Christopher BarrettThe organisers of independent festival Boomtown Fair (cap. 66,000) have revealed details of its enhanced programme of sustainability measures, including switching its fuel source to hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) in order to reduce emissions from fuel consumption by 90%.
Co-founded by Lak Mitchell and Chris Rutherford, the festival was among the first to commit to signing the green deal circular festival (GDCF) pledge to become waste free and Net Zero by 2025.
The next event, which will run from 10-14 August, will see the unveiling of new stage Origin, with its construction involving recycled components from an old stage as well as real live plants.
In 2019 the sale of single-use plastic bottles at the festival was banned, preventing the use of an estimated 225,000 plastic bottles. Boomtown organisers said attendees will continue to be encouraged to bring their own reusable bottles and food serveware, with 100% of the food serveware at the festival being compostable.
The event will see “Eco-Warriors” hand out free tickets for the 2023 event, as well as merchandise, to attendees who have made the most concerted effort to help keep the South Downs National Park festival site free from litter.
In a statement, Boomtown said, “With our partnership with Tree Sisters, we have so far planted 100,000 trees around the world from Madagascar to Nepal. We continue to plant trees, contributing to one of the most powerful solutions for climate change.”