Boomtown 2026 Day three review - performances and raves

After waking from a mild slumber in our little tent, we reached for a chocolate brioche and a coffee before heading over to the Lion’s Den, where the opening ceremony was being held.

Among thousands of people, we watched as rapper Solo invited us to roar in honour of the Lion.

The Lion’s Den stage hasn’t been opened since 2019, with many attendees telling me in that they couldn’t wait for it to re-open, feeling Boomtown had been missing something without it.

The hidden woods and Jasmine (Image: Newsquest)

After special-effect pyrotechnics, dancers, and a special song, Boomtown 2026 was officially open! Watch the opening ceremony HERE.

While the opening ceremony was rather spectacular, we were there to see Madness, who marked the occasion as the first time a non-DNB act has opened the Den.

It felt rather fitting that they were the first act to open the stage, especially when they sang House of Fun, with the lyric “welcome to the Lion’s Den.”

We danced away in the blistering heat, with my boyfriend, a huge Madness fan, singing loudly to every word. The audience matched his energy for Baggy Trousers, Our House, It Must Be Love and House of Fun.

The opening ceremony (Image: Newsquest)

Following the set, we grabbed yet another raspberry, oat and banana smoothie, which I managed to spill partially down my skirt!

Then we set off for some more exploring.

The magic of Boomtown is that there is so much to see, we wandered around the Old Town district, skipping into an Irish bar for a faux Guinness, peeking into smaller stages to see men dancing with fiddles and soulful singers caressing their guitars.

We popped into the Hidden Woods, taken aback by the crowd dancing in between the trees and looking in awe at the colours and lights reflecting up above.

The view! (Image: Newsquest)

Wanting a moment to slow down, we took a break from the madness for a slice of Spanish summer, by stopping at the San Miguel venue, where we both enjoyed a pint, and I got ID'd- a compliment to say I look younger than 25! (I am!)

After a further stop for a very tasty chicken swarmama wrap, we headed back to the Lion’s Den for Kneecap. One of the best things about Boomtown is the amount of artists on show; it's easy to discover new music you’ve never heard before.

On the Boomtown stairs (Image: Newsquest)

Then, an apparent Boomtown rite of passage, we took the Boomtown stairs down to the Metropolis area. The stairs bypass the continuous climbing hills by transforming them into one steep hike- it was so cool to look over the downtown area from above, with all the flashing lights and music pumping down below.

The Hydro XL stage (Image: Newsquest)

We ended the night by alternating between raves in Metropolis and Area 404, trying a UV acid house one, one that was so loud that it made my eardrums physically vibrate and finishing at the 999999999 set at the Hydro XL stage- a stage that is fully powered by green hydrogen. There are definitely some people with some very interesting dance moves out there!