With the cancellation of the Spring Classic in North Devon many parents are wondering whether Boardmasters in Newquay is a family friendly festival. Boardmasters is a renowned music and action sports festival held annually in Cornwall, England. It typically takes place in August and has become one of the UK’s most popular summer festivals. The event combines live music performances from a diverse range of artists with various action sports competitions such as surfing, skateboarding, and BMX biking.
The festival has multiple stages featuring both established and emerging artists across various genres, including rock, indie, electronic, and pop. Past headliners have included well-known acts like Florence + The Machine, Foals, and Gorillaz, among others.
Boardmasters official statement on being open to all ages is “All ages are welcome and will require a ticket to enter the festival. Proof of identity and age must be provided upon request at the admission gates to the festival. Anyone 16 or over is welcome to attend the festival without an adult.” – I’ve had the fortune to attend the festival over the years and while I seem to get older the audience certainly gets younger!
85% of the 60,000 attendees seem to be under 20, but fear not, the entire festival is still geared up for families of children of all ages. Especially late afternoon or early evening.
Another big question for parents, especially parents who are sending there darling children for the first time….
Is Boardmasters Safe?
…again from the official website Boardmasters states the following:
Everyone deserves to have fun and enjoy themselves at Boardmasters but we have a zero tolerance policy towards vandalism, sexual assault, harassment, racism, discrimination or any other anti-social behaviour. To make it clear, this is what we classify as unacceptable behaviour and it will result in you being ejected from the festival and refused re-entry:
- Vandalism of any property
- Jumping on tents
- Filming of any antisocial behaviour
- Threatening behaviour and language to other guests or staff
- Any unwanted physical contact including;
- Groping
- Grabbing
- Catcalling
- Leering
- Stalking
- Rape
- Upskirting
- Verbal or physical intimidation
If you experience any of the above, or see it happening, please report it to the nearest steward or security guard. We have support services available onsite from our Medical, Welfare and Safeguarding teams, and specially-trained staff onsite to help support victims. We take all reports incredibly seriously and will always respond from a place of belief.
If you are under aged 18 and ejected from the festival, you will be kept in our Resolution Centre with our Welfare Team until your responsible adult arranges collection.
In the past problems have arisen like this horrible incident in 2022 and again in 2018.
Boardmasters and Teenagers
Would I send my teenager to Boardmasters alone? Yes, I think with some good parenting and preparing them for the chaos of thousands of drunk peers I probably would. A good group of friends always helps, and an “exit plan” if things go south and they need us to come pick them up.
Compared to other festivals of its size, Boardmasters is considered a family-friendly festival. Although maybe not as much as The Great Estate or even Glastonbury.