Boomtown has dropped the first wave of its 2026 lineup and it’s a wild glimpse for their next chapter “Chapter 5: Radical Redesign.” Set for August 12-16 at Matterley Estate in Hampshire, the lineup spans electronic, live bands, rap, dub and more, all pointing to a version of the festival that’s equal parts immersive city-world and sound-system riot.
On the bill that includes 40+ live and electronic acts that bring together legends and trailblazers across genres and generations, is Belfast political-rap trio Kneecap; glam-pop and drag-infused legends Scissor Sisters; ska-funk heroes Madness (returning to the Lion’s Den stage a decade after their 2016 set). On the electronic front, Skrillex and Four Tet bring dance floor muscle while Faithless mark their 30th anniversary appearance, plus Boomtown royalty Shy FX returns, marking a true homecoming moment for the festival. Upping the tempo comes German happy-hardcore outfit Scooter, Jamaican party-shouter Shaggy, and boundary-breaking rap icons Ashnikko and Eve.
Furthermore, Boomtown has stacked everything from drum & bass heavyweights Camo & Krooked B2B Mefjus, Kings of the Rollers: Royal Rumble, hard techno agitators Brutalismus 3000, UKG / bass pair Kilimanjaro B2B Oppidan, to the live-band grit of Skindred, High Vis and Big Special. Huge legendary hip-hop billing Havoc of Mobb Deep will perform, add in dub/reggae crews Mungo’s Hi Fi Allstars and Alborosie & Shengen Clan, and you’ve got one festival that’s unafraid to blur scenes.
Co-founder Luke Mitchell says the move is about expanding beyond Bass per se and re-embracing what Boomtown began as: “Musically, while bass music has dominated in recent years and will always be at our core, we’re making a conscious move to keep Boomtown musically diverse and unpredictable. Expect more live bands and more cross-genre adventures. That’s where Boomtown began, and it’s what keeps us on the truest path forward.”
The site is also getting a major overhaul. The famed Lion’s Den stage returns to the Temple Valley amphitheater. Hilltop becomes the festival’s creative core, packed with theatre and performance. Downtown plunges deeper into dance euphoria, and the Hydro stage becomes “Hydro XL” – double the size, greener production, leaner on waste. Mitchell says the idea is “more nature, more woodland, more hidden places everywhere.”
Tickets are already moving fast and Boomtown reports over half of capacity sold before this iteration of the lineup drop went public. Public-transport tickets go on sale October 30, general festival entry tickets October 31.
With more artists still to come, Boomtown’s 2026 edition promises to be a richly layered world of its own: a town within a national park, five days of sound, theatre, street art, bass and celebration, the kind of festival that works as holiday, rave and escape all at once.
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