Queue Chaos At Boomtown Fair UK

People reportedly queued for up to eight hours trying to get into Boomtown Fair Festival, which takes place at Matterley Estate near Winchester, England, Aug. 10-13.  

Twitter – Boomtown Fair Lines
Twitter user @rubyboddington 3 hours 40 mins queuing and this is still my view #BoomtownFair

The queues on Thursday caused festivalgoers to faint and have panic attacks, according to the Guardian.

People complained on social media that there was not enough water provided, and no toilets available for people queuing up.

Organizers had warned festivalgoers on the Wednesday before the official opening that “due to constant heavy rain over the past few weeks, we predict that there will be significant effect on the all car parks, pick up / drop off points and campervan gates.

“We’ve booked in additional resources to try to minimise disruption but it is still highly likely to have a large impact on the time it will take to enter the festival.”

On Thursday, entry was further delayed by “technical issues at the wristband exchange” and security searches, which had been intensified after the recent attacks on public events. People reportedly were left without water and access to toilets, standing in the sun. In the heated atmosphere, fights even broke out.

On Friday morning, organizers released a statement saying, “Boomtown sincerely apologize to those who experienced the lengthy queue to get into the festival yesterday. Our gates were due to open at Midday, however due to the ground conditions this opening was delayed for up to two hours. All gates were open by 2pm.

“Members of the public were advised of longer queues ahead of arrival due to the increased security measures implemented at the gates for safety reasons, as well as the conditions on the ground after the recent adverse weather. Queues were further impacted by technical issues at the wristband exchange, which have now been resolved.”

On Friday afternoon, an updated statement read: “All gates and traffic have flowed well today with most attendees inside the festival.” 

Boomtown Fair’s lineup included M.I.A., Cypress Hill, Ziggy Marley, Toots & The Maytals, Sublime With Rome and many others.