Review: Lion’s Den, Madness, Ren, Scooter and the Best and Worst of This Year’s Festival
Boomtown Festival 2026 once again proved why it is one of the most ambitious, creative and immersive music festivals in the UK. From spectacular new stage design and world-class production to an enormous festival site packed with entertainment, this year’s event delivered moments that were genuinely unforgettable.
As a university student and festival-goer, Boomtown felt less like simply attending a series of concerts and more like stepping into an entirely different world. There was always something happening, whether it was live music, DJs, theatrical performances, street entertainment or discovering another hidden corner of the vast festival site.
However, the weekend was not without its frustrations. Extreme heat, relentless dust, expensive camping options, overcrowding during Skrillex’s set and an unpleasant experience while photographing Kneecap all showed that even one of the UK’s most innovative festivals still has areas that could be improved.
The New Lion’s Den Stage: A Major Highlight of Boomtown Festival 2026
One of the most exciting additions and standout features of this year’s Boomtown Festival was the new Lion’s Den stage.
Lion’s Den has always been one of Boomtown’s most recognisable and important spaces, but the new stage design took things to another level. Visually impressive and built on a scale that matched the festival’s increasingly ambitious production values, it created a powerful setting for some of the biggest and most memorable performances of the weekend.
The new Lion’s Den felt like a statement of intent. It retained the identity and spirit associated with the area while pushing the production forward, demonstrating once again that Boomtown is willing to invest in evolving rather than simply repeating what has worked in previous years.
The stage hosted an impressive and varied line-up, including legendary British ska band Madness, the unique and hugely talented Ren, and Scottish sound system favourites Mungo’s Hi Fi.
Seeing Madness perform at Lion’s Den was a genuine festival highlight. Their music brought together different generations of festival-goers, creating one of those rare moments where thousands of people seemed completely united by the performance.
Ren brought something entirely different to the stage. His appearance felt particularly significant because he is an artist whose music and creative identity do not fit neatly into a single genre or category. The energy around his performance reflected the excitement surrounding him, and his presence on the Lion’s Den line-up demonstrated the diversity that Boomtown continues to champion.
Meanwhile, Mungo’s Hi Fi delivered exactly the kind of bass-heavy energy that suited the Boomtown environment perfectly. Their performance reinforced why the festival remains such an important space for reggae, dub, sound system culture and alternative music alongside major mainstream and electronic artists.
The variety of acts appearing at Lion’s Den was one of its greatest strengths. Rather than focusing on a single sound, the stage represented the wider spirit of Boomtown itself: eclectic, unpredictable and designed to bring together audiences who might not otherwise see the same artists on the same line-up.
I Was Excited to Photograph Kneecap — But My Experience Was Disappointing
One of the performances I had been most excited about was Kneecap. As an official press photographer, I was looking forward to photographing their set and experiencing one of the most talked-about live acts on the festival circuit.
Unfortunately, my experience in the press pit was extremely disappointing.
Before I was due to take my official press photographs, I felt intimidated by members of Kneecap’s security team, who were unnecessarily rude and swore at me. Their behaviour made what should have been a straightforward professional experience feel uncomfortable and hostile.
The stage management team later apologised to me for the way I had been treated by Kneecap’s security. I appreciated the apology, but by that point I no longer felt comfortable remaining in the press pit. Despite being excited to see the performance, I made the decision to leave after approximately half a song.
It was particularly disappointing because I had been genuinely looking forward to photographing and watching Kneecap. As a member of the press working officially at the festival, I expected a professional environment. Security is obviously essential at major events, but there is a significant difference between maintaining safety and behaving aggressively or unnecessarily towards accredited photographers.
My experience should not take away from the anticipation surrounding Kneecap’s performance or the reaction of the audience, but from my personal perspective, it was unfortunately one of the most negative moments of the weekend.
Scooter Was the Surprise Highlight of the Entire Weekend
If someone had told me before Boomtown Festival 2026 that Scooter would become one of my favourite performances of the weekend, I am not sure I would have believed them.
But unexpectedly, Scooter absolutely delivered.
Their show was an incredible example of what happens when an artist fully commits to the scale and spectacle of a major festival performance. The lighting design was exceptional, the sound system was immense and the entire production felt larger than life.
The dancers added another level of energy to the performance, ensuring that there was always something happening visually. However, the huge flame throwers were arguably the most jaw-dropping element of the entire show.
Combined with the music, lighting and sheer volume of the sound system, the flames created moments that were genuinely mind-blowing. The heat could be felt from the crowd, which was particularly surreal considering that Boomtown was already experiencing extreme temperatures throughout the weekend.
Scooter turned out to be one of those festival performances that completely exceeded expectations. It was loud, ridiculous, theatrical, energetic and absolutely brilliant. Sometimes the best festival experiences are the ones you were not expecting, and Scooter was undoubtedly one of those moments.
Boomtown Festival’s Set Design and Production Are Still in a League of Their Own
One of the biggest reasons Boomtown continues to stand apart from other UK music festivals is its extraordinary set design and production.
The festival site is enormous, and each area feels like part of a larger world. Walking between stages can feel like moving through completely different environments, with elaborate buildings, installations, themed spaces and performers helping to create an immersive experience.
The amount of work involved in building Boomtown is almost difficult to comprehend.
Behind every stage, structure, installation and performance space is an enormous amount of physical labour, technical expertise and creative planning. The production and building crews deserve significant recognition for transforming an outdoor site into a temporary city filled with such intricate detail.
The festival’s construction teams, stage crews, designers, lighting technicians, sound engineers and countless other workers are responsible for creating the environment that festival-goers often take for granted once the gates open.
Luke Mitchell and his team deserve particular praise for continuing to think differently about what a music festival can be. Boomtown has never appeared interested in simply copying the traditional festival format, and its willingness to innovate remains one of its greatest strengths.
The continued development of stages such as Lion’s Den demonstrates that the festival is still evolving. There is a clear willingness to experiment, improve and think on a much larger scale, while maintaining the creativity and individuality that made Boomtown distinctive in the first place.
Extreme Heat, Dust and an Absolutely Enormous Festival Site
The Boomtown Festival 2026 experience was not always physically easy.
The extreme heat made long days challenging, particularly when combined with the huge amount of walking required to explore the site. Boomtown is expansive, and while that scale is one of its greatest strengths, it also means that getting between stages and returning to camp can become exhausting.
Then there was the dust.
The dry conditions meant that dust was everywhere. By the end of the day, it seemed impossible to avoid it. Clothes, shoes and festival equipment all suffered, and the combination of heat and dust made staying comfortable difficult.
Anyone considering attending Boomtown Festival in future should be prepared for the physical side of the experience. Comfortable footwear, plenty of water and appropriate protection from the weather are essential.
However, the scale of the site also means that there is an extraordinary amount to discover. It is entirely possible to spend the whole weekend exploring and still feel as though you have missed entire areas of the festival.
Skrillex Overcrowding Showed the Problems of Managing Huge Crowds
One of the less enjoyable aspects of the weekend was the overcrowding surrounding Skrillex’s performance.
The popularity of the set created an extremely busy and, at times, uncomfortable environment. When an artist attracts a crowd of that size, managing audience flow becomes particularly important.
The excitement around Skrillex was understandable, but the overcrowding demonstrated the challenge of placing exceptionally high-demand performances within an already busy and complex festival environment.
Boomtown’s size usually means there is something for everyone, somewhere across the site. However, major headline performances can draw huge numbers of people into the same area at once.
Expensive Camping Options, but Good Facilities
Another issue for students and anyone attending on a limited budget is the cost of some of the camping options.
Boomtown already represents a significant financial commitment once tickets, travel, food, drinks and other expenses are considered. The more expensive camping and accommodation packages can push the overall cost considerably higher.
For university students especially, this can make the festival difficult to afford.
However, while the camping options can be expensive, the wider range of facilities available across the site deserves credit. Boomtown provides far more infrastructure and entertainment than many traditional music festivals.
There is a huge choice of food, drinks, entertainment spaces, welfare facilities and areas designed for different types of festival-goers. The range of activities means that there is always something to do, even if you decide to take a break from the main stages.
More Than Just a Music Festival
What continues to make Boomtown special is that the music is only one part of the experience.
You can watch internationally known artists, discover smaller acts, explore elaborate stages, encounter performers, experience theatrical productions and wander through an enormous temporary world filled with unexpected entertainment.
The festival encourages exploration in a way that many large events simply do not.
You might set off intending to see one artist and end up discovering an entirely different stage, performance or area that becomes one of your favourite memories of the weekend.
Final Verdict: Is Boomtown Festival 2026 Worth It?
Despite the extreme heat, dust, expensive camping options, exhausting distances between areas and overcrowding at certain performances, Boomtown Festival 2026 was another hugely ambitious and memorable event.
The new Lion’s Den stage was a major success and hosted an exciting range of artists, including Madness, Ren and Mungo’s Hi Fi. Scooter was an unexpected but spectacular highlight, delivering one of the most visually and sonically impressive performances of the weekend.
My experience attempting to photograph Kneecap was personally disappointing and unfortunately left me feeling intimidated and uncomfortable enough to leave after only half a song, despite being genuinely excited to see them. The apology from stage management was appreciated, but it did not change the fact that the situation affected my experience of what should have been an exciting professional assignment.
Ultimately, though, the creativity, ambition and sheer scale of Boomtown remain extraordinary.
The dedication of the production and building crews is visible throughout the festival, and the continued innovation of Luke Mitchell and his team ensures that Boomtown continues to develop rather than stand still.
Boomtown is not cheap. It is not always comfortable. You will probably walk further than you expect, breathe in more dust than you would like and occasionally find yourself caught in a crowd that feels far too busy.
But if you are looking for one of the most immersive, creative and visually ambitious music festivals in the UK, Boomtown Festival remains an experience unlike almost anything else.
Boomtown Festival 2026 rating: 8.5/10 — spectacular stage design, incredible entertainment and ambitious innovation, with a few significant issues that could still be improved.
