Boardmasters Festival 2024: Everything you need to know
The biggest surfing festival in the country attracts up to 58,000 visitors a day
Last updated 7th Aug 2024
Boardmasters Surf and Music Festival in Newquay, which kicks off this week, will attract up to 58,000 visitors a day.
The biggest surfing and music festival in the country will begin welcoming festival-goers on Wednesday 7 August.
This year, the Boardmasters festival site at Watergate Bay has had a refresh, with five carefully curated areas to explore, each filled with an array of 11 unique music stages and acts including Stormzy and Sam Fender.
Andrew Topham, chief executive of Boardmasters, said:
"We will see full capacity crowds. We have redesigned Fistral beach and put more focus on the surf festival. We're always trying to make the festival better, every year we strive to improve it, create new areas, new stages and evolve it.
"It's lovely to see the farm going from that and into the festival site."
Drivers travelling on the A30 in Cornwall are also being advised to plan their journeys ahead of this week’s festival at Newquay.
The main route to the site at Watergate Bay is via the A30 Indian Queens junction, then on to the A39 and increased traffic in that area is expected, especially on Wednesday and Thursday, when the majority of festival goers arrive, and on Sunday when visitors leave.
People making their way to the event and motorists travelling around the location are reminded to plan ahead and keep up to date with the latest travel reports.
National Highways Regional Network Resilience Planner, John Ingram, said:
"The road network is likely to see higher traffic volumes as a result of the Boardmasters event, particularly on the A30 around Newquay as well as the local road leading into the town.
"Our aim is to keep the National Highways network running while keeping all road users safe and informed, and we’re advising all drivers to check our traffic and travel information channels, to plan ahead and allow plenty of time for their journeys."
New park and ride facility:
This year sees the introduction of the new Boardmasters Park & Ride service, on the fair fields off the A3059, near the Trekenning Roundabout. This ‘White Car Park’ area will be used by some weekend ticket holders and all driving day ticket holders. With Park & Ride parking starting from just £10 and bus rides at £3.50 each way, attendees can park their cars and be conveniently dropped off right at the festival gates.
The service provides 24-hour security, and also helps reduce traffic congestion on the roads near the festival. Purchasing parking passes in advance guarantees the best prices; this can be done upon purchasing a festival ticket, or as an add-on. Buses to and from the Park & Ride will run from early morning until after the music finishes, operating a simple tap-and-ride system.
To limit Boardmasters’ impact on the local area and encourage greener travel choices, organisers strongly recommend using the Park & Ride service rather than pick up and drop off.
There's more information on the festival on their website.