Beginners guide to Boardmasters Festival

 

Five days of sun, sea, sand and surf sounds like the sort of package deal you can only get if you spend hundreds of £££ and jet off to some far away, exotic location.

But would you believe us if we told you that all this is possible after a few hours journey AND you get to see some of the biggest names in music too? Well, this heavenly combination does exist… and it is better known by the name of Boardmasters Festival.

Taking place from the 10th-14th August, Cornwall’s Watergate Bay is about to be taken over by the biggest artists and the hottest beach babes, and this is how YOU can get a piece of the action.  

The Line-Up

Never one to do anything half-heartedly, Boardmasters have only gone and lined up some of the biggest stars in the UK to headline this year. Tearing the main stage up will be Chase and Status, Deadmau5 and everybody’s favourite new kid on the block, James Bay.

These guys will be joined by the likes of Catfish and the Bottlemen, Wilkinson, Wolf Alice, Kaiser Chiefs, Craig David’s TS5, Foxes, Sigma, Mystery Jets and many, many more. With 5 different stages to fill, most of which have a stunning view of the beach, there is surely no better way to celebrate summer than watching the waves with a cider in hand.

But music is just one part of this fest. As well as the banging tunes, Boardmasters is also a festival for surfing, skating and BMX. Taking place at both the Fistral Beach campsite and Watergate Bay, get ready to witness some fierce competition. Whether you fancy showing off your moves, competing against others or losing your surfing virginity, this is the place to be. The surfing will be going on all weekend so you have plenty of time to get down to the beach and join in on the action and, let’s be honest, who wouldn’t love the chance to bag themselves a skater boy?

What’s on?

The folks at Boardmasters certainly know how to throw a party, so they’ve organised plenty throughout the weekend to remind us of just that. Why not take a trip down to the Beach Bar – better known as Fistral’s surf shack and BBQW terrace. Here you can get yourself some tickets to see the best of the summer acts perform to an intimate crowd, the most exclusive of parties in the lazy summer sun. Also, make sure you don’t miss out on tickets to the official after parties, which will be taking over Newquay town. There will be shuttle buses running to and from the campsite so you can go and dance the night away to the biggest DJ’s and their after dark sets. Keep an eye out here as the line-up for both the Beach Bar and After Party acts are still TBC!

If neither of those take your fancy, there is still plenty of other stuff going on right outside your tent, meaning you don’t even need to leave to have a fabulous time. Campsite Village will have silent discos, plenty of surfing goodies, food stalls for the munchies and early morning yoga classes. You can even take a trip to the pop-up spa for a quick pampering sesh to set you up for the day.

The fest are advising people to bring your waterproofs and wellies but also be pack with your sunnies and sun cream, as the English weather can be so unpredictable. There’s plenty of space to camp and many campsites to choose from – so what will it be? Will you be soaking up the sun in Malibu or braving the wilderness in Jaws?

Tickets and Travel

If you’re already itching to jump into the waves and sample the finest of Cornish pasties, you can buy your tickets from here http://www.boardmasters.co.uk/ tickets . A standard weekend ticket costs £134, but there are also many other ticket options including a long weekend ticket, VIP and ‘charger’ tickets. If you only fancy one day at the fest, you can bag yourself a day ticket for just £47.50.

Big Green Coach is the official partner for the fest and will be picking up festival-goers from 24 locations, with return trips starting at around £26. If you’re more of a train person, Newquay Station is where you need to be heading, or you can purchase a weekend parking pass for £17. Why not look out for others in your area who might wish to car share?

So now it’s time to get yourself down to the local skate park and practice surfing those concrete waves and prepare for one of the best weekends of the summer!

 

By Emily Thursfield