The first wave of artists have been announced for the “radically redesigned” 2026 edition of Boomtown festival.
Today (Tuesday October 28), over 40 names have been announced for next year’s instalment of the festival. It will be held at the Matterley Estate near Winchester between August 12 and August 16.
Leading the way is the politically-charged Belfast hip-hop trio Kneecap, along with New York glam icons Scissor Sisters and ska heavyweights Madness.
Joining them on the bill is techno DJ and producer Skrillex, electronic music visionary Four Tet and British dance pioneers Faithless, who will be celebrating their 30th anniversary at the event next year.
“If anyone knows of ‘a better way to live’ it’s the sound citizens of Boomtown… This one’s going to be special, see yis all there,” said Kneecap, while Faithless’ Sister Bliss added: “We are beyond excited to make our very first appearance at Boomtown to celebrate both our 30th anniversary and Chapter 5 of Boomtown’s extraordinary immersive world in 2026!”
For Madness, the band said they were “thrilled to be returning” to the site for again since they made their only appearance there back in 2016, and promised that their set would be “nuttier than ever”.
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Others announced for the 2026 edition include Shaggy, Ashnikko, Eve, Sherelle, Groove Armada, Floating Points, Shy FX, Princess Nokia, Sampa the Great, High Vis, Big Special, Vengaboys, Skindred and Antony Szmierek.
“Our live show has always been about escaping the real world for an hour, and combining that with a town purpose-built for this can only be a good thing,” the latter shared. “We’ve wanted to play here for a long, long time.”
Speaking about the diversity of the line-up this year, Boomtown’s co-founder Luke Mitchell said: “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.”
As well as making a big statement with the line-up, the forthcoming edition of Boomtown will also involve major changes to the design of the site – “finding harmony” with its home in the South Downs National Park. Check out the full line-up so far in the poster below.
FIRST WAVE OF ARTISTS! 💥
A true musical journey, dancing across every genre imaginable. New sounds, old favourites. This is Chapter Five: Radical Redesign.
Tickets go live on the 30th and 31st of October at 12pm. Sign up for early access via the ticket page of our website 🔗 pic.twitter.com/WSlzfe3dsN
— Boomtown Festival (@BoomtownFair) October 28, 2025
It follows four years rooted in the Downtown area, and will now be expanded and rebuilt to start a new chapter that looks to be the most imaginative yet.
Opening up the landscape, the Lion’s Den Stage will go back to the Temple Valley amphitheatre, while Hilltop will reclaim its role as the festival’s creative core.
The Hydro Stage, which debuted last year as the first hydrogen-powered stage at a major festival, has become Hydro XL. This will be double the size and looks to take green innovation and production design to a new level.
All these changes have been shared under the title “Chapter 5: Radical Redesign”, and Mitchell said that the new blueprint will allow “more space to breathe”.
“Fragmentation isn’t destruction, it’s transformation. By breaking what we know, we uncover new ways of being,” he shared. “When dancefloors embrace all ages, the energy becomes richer, more grounded, that’s the spirit we want to keep building in line with our fundamental values of creativity, connection, celebration and respect.”
The 2026 edition of Boomtown has already sold 50 per cent of its tickets, according to organisers, and tickets will go back on sale this Friday (October 31). Visit here for more information.
The 2025 instalment of the festival included sets from Sean Paul, Sex Pistols featuring Frank Carter, Maribou State, Overmono, Hybrid Minds, Nia Archives, Rudim3ntal, The Mary Wallopers, Fat Dog and more. It was dubbed ‘Chapter 4: Power Of Now’, by organisers.
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