Boomtown Fair returns to Matterley Estate near Winchester for Chapter Five: Radical Redesign, running Wednesday 12 to Sunday 16 August 2026. The self-styled parallel city is back with what organisers are calling its most ambitious edition in 17 years, after securing planning permission to expand capacity from around 66,000 to nearly 77,000 attendees.
The headline acts alone make the case. Kneecap, Faithless, Four Tet, Scissor Sisters and Madness are all confirmed, alongside Skrillex, Groove Armada, Floating Points, Ashnikko, Shaggy, Skindred, Princess Nokia, Sampa the Great, Shy FX and Sherelle, among dozens more. The lineup deliberately broadens beyond the bass music that has dominated recent years, with a conscious push towards live bands sitting alongside the electronic headliners.
The physical festival has been redesigned too. The Lion’s Den stage returns to its original Temple Valley amphitheatre, the Hilltop area is reborn as a live music hub, and a new Hydro XL stage joins the dance music offering. The Grand Central district relocates to roomier woodland terrain. Beyond the 12 main stages, there are over 50 smaller venues folded into the city’s themed districts, plus a new Thrutopia zone offering saunas, sound baths, breathwork, and craft workshops for when the dancefloor gets too much.
The festival is 18-plus only and takes place on a green-field site with on-site camping. Tickets started from £355 and are now sold out. Resale is available through the official Kaboodle account system at boomtownfair.co.uk. Getting there without a car is straightforward: South Western Railway runs direct services from London Waterloo to Winchester in around an hour, and a regular shuttle bus connects Winchester station to the site. Timetables are published in July on the Boomtown website.
