Boomtown Chapter Four: your guide to this year’s festival including travel, banned items and re-sale tickets

• Are you one of the lucky one’s heading to Boomtown: Chapter Four this August?
• From what time to arrive to how to get there, here’s our guide to this year’s festival at Matterley Estate, Winchester.
• Plus - what to do if you missed out on tickets this year and how to sign-up for re-sale tickets?

Boomtown: Chapter Four has officially sold out for another year. Were you lucky enough to secure tickets for the 2025 edition?

If not, don't worry – you have another chance to grab tickets to what promises to be one of the UK’s most eclectic lineups as part of the summer festival season. But if you did, congratulations! What's next?

Well, with this year’s event taking place in just over three months, why not start your festival planning now? This could include deciding how you plan to travel to the festival or what you can bring to the campsite, and, crucially, what you absolutely cannot bring into the main arena.

We've reviewed Boomtown's official website, along with the terms and conditions that sometimes seem more daunting to decipher than actually getting to the festival, to provide a guide on the do's, don'ts, and how-to's ahead of this year's event.

…and for those who missed out on tickets, information on signing up to avoid missing the second round of ticket sales is available towards the end.

When is Boomtown: Chapter Four taking place?

The 2025 edition of Boomtown is set to take place from August 6 until August 10 2025.

Where is Boomtown: Chapter Four taking place?

Boomtown: Chapter Four will once again take place at Matterley Bowl, Alresford Road, near Winchester, Hampshire, England. Winchester SO21 1HW NB

How old do I have to be to attend Boomtown: Chapter Four?

Unfortunately, only those aged 18 or over will be able to attend Boomtown: Chapter Four according to their terms and conditions.

The festival will also be operating Challenge 25 across all gates, meaning if you look under the age of 25, bring a form of ID to avoid not being allowed entry onto the festival site.

Who has been confirmed for Boomtown: Chapter Four?

We’ve pulled together as of writing the final list of act performing at Boomtown: Chapter Four, but for those wanting some big names before browsing through the complete list, this year’s festival will see appearances from Sean Paul, Azaelia Banks, Boney M, Kurupt FM, Sex Pistols featuring Frank Carter and Maribou State to name a mere few.

What time do gates open at Boomtown: Chapter Four?

This is as much of a riddle as the organisers hope you unfurl at this year’s festival; but as a general rule…

August 6 2025 serves as a setup day with entry at an unspecified time and limited entertainment available with August 7 2025 seeing the opening of a selection of stages, bars, and venues later in the afternoon, though a precise gate opening time is not given.

The full Boomtown experience, with all stages and attractions operational, will commence at 12 noon on August 8 2025 so it’s more than likely that gates will open sometime before midday on Friday to allow attendees sufficient time to enter the festival grounds and access the various areas as they open.

How do I get to Boomtown: Chapter Four?

By car

The best advice is to add the post-code of the location of Boomtown: Chapter Four and then follow the signs to your designated car park - which you should know having booked a car parking pass. If you’ve not done so, log into your Kaboodle account and you’ll be able to select the parking pass relevant to your accommodation (either Skylark or Orchid campsites)

By train

To reach Boomtown: Chapter Four by train, you can use your public transport ticket to arrive at the closest main rail station, which is Winchester, located approximately three miles from the festival site. For train information, including accessibility details, you can consult the National Rail Enquiries website, and the DPTAC offers comprehensive advice for travelers with disabilities.

From Winchester train station, Boomtown provides a regular and wheelchair-accessible shuttle bus service directly to the festival site. The timetable for this shuttle bus will be published on the Boomtown website in July.

It's crucial to remember that if you possess a Public Transport ticket, you must arrive via public transport, such as this train and shuttle combination, for your ticket to be valid for entry.

By bus or coach

To travel to Boomtown: Chapter Four by bus or coach, you'll need to book a journey with National Express using a voucher. This voucher will have been emailed to the address you used when booking your Boomtown ticket through Kaboodle. You must redeem this voucher code to create your coach booking, and it's valid for travel from the specific location you originally selected.

National Express offers coach services to Boomtown from a wide range of destinations across the UK, and importantly, choosing to travel on Wednesday will grant you free Wednesday entry to the festival.

Be aware that if you have a Public Transport ticket, you must arrive via public transport for your ticket to be valid. Coach times are not yet available, but National Express will contact those who have booked with further details as soon as they are released.

What items should I not bring with me to Boomtown: Chapter Four?

Avoid blushes at the gates by ensuring the following items are either kept at home or on the campsite you’re stopping on:

Banned Items (Confiscated on Entry/Eviction Possible):

• Illegal drugs (possession, use, or sale)
• Nitrous Oxide
• All other products banned under the New Psychoactive Substances Act 2016
• Paint spray cans
• Marker pens
• Knives (including locking knives)
• Sound systems (likely referring to large, unofficial ones)
• Glass bottles (EXCLUDING make-up and perfume, but note no re-entry with any glass)
• Fireworks
• Explosives
• BBQs
• Smoke and gas canisters (other than small, disposable camping gas canisters within reasonable limits)
• Air horns
• Flares
• Weapons or potential weapons
• Laser devices
• Unofficial drones and UAVs
• Sky lanterns
• Paraffin lamps
• Candles
• Generators
• Chemical toilets (except where fixed within live-in vehicles)
• Unofficial hi-visibility clothing/tabards
• Animals (other than declared and approved assistance dogs)
• Work tools, ladders, 2-way radios etc. (can be deemed a security breach at discretion)
• Signs or materials displaying discriminatory, derogatory or offensive messages, slogans or images

Banned from the Main Arena (Due to Entry Restrictions/Policies):

• Alcohol in excess of the permitted amounts on first entry. The limits are clearly defined based on ticket type (weekend or Sunday Resident).
• Plastic or glass bottles of spirits.
• Any opened bottles of liquid that can be consumed (including water and soft drinks) on entry. Only sealed plastic bottles are allowed.
• Alcohol on re-entry to the festival. Once you've entered for the first time with your allowed alcohol, you cannot bring more in if you leave and come back.
• E-cigarette liquid if it is unsealed or cannot be easily identified. It must be sealed and clearly identifiable.

What is the weather going to be like for Boomtown: Chapter Four?

We’re ‘chancing’ it by looking at what the weather forecast historically has been at Matterley Bowl, but given we’ve done it for other music festivals - let’s take that chance.

According to Accuweather, historically the site of Boomtown: Chapter Four has seen highs of 22° and lows of 14°. However, as always, check the Met Office or your weather service of choice closer to the dates for a more accurate forecast.

How do I sign up and find out when re-sale tickets are on sale for Boomtown: Chapter Four?

With the event having sold out, sign ups are now available for those who missed out on tickets the first time around and are looking to try their luck on the re-sale market. You’ll need to sign up through the official Boomtown ticket section on their website, with your name, email address and date of birth to get more information on this year’s re-sale tickets.

Looking for help regarding one of the other UK music festivals in 2025? Check out our guides for Glastonbury, Leeds, Reading, Wireless and Creamfields 2025.