Be Prepared

Our friends at Festival Safe helped us put together a guide to make your Boardmasters experience an enjoyable one!

Ticket Fraud

Ticket fraud is where you buy tickets from a website or seller but the tickets turn out to be fake or are not sent.

Our official ticket partners include SEE Tickets and Tixel, for our resale tickets. Please do not buy or sell tickets using any other third-party platform as we cannot guarantee the ticket’s authenticity and therefore entry into the festival.

  • Only buy your ticket from our official ticketing partners, SEE Tickets or Tixel for all resale tickets.
  • Check the payment pages are secure by looking for a padlock symbol in the address bar, and making sure the website address begins with ‘https’.
  • Paying for tickets with a credit card means that generally the card issuer is jointly liable for a failure for goods or services to be provided.
  • If you have lost money to a ticket scam, report it to Action Fraud

Boardmasters are not responsible for any tickets purchased outside of the official ticketing partner’s platforms.

Boardmasters Packing List
  • Ticket
  • ID – Valid forms of ID are a Drivers License (provisional is ok), Passport or any other form of ID that is certified in the PASS System.
    • Please note we do not accept photocopies.
  • Hand sanitiser (60% alcohol content or more)
  • A good tent – read more about all things camping and how to choose the right tent here
  • Sleeping bag and pillow
  • Roll mat
  • Ear plugs
  • Tissues
  • Wet wipes
  • Toiletries – miniature if possible (including sanitary products)
  • Medical information – if you have any allergies or medical conditions
  • Medication if required – please remember to pack this in a clear, sealable container with your name and number (+ details of personal assistant if applicable) visible. For more information, visit our accessibility page.
  • Plasters and a small first aid kit
  • Head torch or handheld torch
  • Sun cream
  • Wellies or good waterproof boots
  • Lots of socks
  • Warm jumper
  • Waterproof coat
  • Sunglasses
  • Suncream
  • Swimsuit / trunks (if you fancy a dip, we are by the beach after all!)
  • Hat
  • Bum bag/money belt to carry valuables
  • Mobile phone (charged!)
  • Portable mobile charger – or, purchase our Charge Candy upgrade so you always have access to a charger on site.
  • Reusable water bottle, to fill up from drinking water points on site
  • Enough changes of clothes in case you get wet
  • Quick drying leg wear – jeans are not always the best option in the rain as they take ages to dry
  • Money/cards
  • Bin bags – for dirty clothes, keeping things dry and rubbish

Remember: We do not permit any single-use plastic onsite, this will be confiscated from you on entry to the festival. For a full list of prohibited items, visit our info page.

Money

As well as bars and food stalls, there’ll be other things to splash your cash on – like festival merch, vintage clothes and silly hats.

Boardmasters is cashless this year so you’ll have to top up your festival funds before you arrive on site – phone signal is not always reliable so please do this before you arrive. Keep your cards safe and secure whilst at the festival. If you find an important document or card that isn’t your own, please hand it in to our lost property team who will keep hold of this safely.

Medicines & Medication

It’s a good idea to bring some over-the-counter medicines for headache, toothache, minor cuts, burns and sunburn. Hay fever sufferers should bring enough nasal spray, eye drops or antihistamine tablets to last through the festival.

If you need medicine and have not brought it with you, the Welfare team will be able to help but they can be very busy dealing with more serious incidents so you might have to wait to be seen. You can find them in the main arena and the campsite.

Remember to bring any regular medications you might need (for example inhalers or epi pens). If you take regular medication that must be kept in a fridge (for example insulin), our onsite Welfare team can store this for you. Tell the friends you are with where you keep your medication in case they need to access it for you.

If your require medication onsite, please ensure you follow these steps:

  • Bring your medication in a clear, sealable container with your name and number (+ details of your personal assistant if applicable) visible.
  • Bring ID with you to collect your medication as our team can only give your medication to you or the nominated person.
  • You will need to bring your authorisation for some prescribed medication.
  • Please note, any medication in glass bottles if glass cannot be brought on site.

Please present your medication on arrival to site to the Welfare Team if you are camping in one of our general admission campsites, or the Access Info Point in our dedicated Accessibility Campsite. For more information on accessibility at Boardmasters and how to apply for our onsite facilities, visit out Accessibility page.

Transport
Plan your journey to the festival and home again.Before you leave, carry out a few quick and easy checks to ensure you and your vehicle are safely equipped to drive. Simple checks on things like tyre tread and pressure, and making sure you have plenty of fuel and the oil topped up can all help to prevent breakdowns. Highways England have produced some quick one minute car check instruction videos.Keep an eye on traffic updates from the Highways England website and social media. They operate England’s motorways and major A roads and provide up to date traffic information of what is currently happening on the roads to help you make informed decisions about your journey.Highways England also provide a free downloadable mobile app that allows you to check traffic conditions on motorways and major A-roads in England.You might see road signs specific to the show on roads approaching the site – make sure to follow them, the signs are there to help you get into car parks quickly as possible.

It can be tempting to cram as much stuff (and people!) into the car as possible but overloading a car is uncomfortable as well as dangerous. The extra weight can affect handling and braking.

When you park up, excited to be there and keen to get into the action, consciously make a mental note of which field you are in and where you are parked. It’s also a good idea to take a picture on your phone of your parking location. Trudging around 10,000 cars on Monday morning carrying your tent is not fun. Don’t forget to turn off the lights and lock your car before leaving it! If you are a member of a breakdown/recovery service, don’t forget to take their contact details and your membership number with you.

 

Drive Safe

If you are the designated driver you must be fit to drive home when the time comes. Before you drive home make sure you’ve had a good night’s sleep. Queues to leave car parks, especially on the last day, can be very long so you need to factor this in to your journey time.

The return journey from a festival is often the most dangerous as everyone is jaded and less prepared after a weekend of partying. Stay alert and anticipate other road users’ actions. Take regular breaks and stop for a nap if you feel tired. If possible, have a co-pilot who can stay awake to keep you company. This person can read directions and chat to help keep you engaged. Keeping the windows open to provide a supply of fresh air and playing music is another way to help stay alert.

It goes without saying that you must be sober enough to drive home. Read more about drink and drug driving.

 

Other Ways To Travel

There are plenty of alternative ways to travel including our coaches, in partnership with Big Green Coach and catching our shuttle bus service from Newquay Town Centre – on a route which includes road closures this is the quickest mode of transport to the festival site. These mean you don’t have to worry about being sober at home time and are better for the environment too. Check the travel info page for more information. If you’re traveling by coach or train, it’s even more important to pack light!

Getting Picked-Up/ Dropped Off?

Staying Off Site

If you are staying off site, always use event approved licenced cabs to travel to and from your accommodation. If you’re bing picked up or dropped off, follow signs to Blue Gate. This is the point for taxis and our shuttle bus. For more information on our shuttle bus service, visit the travel page of our website.

The Local Community

Events can’t take place without the support of people in the area, so we all need to be respectful of local residents who live near festival sites. Treat shop keepers fairly and if you visit the pub remember that it is somebody else’s local – try not to traipse mud in or behave in an antisocial way. If you’re coming and going late at night, keep the noise down and don’t trespass on people’s property – no garden hopping to find a shortcut back to site!

Accessibility

Boardmasters Festival is for everyone.

If you have specific access requirements to attend an event, check out our Accessibility Page to see what is available to you.

Boardmasters Festival offers a Personal Assistant ticket scheme which grants an additional ticket, free of charge, to Deaf and Disabled people if you require assistance to attend the event. To find out more about the scheme and to register to use any additional services such as accessible campsites or viewing platforms, visit our accessibility page.

Everyone should be respectful of the additional services provided for Deaf and disabled customers – don’t use accessible toilets or try to access viewing areas if you don’t need to. Remember that not all disabilities are visible, so try not to make judgements based on how someone looks. You shouldn’t challenge people who are using access services because you don’t think they “look” disabled.

Within a festival community everyone needs to play a part in creating a culture of respect where we are considerate to the different needs of our fellow party goers. Navigating muddy terrain and big crowds can be more difficult for wheelchair users, people with mobility issues and parents with young children. If we all try to be aware of who is around us and the challenges they might be facing then everyone will have a better time.

Boardmasters is proud to have been achieved a Bronze award with Attitude Is Everything ‘Live Events’ access charter. We are constantly looking to improve our services to promote a more inclusive festival for all.

Our Partners

Premium Partners

Supporting Partners