Boardmasters, the five-day festival featuring music, surfing, and camping, was held this past weekend, August 6-10, in Newquay, Cornwall.
The main stage headliners included Raye, Central Cee, and The Prodigy. Other notable acts on the main stage were Flo, Leigh-Anne, The Wombats, Nelly Furtado, Bob Vylan, Myles Smith, and London Grammar. The main stage also had afternoon special guests each day, including Kaiser Chiefs, Rizzle Kicks, and Natasha Bedingfield.
The Mordros stage featured artists Wet Leg, Maribou State, Hard Life, Caity Baser, and Interplanetary Criminal. The Unleashed stage, known for electronic music, included acts Patrick Topping, Sub Focus, Danny Howard, and Jazzy.
There were five other stages throughout the festival, including The View, known for emerging artists, Keg & Pasty, a space for pub quizzes, lively atmosphere, and karaoke, Surf Club 81, Banzai Bar, which included themed music and parties, and the Hospitality lounge, a space for VIP ticket holders. Boardmasters largest acts throughout the years included Snoop Dogg, Florence and the Machine, Stormzy, and The Chemical Brothers.
Boardmasters is a unique festival in that not only does it provide a wide range of artists, but it is also known for its surfing and skateboarding competitions at Fistral Beach. Boardmasters started as a surfing competition in the 1980s and expanded to include music acts in 2005 through the decision of the event organizers, now reaching a capacity of around 58,000 people. Cornwall’s coastline is rooted in a passion for surfing culture.
The festival showcases international surfing professionals in men’s, women’s, and junior divisions. The competition included Boardmasters OPEN and Boardmasters Longboard OPEN. This year’s surfing champions are Annette Gonzalez Etxabarri, Martin Coret, Ginger Caimi, Willow Smith, and the two-time winner and local legend, Lukas Skinner.
Aside from the music and surfing, Boardmasters offers a range of activities throughout the weekend, such as surfing lessons and coaching for beginners, other sports including paddle boarding, kayaking, diving, and volleyball. They also offered a wellness section for yoga and meditation, and a variety of wellness workshops. After the performances throughout the day, Boadmasters also had a silent disco and after parties throughout the town of Newquay.
Boardmasters already have their 2026 dates that will be held next August 5-9. The line up for next year has not yet been announced, however, loyalty tickets for next year go on sale this Wednesday, August 13, and Early Bird tickets are available on August 14. You can find tickets here.
