likely referring to large, unofficial ones)
• Glass bottles (excluding make-up and perfume, but note no re-entry with any glass)
• Fireworks
• Explosives
• BBQs
• Smoke and gas canisters (other than small, disposable camping gas canisters within reasonable limits)
• Air horns
• Flares
• Weapons or potential weapons
• Laser devices
• Unofficial drones and UAVs
• Sky lanterns
• Paraffin lamps
• Candles
• Generators
• Chemical toilets (except where fixed within live-in vehicles)
• Unofficial hi-visibility clothing/tabards
• Animals (other than declared and approved assistance dogs)
• Work tools, ladders, 2-way radios etc. (can be deemed a security breach at discretion)
• Signs or materials displaying discriminatory, derogatory or offensive messages, slogans or images
• Banned from the main arena
• Alcohol in excess of the permitted amounts on first entry. The limits are defined based on ticket type (weekend or Sunday Resident).
• Plastic or glass bottles of spirits.
• Any opened bottles of liquid that can be consumed (including water and soft drinks) on entry. Only sealed plastic bottles are allowed.
• Alcohol on re-entry to the festival. Once you've entered for the first time with your allowed alcohol, you cannot bring more in if you leave and come back.
• E-cigarette liquid if it is unsealed or cannot be easily identified. It must be sealed and clearly identifiable.

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