Working at Boomtown Fair
Boomtown is not a normal festival and working it is not a normal festival job. Themed districts, immersive theatre, and bass music until dawn. Here is what to expect.
What Boomtown is
Boomtown Fair is an immersive music festival held at the Matterley Estate near Winchester. About 70,000 people attend. What makes it different from every other festival is the theming: the entire site is divided into districts, each with its own look, storyline, and atmosphere. There are actors in character throughout the site. Sets are built to look like city streets, shanty towns, jungles.
The music is weighted toward bass, reggae, dub, drum and bass, and electronic. But there are also rock and punk stages, a folk district, and plenty of weird in-between stuff. It runs later than most festivals. Some stages go until 5am or beyond. If you are working night shifts, this matters.
Working here means being inside something that feels more like a theme park than a field with stages. Your workplace might be a purpose-built saloon bar or a neon-lit alley. It is intense, loud, and strange in the best way.
Roles and pay
Boomtown hires for the same core roles as any festival, plus a few unique ones:
💰 What Boomtown pays
Bar staff: £11–£14/hour. Some bars at Boomtown are ridiculously busy. The Lion's Den and other district bars see enormous queues. Shifts are typically 8–10 hours.
Performance / actor: Rates vary widely. Boomtown's immersive theatre troupe hires actors who stay in character across the site. It is paid work but audition-based.
SIA security: £14–£18/hour. Night shifts are the norm. Boomtown runs late, so expect to be on your feet until the early hours.
Set design / art installation: Hired by Boomtown's creative team or subcontracted production companies. Build starts weeks before the event. If you have carpentry, painting, or scenic art skills, this is a great route in.
Food traders: £100–£150/day. Traders hire directly. Boomtown crowds eat late, so expect evening rushes well into the night.
The themed districts
Boomtown's districts change year to year, but the concept stays the same: each area has a distinct theme, music style, and visual design. Recent districts have included:
🎭 District overview
Old Town: Wild West saloons, country music, actors in cowboy hats. If you are working a bar here, you might be behind the counter of a purpose-built saloon.
Lion's Den: The drum and bass and jungle arena. One of the busiest areas. Bar staff here earn their money.
Diss-order Alley: Punk, ska, and alternative. Rough around the edges by design.
Relic: Reggae and dub. A more chilled vibe, but still packed at night.
Where you work depends on your employer. Bar companies are assigned to specific districts. You do not usually get to choose, but every district is its own experience.
How to apply
📋 Routes in
Official crew page: Boomtown's website lists volunteer and paid crew roles. Stewarding, arena management, welfare, and site operations.
Bar companies: Apply to whichever bar operator Boomtown is using that year. Check the festival website for current partners. Applications open January/February.
Food traders: Traders apply to Boomtown for a pitch, then hire their own staff. Find them on social media.
Creative / performance: Boomtown runs auditions for its immersive theatre programme. Check their socials from January for casting calls.
PeakWave: Create your profile and mark your availability for August. Festival employers searching for staff will find you.
What to expect
Boomtown is loud, late, and full-on. The festival runs into the small hours every night. If you are on a day shift, the bass from the sound systems will still be going when you try to sleep. Ear plugs are not optional.
The site is on a hillside. Walking between your tent and your workplace involves hills. By day four, your legs know about it.
On the upside: Boomtown's atmosphere is genuinely unlike anything else on the UK circuit. The production value is enormous. Walking through the site off-shift feels like being inside a film set. The crowd is friendly and committed to the whole thing. If you are going to work one festival for the experience rather than just the money, Boomtown is a strong choice.
Frequently asked questions
How do I get a job at Boomtown Fair?
Is Boomtown different from other festivals to work at?
What does Boomtown pay?
Do you need experience to work at Boomtown?
What is the camping like at Boomtown?
Enter the fair.
Create your profile and let festival employers discover you. Free, always.