Preview: Boomtown Festival 2026

This August, Boomtown is due to return to Winchester after sixteen years of expansion. This year, the festival's organisers have been promising that 2026 will be the most expansive iteration of the festival yet. The theme of “Radical Redesign” reflects the further expansion the festival has undergone this year, including the introduction of HYDRO XL, which arrives as an expanded version of the country’s first ever hydrogen-powered stage which debuted in 2025.

The line-up this year is sprawling and diverse. Kneecap, Scissor Sisters, Skrillex, Four Tet, Ashnikko, Faithless, Scooter and Shaggy lead the charge amongst the first wave of names, while Madness and Eve add even more range to an already packed bill. Since the first announcement, the line-up has grown furthe,r with a second wave bringing in poet Kae Tempest, UK garage pioneer DJ EZ and French house favourite Folamour.

The lack of drum-and-bass presence, for which the festival has previously been renowned for, in the headliners makes this year’s unique and seems to signal a slight departure from Boomtown’s roots. The shift in direction is a deliberate effort from the organisers, with Boomtown’s co-founder stating “we're making a conscious move to keep Boomtown musically diverse and unpredictable”. The spirit of Boomtown has always been discovery and experimentation, and as always the sheer size of the festival encapsulates such a huge spectrum of sounds – all the way from hard techno to folk.

That’s not to say breaks and basslines are absent from the festival. Drum-and-bass juggernaut Wilkinson, Bristol's NOTION, and Brighton-based jungle producer Lens take to the festival this year alongside a special set that will see Camo & Krooked going back-to-back with Austrian neuro-funk producer Mefjus, while drum-and-bass heads can also look forward to sets from A.M.C featuring Phantom, Alix Perez, S.P.Y, and a back-to-back performance from Kasra and Samurai Breaks.

Manchester’s scene is represented by two very distinct artists on this year’s lineup. Following his standout performance at Confidence Man’s takeover of The Warehouse Project earlier this year, Antony Szmierek brings his unique blend of dance music and spoken word poetry to the Grand Central stage. Liverpool-born, Manchester-based DJ and producer Faster Horses, who cut his teeth in Manchester’s club circuit and recently performed a huge show at Albert Hall, also brings his famously eclectic mix of UKG, techno and trance to Boomtown with a back-to-back set with bass music duo Y U QT.

Boomtown's sprawling lineup is sure to excite fans of any genre of dance music and beyond. If that includes you, get down to Matterly Estate in Winchester on the 12th to the 16th of August.