A social media post, reportedly from a Boomtown organiser, has raised the idea of Boomtown Fair becoming a totally meat-free festival in 2020.

Asking for feedback from fans of the festival, a poll was posted to the ‘Boomtown Chat’ Facebook group, which voted 360 to 138 against the move.



Boomtown Source reported that the post was made by one of Boomtown’s founders.

Days later, Boomtown Head of Music Kaptin Barrett commented on the festival’s “meat-free discussion” on Twitter. He said: “I’m fully behind the idea, so let’s see how the next couple of months pan out.”

Beyond this, B oomtown has not officially commented on a move towards total vegetarianism.



However, organisers revealed last month that they will “prioritising applicants who are sustainable, veggie or vegan and those who use renewable energy sources…” when considering food traders for Boomtown this summer.

Northamptonshire’s Shambala festival has now been free of meat and fish for three years, though they did allow an insect cafe in 2016.

Boomtown takes place on the Matterley Estate, which rears cattle as an active dairy farm. The farmer, Peveril Bruce, can be seen in this video where he explores the Boomtown site as it’s being constructed.



Boomtown has a comprehensive sustainability policy, which alongside their Respect campaign, will play a crucial role in this year’s Boomtown Chapter 11: A Radical City.

When Chapter 11’s title was revealed at this year’s closing ceremony, those in attendance were told “The future of Boomtown is unwritten. We must consider environment, sustainability, and consequences in order to survive.”

This can also be seen in the official Chapter 10 after-movie released back in September.

The suggestion of a meat-free Boomtown caused a flurry of comments on social media from both sides of the debate.

There is a debate about whether meat should be sold at Boomtown. Just let the meat eaters have their meat and vegans have their plant based food. — Roseanna #ProudFrontLineNHSWorker 💙‍🏵️🎍🌺🌻🌷🌸 (@roseannanna) January 12, 2019

https://twitter.com/tiggerm8/status/1084059122499272704

Boomtown also takes a unique approach to transport, where only those that travel by sustainable transport are allowed to arrive on Wednesday.

Organisers will reveal Boomtown’s 2019 headliners on February 8th and will then reveal district line-up’s on a weekly basis.

Boomtown’s new techno and electronic district, Area 404, was unveiled back in December, alongside the first line-up poster.

Tickets for the festival are currently on sale, and volunteering applications are also open.

Day one ticket sales for Chapter 11 broke Boomtown records this year, despite selling out as early as February ahead of Chapter 10.



Boomtown Fair organisers have been approached for comment.



Check out TheFestivals review of Boomtown Chapter 10: “a psychedelic wonderland”.

Main image credit: Mike Massaro



