The organisers of Boardmasters Festival have claimed there were no confirmed spiking incidents at this year’s event, despite online speculation.
The 2025 edition of the Cornwall festival ran from August 6 to 10, with authorities issuing a statement shortly before the gates were opened that new safety measures hads been put in place to prevent a repeat of last year’s crowd surge, which left some attendees injured.
After the event, some social media users claimed that they had been victim to or witnessed spiking incidents on site, including the parents of 17-year-old Cooper May, who say he was spoked with a needle.
As reported by the BBC, festival organisers countered the speculation by saying there had been a total of 14 reported spiking cases this year – down from 55 in 2024 – and that all individuals tested on site had returned a negative result for substances associated with spiking.
@for_the_love_of_riding
@itsdaddymay @Boardmasters Festival needs to sort itself out. Me and @themrsmay will be talking about this more tomorrow. Any parents or festival goers who have similar stories of the carnage that went on drop us a DM. All anonymous of course. #daddymay #mayfamily #daddymaycooks #mayfamilypub #russellarms #kids #festivals #boardmasters #safety #kidssafety
They also said 1.79 per cent of this year’s 58,000 attendees were seen by on-site medics, down from 2.65 per cent in 2024. They also said that incidences of sexual assault had fallen.
Andrew Topham, CEO of Boardmasters, has said: “While one incident is always one too many, this reduction shows that the work we do, alongside our partners, is making a real difference. We remain committed to creating a space where everyone, of all ages, can enjoy the festival safely and respectfully, and doing everything we can to prevent harm whilst supporting those affected.”
“As a festival, we are keen to collaborate with the wider events industry to explore how we can collectively address the root causes of harmful behaviour, develop initiatives at scale and create long-term positive impact,” he added.
“At the same time, we will continue to invest in on-site support services, ensuring every attendee has access to the care, guidance, and protection they need while at the festival.”
Last year, festival goers reported what it was like to be involved in the crowding at the site, with some recalling that attendees were trampled after falling to the ground. It was then added that the Cornwall Council had launched a formal investigation into the incident, and that 11 people had been arrested at the festival, with the charges relating to drug offences, sexual offences and assault.
This year’s festival saw headline performances from Central Cee, RAYE and The Prodigy. Other names on the bill included The Wombats, Wet Leg, Franz Ferdinand and Bob Vylan.
The latter’s inclusion proved controversial, with hundreds calling for them to be dropped from the line-up after their provocative Glastonbury set.
The Menstrual Cramps pulled out of Boardmasters this year, saying the festival had not met demands to “culturally boycott Israel”.
