The organisers of Boardmasters Competition have claimed there have been no confirmed spiking incidents at this yr’s occasion, regardless of on-line hypothesis.
The 2025 version of the Cornwall competition ran from August 6 to 10, with authorities issuing an announcement shortly earlier than the gates have been opened that new security measures hads been put in place to forestall a repeat of final yr’s crowd surge, which left some attendees injured.
After the occasion, some social media customers claimed that they’d been sufferer to or witnessed spiking incidents on web site, together with the mother and father of 17-year-old Cooper Might, who say he was spoked with a needle.
As reported by the BBC, competition organisers countered the hypothesis by saying there had been a complete of 14 reported spiking instances this yr – down from 55 in 2024 – and that every one people examined on web site had returned a destructive consequence for substances related to spiking.
@for_the_love_of_riding
@itsdaddymay @Boardmasters Competition must type itself out. Me and @themrsmay will likely be speaking about this extra tomorrow. Any mother and father or competition goers who’ve comparable tales of the carnage that went on drop us a DM. All nameless after all. #daddymay #mayfamily #daddymaycooks #mayfamilypub #russellarms #children #festivals #boardmasters #security #kidssafety
Additionally they mentioned 1.79 per cent of this yr’s 58,000 attendees have been seen by on-site medics, down from 2.65 per cent in 2024. Additionally they mentioned that incidences of sexual assault had fallen.
Andrew Topham, CEO of Boardmasters, has mentioned: “Whereas one incident is at all times one too many, this discount exhibits that the work we do, alongside our companions, is making an actual distinction. We stay dedicated to creating an area the place everybody, of all ages, can benefit from the competition safely and respectfully, and doing all the pieces we will to forestall hurt while supporting these affected.”
“As a competition, we’re eager to collaborate with the broader occasions trade to discover how we will collectively handle the basis causes of dangerous behaviour, develop initiatives at scale and create long-term constructive impression,” he added.
“On the similar time, we’ll proceed to spend money on on-site assist providers, guaranteeing each attendee has entry to the care, steering, and safety they want whereas on the competition.”
Final yr, competition goers reported what it was wish to be concerned within the crowding on the web site, with some recalling that attendees have been trampled after falling to the bottom. It was then added that the Cornwall Council had launched a proper investigation into the incident, and that 11 folks had been arrested on the competition, with the costs referring to drug offences, sexual offences and assault.
This yr’s competition noticed headline performances from Central Cee, RAYE and The Prodigy. Different names on the invoice included The Wombats, Moist Leg, Franz Ferdinand and Bob Vylan.
The latter’s inclusion proved controversial, with a whole bunch calling for them to be dropped from the line-up after their provocative Glastonbury set.
The Menstrual Cramps pulled out of Boardmasters this yr, saying the competition had not met calls for to “culturally boycott Israel”.
