This is the 13th edition Boom Festival taking place in Idanha-a-Nova, in the district of Castelo Branco. For two years it was suspended due to the pandemic, but this year it returns "with around 41,000 people in this edition".

As always, the demand for tickets was huge, far exceeding the supply. The tickets sold out in an hour and a half. “The fact that the pandemic postponed last year's edition didn’t reduce the enthusiasm of the boomers", explained Artur Mendes, part of the organisation.

Since 2009, this festival has taken place in Idanha-a-Nova, more precisely in Herdade da Granja, where the association IdanhaCulta was created, which is dedicated to social, cultural, recreational and environmental development. The organisation eventually purchased the 180-hectare estate in 2017.

"We could welcome more and more people, but it would be exactly the opposite of what we want, that is, we want to improve the experience, we want to ensure there is balance. We could do Boom every year, but we know when to stop, knowing how not to overgrow is a responsibility that we assume entirely. It is our commitment", he stated.

Multiculturalism

Artur Mendes underlined that the Boom Festival is the cultural event with the greatest diversity in terms of nationalities: 85% of the public is foreign, with a total of 177 nationalities, particularly from France, Germany and Israel.

"The Dutch, Swiss, Swedes and Spanish are also present in large numbers. We have one North Korean visitor and three Polynesians”, he said.

This year's programme presents 21 official stages, 544 artists, 181 facilitators, 69 assistants and 100 therapists.

In total, 894 people make up the 2022 programme. The extensive line-up includes performances by artists such as Agents of Time, Astrix, Acid Arab, Angélica Salvi, Burnt Friedman with João Pais Filipe, Club Makumba, Fogo Fogo, Kimi Djabaté, Norberto Lobo or Pantha du Prince.

"Many visit us because of Yoga, wellness practices, art, workshops, meditation, but other boomers simply come here to enjoy the moment. Boom is also made of small corners, detailed gardens, temporary architecture, ecological projects and a very specific human vibe. The Boom experience is about being part of Boom, not just watching", mentioned Artur Mendes.

Sustainability

"Let me give you some examples of what we do: we built a water treatment plant with a capacity of seven million litres to treat the grey water from the festival showers and reuse it for irrigation, to support the regeneration and reforestation of Boomland. We built 112 new showers from recycled plastic and 94 new toilets, some made from recycled plastic and others from recycled materials from car interiors," he stressed.

The Boom Festival organisation will continue to limit bathing times as a way of helping to preserve water and has 100% compostable toilets available. After treatment and analysis, the compost is returned to the earth to create soil in the forestry area.

"We take care of the land. The trees and vegetation are looked for and respected. Since 2015, Boom's reforestation programme has planted 925 trees and 120 shrub units," he said.

At the last edition in 2018, much of the public arrived at the event by the 'Boom Bus'. This year this service will be available again, just book your ticket. The 'Boom Bus' service has several organised stops in Portugal, but also in Spain, France or Switzerland, and is another way to promote environmental sustainability, in this case through the use of public transport.

In addition, the festival will also make life easier for those who make their way by bike through the 'Boom Bike Village', which welcomes boomers travelling by bike. In 2018, more than a hundred 'Boom Cyclists' were accounted for.

Artur Mendes explained that being in the interior of the country is a factor that values, distinguishes and defines Boom Festival. However, "it takes more work, more effort, more follow-up and much more personal and financial investment" in the interior of the country.

Boom festival

More than just a festival

"We are very happy with this choice. We are not just another music festival, because we are much more than that. We don't just propose concerts, nor are we where most people are all year round, that is, in the big cities. Of course, everything is easier in Lisbon or in Porto, because the systems are set up, the public infrastructures are guaranteed, even a big concert with 60 or 70 thousand people is seen with some normality by the authorities", he stressed.

However, the effort has paid off: "People know us, they know that we are not just passing through. They know that we give back to the region".

Support the community

According to data made available by the organisation, between October 2017 and October 2018, 84% of the people who worked for Boom were Portuguese and a total of 13.3% (214) of the staff employed were from the Castelo Branco region.

In the 2018 edition of the festival, of the total 203 construction suppliers (equipment, tools and materials), 183 were national (90%) and 63 from the region (31%). As for the suppliers of restaurants and bars (the organisation provides all restaurants with a list of national and regional suppliers), 73% were national.

"We are not here to import talent, we use and encourage that of the region. We are not here to import food and other raw materials, we always try to use those of the region first. We are not here to use the region's public resources, we treat the water, we moderate energy consumption, we reduce the footprint as much as possible. This must be what living and being in the interior is all about - a commitment to the region. The Boom lasts a week, but our relationship with Idanha lasts and extends the whole year," he stressed.