Sustainability is the word on everyone’s lips and Boardmasters is leading the way!

It feels like Cornwall has been embracing in the eco-friendly movement for a long time. From Surfers Against Sewage in the 1990s to the Plastic Free communities of today, I like to think that we go all out to protect this beautiful county. And with festival season upon us how to have a epic time without compromising your green credentials will be on many people’s minds. This year Boardmasters is being held from 7th to 11th August. And these five days of surf and music magic might just be your perfect sustainable festival solution.

You see, Boardmasters, held at Watergate Bay near Newquay, is not just an unmissable surf competition and music festival. It is also proof that these large-scale events can have a positive impact on local communities and the environment. Not satisfied with leading the way in sustainability, Boardmasters is working to change the public’s mindset and to safeguard our future.

Sustainability Award Winners

In 2018 the Boardmasters Festival was named overall winner at the Cornwall Sustainability Awards. These awards, organised by Cornwall Council and The Environment Agency, recognise the people and organisations that are doing the most to protect the natural environment of Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.

Boardmasters picked up this accolade because of its commitment to making the festival one of the most environmentally conscious and low-impact festivals in the country. From beach cleans to litter bonds, Boardmasters is leading the way with fun, innovative ideas.

The organisers of the awards said that Boardmasters was selected by the judges as the Overall Winner because of “its commitment to make the festival one of the most environmentally conscious and low impact festivals on the market. By taking an innovative approach Boardmasters engaged over 150,000 festival-goers, predominately young people, with the importance of protecting the natural environment.”

It’s an achievement that the festival is rightly proud of and intends to build on in the coming years:

“Sustainability and an awareness of our impact on the local environment and community has been part of our ethos for Boardmasters throughout its time and working with our environmental consultants, we are building on the existing work we’ve been doing and introducing new initiatives in an aim to continually make Boardmasters one of the most environmentally conscious and low impact festivals in the market.”

The Green Future of the Festival

In recent years Boardmasters have been implimenting some small but incredibly impactful changes. Changes such as adding a refundable £10 litter bond to all camping tickets. (Campers get their money bag when they collect a bag of litter or recycling). Or banning non-biodegradable glitter. And working with the RSPB to protect the habitat of the rare Corn Buntings that nest near the site of the event. It’s a trend they intend to build on.

Boardmasters have also announced that they plan to eradicate non-essential single use plastic from the festival by 2020.

“We are not perfect yet but striving to make progress in key areas such as reduction of single use plastics, the reduction of overall waste and increase in recycling, the reduction of our carbon footprint and for Boardmasters to work harmoniously within the local environment and with local communities. These are areas we believe we can make positive impact and change.”

Protect • Recycle • Support

In a nutshell Boardmaster aims to make their festival as sustainable as possible. They plan to:

• Eradicate all non-essential single use plastic by 2020
• Protect Cornwall and the Atlantic Ocean by reducing the amount of our non-recyclable waste and increasing recycling
• Reduce our carbon footprint
• Continuing to support local communities and projects through the Boardmasters Foundation which raised an incredible £53,636 last year to support Cornwall based charities and projects.

Top Tips to make your festival season more sustainable

There are little things that all of us can do to help the environment this summer (and every day!). And they don’t have to be difficult or expensive. Here’s just a few ideas to help you be a bit greener this festival season:

• Travel to Boardmasters by public transport, and check out the shuttle bus.
• Use a recyclable tent or buy a tent that will last year after year.
• Only use biodegradable glitter.
• Try sustainable beauty products such as bamboo toothbrushes and shampoo bars.
• Use solar power chargers and lights.
• Say no to plastic straws, bags and take-away cartons – use sustainable alternatives instead.
• Ditch the single-use cup, choose a sustainable alternative.
• Bring your own refillable water bottle.
• Recycle, recycle, recycle, and if you can’t recycle – take it home!

Five days of music and surf

And the line up is as epic as you would expect!

This year sees Boardmasters celebrate its 38th year! And the lineup is a – ma – zing!

⭐ Florence and the Machine

⭐ Wu-Tang Clan

⭐ Razorlight

⭐ Dizzee Rascal

⭐ Franz Ferdinand . . . to name but a few!

The event is spread over twelve carefully curated stages. And as well as world-class acts you can also see plenty of local talent, cutting edge DJs and outstanding visual performances too.

But this event has never been just about the music.

Set against the stunning backdrop of the Cornish coast the World Surf League surf competitions attract a wealth of international talent from across the globe, as well as the finest British Surfers. Best of all the contests which are held at Fistral Beach are all FREE for spectators.

There will also be skate and BMX competitions, as well as art installations and a surf Village bustling with workshops and stalls. What more could your heart desire?

. . . plus Family Friendly Fun!

Boardmasters has always been a pretty, family friendly inclusive event.
And now the new Family Field provides fun and educational activities for all ages. It will include a scavenger hunt, circus skills, family yoga, crafts, rock painting, storytelling and a teddy bears picnic!

So See You There!

Don’t miss out! Tickets are already on sale and selling fast! There are loads of options to choose from to suit every budget. You can choose from Single Day Tickets to Camping Tickets or maybe treat yourself with VIP Tickets to see it all in style!

However you decide to do it, I suggest you find time to kick back and enjoy Cornwall’s coolest sustainable festival this summer! And to get you in the mood here is Boardmasters 2019 playlist!

Want to get tickets, find out more about the festival or Boardmasters sustainability policies you can also find lots more information on their website.

I provide all the content on this blog completely FREE, there's no subscription fee. If however you enjoy my work and would like to contribute something towards helping me keep researching Cornwall's amazing history and then sharing it with you then you can DONATE BELOW. Thank you!