Boomtown 2022: Huge clean-up operation underway at South Downs National Park site

Boomtown Fair's latest instalment, Chapter One: The Gathering, has just finished after welcoming 66,000 people to the Matterley Bowl in the South Downs National Park for a five-day celebration which showcased over 500 artists from across the world. 

Scores of revellers made their way home on Monday morning having been at the event since Wednesday, August 10, leaving a sizeable amount of mess in their wake.

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Crews could be seen deconstructing the stages from the top of Cheesefoot Head, while a large amount of rubbish lay strewn across the beauty spot. 

Plenty of tents have also been abandoned by partygoers who ignored the festival's pleas to pack them up and take them home.

Organisers have said they will provide an update on the exact number of tents left behind when the operation is complete, but there did seem to be fewer than in previous years when the Chronicle visited the site on Tuesday. 

In 2019, the festival saw a 50 per cent reduction in waste dumped by attendees, and it will undoubtedly be hoping this year returns similarly positive figures as it works towards becoming net zero by 2025.

Speaking ahead of the festival, sustainability coordinator, Emily Ford, said: "We’ve made a commitment to become a circular festival by 2025 to transform Boomtown into a festival where we eliminate waste, circulate resources and adopt low carbon and resource efficient systems and actions. 

Boomtown in the distance, taken from a hot air balloon run by Atmosphere Hot Air Balloons https://atmosphereballoons.co.uk/

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"We’ve already implemented so many changes that put us well on the way to achieve this goal. We participate in A Greener Festival Award who externally assess our commitment towards sustainability, and we received the ‘commended’ award, two out of four stars, in 2019, which signifies a well-managed, environmentally aware festival.

"As Boomtown has grown in size over the years, we’re aware of our environmental impact and understand that festivals can be carbon and waste intensive. But they can also provide the best testing ground for collaboration, creativity and innovation. With so many opportunities to reduce our impact, we have a responsibility to do all that we can. 

"In recent years, we’ve already seen huge changes in the way people create their festival experience. After seeing such a reduction in waste and an increase in people taking their tents home, we can see that Boomtown citizens really do share our vision of circularity and are excited to work with us on achieving it."