Boomtown Chapter 11 – A Radical City. It’s Time
It’s no big secret that me and Keeley are a bit “festival obsessed. We’ve spent the best part of 17 years trying to satisfy our hunger for these huge outdoor musical playgrounds. No matter how many we attend, we are never truly satisfied, there’s always a new experience to be had in a venue we’ve never visited. That’s why we spend most of our days dreaming about what our next big festival is going to be. Boomtown we’re looking at you.
With Emerson’s arrival we were certain our festival caining days were numbered. Turns out we weren’t even close to throwing in the towel. With very little encouragement from us Em appears to have developed his own love of the Festival scene. In actual fact he enjoys the whole festival enviroment just as much, if not more than us.
Yep, apparently nothing makes our little wild child feel more at home then being surrounded by huge crowds of like minded free spirits in every shape, size and colour. Baring that in mind you probably won’t be surprised that Emerson has an impressive total of 4 Festivals under his belt. At a mere 23 months old he’s rapidly climbing the ranks as a hardcore festival veteran. You can probably imagine the level of pride we both feel about this.
Finding That Balance
The only thing that has changed slightly is our check list when choosing a festival to go to. We have to be realistic. It won’t be much fun for Emerson if all we do is drag him around the main stages with us. What Em really needs to keep him entertained is a varied mix of music and visual stimulation. So what we’re looking for, (aswell as killer headliners) is daytime activities and alternative stage acts aimed at the younger generation.
The Family Factor.
We’re also on the lookout for what family friendly facilities are on offer. Let’s face it, “comfort” rarely exist’s at a festival, but as a parent it’s the little things that can really make a difference. Just knowing there’s a clean area where we can change a shitty nappy makes us feel a whole lot more “comfortable”. I don’t need to elaborate on the importance of sleep either, so a family only camping area is an absolute must.
Boomtown Fair definitely tick’s all of our boxes. Every year we watch the social media coverage of Booomtown with keen interest (and jealousy). We know they cater just as much for the kids as they do for the “big kids”. We know that the three of us will get so much out of the Boomtown experience, but Emerson especially will be in his element amongst this family orientated extravaganza of a festival.
So here it is! This is a list of our top five reasons why 2019 is the year we are taking Emerson to Boomtown chapter 11 – A Radical City
1) The Killer Line-up
One thing about Boomtown is they don’t do lineups by halves. Nope not a chance! Infact Boomtown are renowned for booking quite simply some of the most heavyweight and influential artists in all genres of music. Previous years have seen the absolute royalty in Reggae, Ska and Dance music on the bill and this year is no exception; Lauryn Hill, The Streets, Supercat and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. The Bug, Rodney P, Lt stichie, Sir Spyro, Black Sun Empire!! The list goes on.. and on. It’s gonna be a challenge seeing all this musical greatness in just three days but we’re happy to give it our best shot
You’re probably thinking, what’s all this about? They just said the line-up is not that important when you have a youngster in tow. You’re right we did say that but hear us out! A day has 24 hours, and 24 hours feels like 124 hours when you’re trying to keep a child entertained. During the day when he’s at his most active a mix of music and activities will keep him sweet. In the evenings when theoretically he should be more worn out we can indulge in a few of our favourite artists, whilst he (hopefully) sleeps in the buggy or baby carrier.
Bang Hai Towers : photo credit Mike Massaro
The legend that is Shy FX at The Lions Den – photo credit : Jody Hartley
A beautiful woodland stage at Boomtown Fair photo credit : Garry Jones
2) The Districts
The Districts are what really sets Boomtown apart from the competition. Together they make up a bigger musical city, but individually each one is a unique mini festival of its own. Inside each of the themed Districts you’ll find a main stage and smaller venues hosting their own mix of artists and genres. Add to this mind blowing sets and stage design, and you’ve got something really special!! A genuine feast for the eyes and ears, but ultimately the icing on the cake here is the festivals immersive theatrical storyline element.
Window installations, sideshows and walkabout performers play a major role in bringing the winding streets of each district to life. This completely interactive experience is all tied in together neatly by a cast of creative’s who remain in character. The narrtives played out in these smaller areas all form part of the bigger city’s constantly evolving storyline. The reason people come back time and time again, is because of the Districts. They are the core of Boomtown, and make it what it is!
Kidztown – photo credit : Garry Jones
We’re hoping Emerson’s brain won’t explode on sight of these modern wonders of the festival world. All joking aside try to imagine the magnitude of sensory stimulation he will get from seeing this magical place for the first time. All the sounds, colours, textures and smells. Even for a seasoned vet like Emerson this will be a completly new experience. It’s certain to open his mind (and ours!) to a whole different perspective on life. We’re not sure which district Em will enjoy the most or where he will feel most at home. All we know is, they will take his learning and development to a whole new level.
3) Kidztown
If we had to guess the place we think Emerson will be most at home, our money’s on Kidstown. There is so much going on in this specific area of the festival we could write a whole separate blog post on it. (There’s actually a very high possibility that we will).
Don’t mistake this for just another attempt at the organisers jumping on the whole “family orientated” bandwagon. Kids and family in general are as much a part of Boomtown’s fabric as any of the 65,000 punters. It’s refreshing that all generations can enjoy the festival.
Kidztown is a finely tuned area, where all the family friendly elements of the main festival have been conveniently bundled together. Instead of a watered down musical timetable, Kidztown plays hosts to both big and small names on its very own main stage. The Kidztown lineup consists of specifically chosen bands, and artists to cater for the mini boomers. It’s also good to see that two of our favourite events Fun DMC, and Big Fish Little Fish will be in attendance.
So the music’s covered but let’s not forget about the creative workshops, the wild wood Forrest adventures or the circus. Yes I did say circus. It doesn’t stop there. The theatre, the interactive shops, venues and streets. Prepare to spend alot of your time here as your child is never going to want to leave.
DJ Archie having it in Kidztown – photo credit Harvey Mills
Let’s get Wild – photo credit Mike Massaro
4) Getting into character
You can guarantee there’s one thing you will see if you take a walk around any of the 11 districts at Boomtown and thats plenty of weird and wonderful characters.
The festival itself invites everyone who attends to become a real life resident of the city. By real life we mean somone who walks, talks, acts and of course dresses like a character from their chosen district.
The organisers are so passionate about this imerssive style of “fancy dress” they’ve set up an online costume shop. The shop is digitally manned by Boomtowns costumiers who are highly skilled at bringing people’s inner characters to life. Our fellow festival loving buddy Jessi at Wheres My Tent wrote a really good piece on this last year, you can read that here.
We’ re always trying to teach Emerson that different should be celebrated. So we’re sure he will appreciate meeting all these colourful and creative citizens. The bizzare multi-coloured masks and costumes on display are bound to trigger alot of wide smiles and cheeky grins we’re certain of that! Knowing Em he will have probably befriended every single person in a costume by Sunday evening.
All the beautiful people hang in Diss-Order Alley Boomtown credit : Sian Herbert
Bring your sparkle, your pasties and a Siberian tiger obvs – photo Credit: Garry Jones
Everyone goes all out at Boomtown – Credit: Garry Jones
We’ve got big plans of our own, to get Em dressed up. He just doesn’t know it yet! The thought of our little guy wondering around in full Bohemian Circus style get up is just too cute for words. In reality he probably won’t be having it in the slightest, and we may have settle for a Technicolor bucket hat and a glow stick.
Me and Em straight up chillin
5) Sustainability
Never before has such a large festival been so committed to reducing it’s impact on the environment. By literally rethinking every aspect of the production, Boomtown hopes to make a significant reduction to the festivals energy consumption. This involves energy conscious design, using renewable energy wherever possible and supporting clean energy technologies across the site. Likewise by implementing a “zero waste” policy they are aiming for a drastic drop in waste production figures. The latter being a far more gruelling task which involves continued support from the attendees over the next few years.
By far the most important thing Boomtown plans, is to use engagement and education to positively inspire a generation. This increased environmental awareness is exactly the type of thing we want Emerson exposed to from an early age. His generation will undeniably be detrimental to the continued survival of planet earth and all its inhabitants.
Education at Whistlers Green – credit Benjamin Paul
Our World is Our Future
We’re not trying to turn Em into a 24 month old extinction rebellion protestor armed with superglue. We just want the concept of single use plastics to be non existent and sustainable food to be the norm. If his very first festival memories include using compostible packaging and ethically sourced produce that’s a seriously good start. Our only wish is that he continues to consciously choose these eco friendly alternatives in day to day life.
See you on the Downs
This is just 5 reasons why we want to take Emerson to Boomtown chapter 11 – A Radical City. In reality we could probably find 100 reasons why us, or any family should visit this beast of a festival. The list of audio and visual entertainment is endless and we could easily write an individual blog about each one. (We definitely will be expanding on some of these in the very near future).
The city of Boomtown – credit Mike Massaro
The general feel we have is that Boomtown will be more than just a place to hear music. It will be a place where we can traverse social boundaries, expand our culteral awareness and blend with some truly inspiring souls. All of this could easily be experienced by 1 person alone, and just as easily by a raving couple, but it just wouldn’t be the same for us without Emerson being there to share the experience.
We want him to see the world as a beautiful place full of originality, individuality and expression. What better place for Em to experience this, than at Boomtown.
Tickets are on sale now, so make sure you get yours to be part of the next chapter.
Really interesting read, wouldn’t have thought to take someone so young to a big festival like this. So it’s interesting to hear he enjoys them (and is a seasoned pro already) plus the festivals actually do a lot to cater towards them. Hope Boomtown is a lot of fun when you get around to it 🙂
Thanks so much for reading Jason!! We will be following up with a post about our experience so hopefully our expectations meet the reality of a toddler running riot at Boomtown ??
Can’t wait to read it. I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you haha.