Boomtown's Boom Village cancelled due to "escalating cases of COVID-19"

Boom Village was due to take place instead of the full scale annual Boomtown festival due to the pandemic, and was plannned to be a "smaller show where we could trial new sustainable ideas".

In a statement posted on the festival site, organisers have explained why Boom Village has now been cancelled, writing, "The core decision is due to the escalating cases of COVID-19 across the country, and the risks that widespread illness and self-isolation could have on our crew and contractors, which would result in us not having enough people to build and deliver the show to the high public safety standards we uphold."

Organisers continued, "We had devised a concept that could have worked in the current climate, despite all the existing issues such as a lack of insurance etc... We were navigating our way through those obstacles, but with the timelines being pushed back, the changes we’ve seen to policy and the national escalation in cases, the odds now feel stacked against us and we are no longer in a position to be able to proceed."

"We appreciate that this decision may be confusing in light of the latest Government announcement relaxing most of the COVID legislation from Monday 19th July," the statement added. "In that announcement it was also stated that the responsibility and ‘common sense’ now lies with the individual or organisation; that is a responsibility we take very seriously. The circumstances we’ve outlined above severely affect our ability to deliver a show where we could guarantee high levels of safety for all in attendance, as there are so many factors outside of our control."

The announcement follows the Boomtown 2021 cancellation announced in April. Organisers cited a lack of "Covid specific cancellation insurance" as the main issue, as Boomtown is an independent festival.