Boardmasters Announces Enhanced Safety Measures After 2024 Crowd Surge

Following a crowd surge incident at the 2024 Boardmasters festival that resulted in several injuries and hospitalizations, organizers have announced comprehensive safety improvements for the 2025 event. The festival, which attracts over 50,000 attendees to Cornwall’s Watergate Bay and Fistral Beach, will feature enhanced 24/7 security coverage, increased police presence, more high-visibility patrols, additional search lanes to reduce entry queue times, and improved site information and signage. Medical facilities staffed around the clock by A&E doctors, nurses, and paramedics will be available alongside confidential support services for harassment, sexual assault, and domestic violence victims. The festival's founder and CEO, Andrew Topham, emphasized that delivering a safe and well-organized event is their highest priority, noting months of collaborative planning with Devon and Cornwall Police, Cornwall Council, and other agencies. Along with safety upgrades, the 2025 festival experience will be reimagined to celebrate its cultural heritage, including the return of the skate ramp and the Boardmasters OPEN surf competition, with expanded wellness offerings and workshops to create a more connected and safer environment for attendees, especially young festival-goers experiencing their first festival.