"Small number" of people injured in crowd surge at Boardmasters

Devon and Cornwall Police has said a "small number" of people have been injured in a crowd surge at Boardmasters music festival in Newquay.

A statement from the force said: "We have been notified following a crowd surge at Boardmasters music festival in Newquay on Friday 9 August, which left a small number of attendees injured.

"The injured parties are currently being treated on-site by medical staff or have been taken to hospital to be checked over. None of the injuries are considered serious. This is an isolated incident and the festival continues."

In posts responding to concerned parents on X, the festival organisers said the planned set by DJ and producer Sammy Virji was cancelled.

Boardmasters said: "Sammy Virji's set was cancelled this evening to allow our on-site teams to respond to a crowd surge. No serious injuries have been reported and our pit and medical teams responded immediately to assist those involved.

"Safety is our number one priority and we thank Sammy and our audience for their understanding. All other stages have been unaffected and performances continue as planned."

DJ Sammy Virji said he was "gutted" about his set being cancelled but "safety should always come first".

In a post on his Instagram, he said: "I'm incredibly gutted about the stage cancellation for Boardmasters, whilst I'm absolutely honoured at the amount of people who turned up, crowd surges can be very serious and safety should always come first. The stoppage was completely out of my hands and hope you all understand the festival needed to prioritise everyone's wellbeing. Hopefully catch you all soon at another set."

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