Boomtown day three: opening ceremony, jungle set and crowds

From the moment I unzipped my tent, I knew Friday would be a good one. The mud had (almost) dried, the sun was shining and the day's timetable was looking great on all accounts.

I began my day by interviewing Keep Britain Tidy's John Egan about their portable ash trays that they were handing out to smokers. I'm not a smoker myself, but what a great idea! You can read all about it here: Keep Britain Tidy are offering free buttboxes at Boomtown.

Plus, they're free!

Shortly after, I had to rush down to Origin where the opening ceremony was about to begin. I managed to get in a decent position, five minutes or so before it kicked off.

The crowd at Origin (Image: Newsquest)

I've never heard bass like it, it was incredible. A video can't show how powerful the sound was, but the ceremony itself was majestic. I noticed, as the first of the strongest bass began, the sun came out from the clouds - it was as if it was planned. It was incredibly hot, but the perfect weather - and so well timed - for such a huge moment in the festival.

You can see the video below.

@hampshire_chronicle Thousands watch Boomtown’s opening ceremony in the sunshine ☀️ #boomtownfair #boomtownfestival #boomtown2024 #foryou #foryou2024 #festivalseason ♬ original sound - Hampshire Chronicle

The ceremony featured Madly, Inja and Jenna G, before the crowd began chanting Kings of the Rollers. I turned around, and the crowd was unimaginably big. When I left, it took me ten minutes to weave my way out.

I enjoyed a crepe for lunch, and took a "Daily Rag" newspaper from a Boomtown journalist in Letsbe Avenue. It says on the front: "because who said print journalism is dead?" I completely agree.

READ MORE: Keep Britain Tidy are offering free buttboxes at Boomtown

I'm yet to find out how to get involved in the storyline, but I'm hoping collecting the paper's this weekend will help me find out. Either way, just being here is like being in another world, with or without the story.

The queue at Tangled Roots (Image: Newsquest)

In the evening, I joined a queue to enter Twisted Roots to see a jungle set by Aries. They were letting just a few people in at a time, and every time they did so, it was a stampede of people pushing to get through. It was crazy, but when I made it, it was worth the hassle. 

Next, I headed towards the main city, and discovered one of the smaller, hidden areas: the digital funfair. It was a very intimate space but it was such an interesting concept, with gadgets to play with inside including a photo/video machine, a mixer - where three people could wear headphones and press buttons to make a mix, and various other games. 

After the amazing experience that was day three, I can't wait for the weekend.