It’s been 12 years since my first ever Boardmasters festival. Back then I was DJing there for the first time ever with a collective of other talented people behind the decks housed in a giant set of glowing false teeth. The Denture Disco was kicking off a summer of music and Boardmasters was my first stop. I was young(ish), and excited, and all in all had an amazing time while meeting a whole bunch of new people I’m still friends with to this day.
The festival has always appealed to a young crowd, and going there in my late 30s (oh no!) I could definitely feel the age gap only growing. The site is still filled with plenty of youngsters who have travelled far and wide, in some cases to experience their first ever festival.
The hotel I stayed in down the road (I am too old to camp now… I need a good night’s rest between donning my dancing shoes) was filled with parents, wanting to give their kids space to enjoy Boardmasters with friends, but not too far away that they can’t pull them out if it gets too much for them.
This year though, anyone who saw the line-up would notice there was a difference. With the likes of Fatboy Slim, Lily Allen, The Kooks and Kasabian all taking the top slots it was pretty clear the demographic best suited for this wasn’t Gen Z. It was a millennials dream, a call to all of us over 30 who wanted to experience a festival in 2026 while we pretended it was still 2006.
So did it deliver?
I would say so yes, and then some. Nothing made me feel this coming together of generations than when The Kooks had a young guitarist pulled up on stage to perform ‘Seaside’ in a moment that brings to mind that Glastonbury moment with Alex performing Thiago Silva alongside Dave. You’d have to be pretty soulless not to be moved by that.
Dizzee Rascal, Example and Fatboy Slim rolled back the years and pulled in huge crowds, as fans new and old joined in to sing the anthems and dance sweaty little socks off to tracks as old as some people in the crowd.
Speaking of crowd, Boardmasters punters were well behaved, friendly, and all seemed up for a good time. The vibes were as they say ‘immaculate’.
If you’re looking for your next festival, then maybe a trip down to the beautiful Cornish coast is in order. Give the surfing a go (or watch the pros), then head up to the main arena and watch some of the seasoned veterans perform hits that can smash the generational divide. Except that Abba tribute. The less said about them the better.
