New Managing Director & Leadership Structure For Boomtown UK

Boomtown Festival announced the promotion of Toby Gwazdacz to the newly created role of Managing Director, marking an evolution in the festival’s leadership structure.

In his new position, Gwazdacz will work strategically alongside Boomtown co-founders Luke Mitchell and Chris Rutherford, who continue to drive the long-term vision and future growth of the festival.

Gwazdacz joined Boomtown in April 2022 and has served as commercial director for the past four years, playing a central role in guiding the festival through a period of major creative and organisational development.

Commenting on his appointment, Gwazdacz said, “Boomtown is the ultimate immersive experience, and that is why our loyal community returns and word spreads to new citizens each year. We have carefully navigated the evolution from our underground roots to becoming a major player in the UK festival calendar, and whilst the success of the festival increases, so does our scope for boundless creativity. The strong growth we’ve achieved over the last four years has created the foundation for me to now take a broader strategic focus across the organisation of Boomtown. I am incredibly excited for the future and where our team’s ambitions and innovations will take us next.”

Co-founder Luke Mitchell said, “Toby has been instrumental in shaping Boomtown’s recent evolution. His leadership, and ability to seamlessly connect the commercial and cultural sides of the festival have elevated what we’re capable of. This new structure allows us to focus on the next era of Boomtown while knowing the organisation is in exceptionally strong hands.”

Co-founder Chris Rutherford added, “Over the past four years, Toby has helped guide Boomtown through some of our most ambitious moves yet. He brings deep industry experience, an aligned strategic vision, and shared passion for creating the most immersive festival experience for our community every year. We’re incredibly excited to continue pushing boundaries together.”

Since its inception in 2009, Boomtown has evolved into one of the UK’s most pioneering festival experiences with adevoted community that spans generations.

Launching a new chapter in its storytelling each year, next year’s festival will run under ‘Chapter Five: Radical Redesign’, which will see the 2026 edition deliver its most diverse line-up to date, including leading names Kneecap, Scissor Sisters, Madness, Skrillex, Four Tet, Faithless, Scooter, Ashnikko, Shaggy, EVE and Ren, alongside a major expansion of the festival’s districts and staging.

This announcement follows Boomtown’s double win at the UK Festival Awards 2025, taking home both Large Festival of the Year and Tech Innovation of the Year for an initiative called Unboxed, giving all Boomtown attendees their own personalized recap of the festival.

Boomtown previously secured Best Festival Production for three consecutive years at the UK Festival Awards.

The festival’s organizer’s also recently confirmed a charitable investment of £161,710 ($216,000) into community projects and good causes, including a landmark £100,000 ($134,000) donation to Winchester Hospice.

Boomtown takes place at Matterley Bowl in Hampshire from Wednesday Aug. 12-16, 2026. Remaining Tickets are on sale at www.boomtownfair.co.uk/tickets.

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