HISTORY OF BOARDMASTERS

from Boardmasters

by Steve Bough

STAGES

History of Boardmasters BY LEONORA ELLIS

Now, let’s look back to the birth of Boardmasters Festival and how it became the showcase of surf, music, and wellbeing that we know and love today. Although our history as a music festival is relatively short, we span all the way back to the 1980s. Boardmasters is distinctly placed on the Cornish coast in Newquay. Why here you might wonder? Well, in 1981 Boardmasters was founded through the surfing competition on Fistral beach. Surfing legends like Kelly Slater and Rabbit Bartholemewl (who went on to win the World Championships) have graced the waves at Fistral.

The next step was inevitable. In 2005, Boardmasters amped up to join the likes of Leeds festival and V Festival by expanding to include music acts, taking place at Watergate Bay. Rather than main stages, Boardmasters hosted magical beach sessions. The uber charming James Blunt was one of the first artists to headline the beach sessions in 2005; imagine the surfer vibes. Just a couple of years later, Boardmasters festival welcomed its first main stage act, this was the big one, the stage that would go on to house icons and legends

like Snoop Dog and Chase & Status. The Main Stage threw Paolo Nutini in front of the crowd in 2007, the rest is history. So, what more could you want? What else could go perfectly with sun, sand, sea, and music? Boardmasters had the answer in 2016, “Lets launch a Fitness & Wellbeing area!”. Reward yourself when the day is over, with a massage “Lets launch a Fitness & Wellbeing area!” in the Holistic tent or even better, a yoga rave. Morning yoga on the beach, for the early risers who want to catch that iconic sunrise over Fistral, followed by hunger-busting brunch club. Boardmasters Festival has moved with the times, evolving from a local

crowd to a national audience, supporting the local culture and communities, looking after the planet where we dance the night away on. In 2018, Boardmasters festival unveiled a 3-year sustainability strategy so that 40 years on from the festival’s inception, we can enjoy the same beautiful location and keep it beautiful for another 40 years.