Boomtown UK Scales Up Hydrogen Powered Main Stage

UK festival Boomtown announced a new hydrogen-powered stage for 2026, dubbed Hydro XL, the evolution of a much smaller hydrogen-powered stage introduced at Boomtown last year.

Hydro XL is “bigger, bolder and re-engineered at scale,” according to a Boomtown press release, growing from its original 8,000 capacity to 20,000 this year. Now positioned at the heart of Boomtown’s Downtown area, where the Origin stage used to be located, Hydro XL becomes one of the first main stages in the UK to run entirely on green hydrogen.

Powered by hydrogen fuel cell technology, the stage delivers emission free energy while maintaining the high-impact sound, lighting and spectacle expected from a flagship Boomtown stage, demonstrating “that zero-carbon solutions can operate at full festival scale without compromise,” according to the press announcement.

The technology powering the stage this year comes from GeoPura, a green energy supplier based in Newcastle, England. The company harnesses large-scale renewable energy sources such as solar and wind to produce green hydrogen through electrolysis. This hydrogen is stored and transported to sites, where it recharges the power units’ battery system.

Hydro XL will host one half of both the opening and closing ceremonies of Boomtown 2026, a narrative-driven festival continuing a overarching storyline with each edition.

Boomtown 2026 returns to the Matterley Estate in the South Downs National Park, England, Aug. 12-16. The lineup so-far includes Skrillex, Four Tet, Floating Points (Live), Groove Armada, and more.

Tickets for Boomtown 2026 have sold out, but there’s a so-called citizen resale available on the festival website.

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