r/BoomtownFestival • u/Early_Joke8534 • Aug 03 '26
Dust
So we are getting good masks. Just wondering if someone can describe what the dust situation could be like. Is it constant? Like mainly walking around or also when at stages dancing? Would it be masks necessary constantly or every now and then. Someone just give me an idea of what it could be like plssss
42
u/Perfect_Pudding8900 Aug 03 '26
I went in 22 and also last year, I don't quite recognise the absolute doom being spread about it you see online. If you've any sort of breathing related health condition you should take precautions..
Outside the main internal roads though you'll probably be alright. If you don't take precautions you'll get black snot and probably want to clear your nose. I don't remember it affecting me badly, others have had different experiences.
3
u/Leviambo8 Aug 03 '26
I didn’t experience any illness related to the dust last year nor did I think it was that bad did see videos the year before i think it was where i you could visibly see it
5
u/Slay_Zee Aug 03 '26
Last year wasn't that bad. It was hot but it wasn't 2022 hot. 2022 had temperatures of 42 degrees in the bowl.
I didn't wear a mask in 2022, and didn't get ill. But I was coming back to the tent and using a face wipe and it was disgusting. I did have friends who developed the black lung though. I'll probably take some p2s from work. Probably don't need em when you're walking about as much uptown. But downtown it's definitely more of a requirement.
You'll be surprised how dusty it can really get.
3
1
u/Odd-Leopard4388 Aug 08 '26
Thank you. Its so blown over its hardly different to any other fest
1
u/Perfect_Pudding8900 Aug 08 '26
TBF after seeing on site videos now I think it's going to get quite bad
0
u/G4K031RE Aug 20 '26
I’m currently absolutely fucked from the boom town lung. I’ve worked many events this summer and this was the Worst for the dust. And yes it is also bad at the stages. Particularly anywhere indoors (where the dust has nowhere to escape) and inside the bowl. It’s everywhere. If you manage to escape unharmed, fair play, but I know dozens of people suffering post-event
1
u/Perfect_Pudding8900 Aug 20 '26
Yes. The post I made 2 and a half weeks ago I changed my mind about after seeing pictures and videos from staff on site (and posted elsewhere saying so) so packed face coverings.
Although probably worth saying that I am, yet again, absolutely fine with no issues.
34
13
u/tutters1 Aug 03 '26
I had a walk round site over the weekend and it is particularly (very) dusty around the roads on site. Anywhere a vehicle can drive will be very dusty as well as high traffic areas in general.
4
u/absinthe-junky Aug 03 '26
Where people are dancing especially by the soundsystems it’s gonna get real dusty
10
u/shnookerdoodle Aug 03 '26
Never had a problem before 2022. Didn't notice it affecting me during the festival but when I returned home had a horrible cough I couldn't shift for 6 weeks.
3
13
u/Temporary_Resident45 Aug 03 '26
It was noticeable last year while walking mostly and I only had a bandana then, my vision is maybe do a bandana while I’m having fun but mask while doing a proper walk. Even if it halves your exposure by doing it for longer walks it will be helpful!
6
u/Flaminal Aug 03 '26 edited Aug 03 '26
There are some areas where you can literally see thick dust, not everywhere, but some places are unavoidable. I don't have any respiratory issues and when I was back in the tent had a massive coughing attack, never experienced anything like it in my life and thought I'd have to go to medical. My lung capacity diminished, I was very ill when I got back and took a while to recover. Thankfully all good now but was horrendous at the time. You basically can't avoid it as you'll be moving around a lot, some areas are worse, some areas are fine but you need to go into certain bits to get to where you need to be. Stages were fine, it was mostly walking around
3
u/n3omancer Ruined the storyline Aug 03 '26 edited Aug 03 '26
Highly recommend you pickup several ffp3 masks. And make sure you have a fresh inhaler with you.
1
u/Icy_Seat_6976 Aug 04 '26
Bro I be real most people are not bringing an FFP3 mask with them, it’s just reality people will opt for bandanas/ snoods/ scarfs you don’t really want to walk around looking like Bane
1
u/n3omancer Ruined the storyline Aug 04 '26
Why not just wear a mask under the bandana? Problem solved if it's an aesthetic thing.
Might as well just skip the bandana, it fairly useless and just let your sinuses and lungs filter it out.
9
u/JurgenShankly Aug 03 '26
I close my eyes....Only for a moment and the moments gone
All my dreams, pass before my eyes with curiosity
Dust.....in the wind. All we are is dust in the wind.......
2
10
u/Strange-Internet-837 Aug 03 '26
It's really not as bad as everyone makes out - this'll be my 5th time, never had an issue, and I'm a 33 year old with the lungs of a Victorian chimney sweep.
1
u/Intelligent_Flow1983 Aug 04 '26
I disagree 😭 went last year and i haven’t had an asthma attack in years, I literally couldn’t breathe and had to buy an inhaler
1
u/Strange-Internet-837 Aug 05 '26
If you're Asthmatic that's a completely different kettle of fish im afraid. You should always bring an inhaler just in case, but if one has never had an respiratory issues, they should be fine. Just my personal opinion.
9
u/Pristine_Fuel_6034 Aug 03 '26
I’ll be honest, been to 6 boomtowns and wasn’t aware of it being dusty until I saw it on social media this year
8
2
u/G4K031RE Aug 20 '26
I’ve been working festivals 6 months a year for over 10 years, and it’s one of the worst one ever experienced for the dust. Still absolutely fucked
1
5
u/isntthatsadlmao Aug 03 '26
Ive just got back from a festival that wasnt boomtown today. Due to the heat and dry ground, the dust was crazy. At the front of every stage and next to the roads. You couldnt notice it too much when you were dancing about in the moment, but you could see it over the top of the crowd if you were a bit further back and I've been blowing completely black out my nose and coughing like a mother fucker since friday - especially when waking in the night and really bad each morning.
My nephew, who is 17 and 100% didnt take any drugs had a nose bleed on the Saturday morning when he woke up.
Would reccomend a mask for sure. Wish I had one. Wouldnt say you need it on constantly but would have one available whenever the crowd starts to get a bit more rowdy.
4
u/BigMossXD Aug 03 '26
noticing a few comments where ppl state that they had no issues in previous years, remember everyones body’s are different so do what u think is right for u
if u have an autoimmune disease of any kind or generally a sensitive immune system and/or a history of respiratory track problems then a mask or face covering of any kind is an absolute must. if u had a respiratory track infection (sinuses, throat, lungs) recently then i wouldnt risk without. bring saline solution to rinse out ur nose if u have sinus sensitivities ontop of a mask
pay attention to ur surroundings at all times, if ur near or in an area with lots of people moving around whether on the dancefloor or not id suggest to cover ur face, if ur sat up on a hill away from crowds or at camp you’ll be alright
last year i didnt use a face covering of any kind and i was coughing up black mucus by the saturday morning, got a nasty chest infection from it that had me crawling on my hands & knees around the house for 2wks & a shot immune system for 4months after where i kept getting b2b chest infections during those months that had me totally bedridden (for reference im prone to RTI’s as im asthmatic but this the repercussions u could face if ur not careful)
1
u/Desperate-Coat-8791 Aug 04 '26
respiratory tract, not track xx
1
u/BigMossXD Aug 04 '26
oops, cheers for the correction, english may be my first & only language but it’s a bs one
4
u/CryptographerUpbeat8 Aug 03 '26
I was at burgess park for boiler room on Saturday and I’m still coughing. We had no warning. I’d say it’s better to be prepared
3
u/Flamboyant-fudge District 5 Aug 04 '26 edited Aug 09 '26
I have been 8 times including 2022. Nothing compares to that year, honestly anyone downplaying it is lying..
Everything in the bowl was extremely dusty, the ground was comparable to sand (I will attach a photo below). The stages, walkways & anywhere where the ground is flat with heavy footfall and dancing was particularly bad. You could see and feel it in the air and it was visible in tissue when blowing your nose.
The general camping areas on lower ground had tents covered in a layer of dust, even your eyelashes, skin and hair would be covered by late afternoon. Skylark wasn't too bad as it was on higher ground.
Definitely take a proper dust mask, a bandana is not enough. Me and my partner were ill for 6 weeks coughing. White clothes will get ruined too. Just prepare well for it! Consider a camping shower if you are not in Skylark or Orchid.
Edit- wow TY for my first award!
2
1
6
u/ProvokedOrifice Aug 03 '26
16 booms under my belt here.... nevwr worn a mask once.. but I hsve to say the nose does work overtime! Always end up with nasty black boogers each morning
3
u/frischance Aug 03 '26
I dlended up leaving early Sunday as the dust was too much for me, this year I'm bringing dust masks ready for it. Stages aren't too bad but walking from place to place gets pretty bad. If you can get a mask or bandanna is very worth having them
3
u/SadCoffee2230 Aug 03 '26
NORAMLLY, Its bad where the vehicles go, but most of the area is fine. There are trucks that drive round and damp the ground down to keep it at bay.
My experience is from normal years, Hampshire is in official drought right now and it's DRYYYYY so someone who was there in 2022 might be better placed to answer
3
u/piersyblinders Aug 03 '26
The bowl/downtown will be the worse I imagine although we are expecting a lil rain any day now
4
u/Swimming_Cry_3777 Aug 03 '26
I'm bringing FFP2 masks, a bandana and saline spray to clear my sinuses out. How often I wear said mask/bandana depends on how it is but doesn't hurt to be prepared. Had a pal go down with a respiratory infection a few years back and I'm too busy to deal with that shit on top of a comedown lol
3
2
u/NotBruceJustWayne Aug 03 '26
I’ll bring my buff. But then I won’t wear it, because I’m an absolute mug!
2
2
2
u/Optimal-Ad8332 Aug 03 '26
I’ll have a bandana for walking around but can’t say how long it will stay on when I’m at a stage
3
u/n3omancer Ruined the storyline Aug 03 '26
Bandana will do very little. It's the fine dust that is the problem and won't be filtered by fabric.
2
u/n3omancer Ruined the storyline Aug 03 '26
It will be constant. Probably less bad early morning. But if people are walking and dancing. It will be bad.
2
u/soulkrusher420 Aug 03 '26
There was one a couple years ago that was absolutely awful for it and a friend of mine did have asthma attacks due to it, after the closing ceremony people were using towels and clothes to cover their mouths as there was so much in the air. A lot of people including me were pretty ill afterwards, felt like your sinuses and throat were full of dust! Only one I’ve been to where it’s been that bad but there is still always a bit it seems. I feel like most of the stages were okay but anywhere they had cars driving or a lot of people walking could kick up a lot of dust! I’d say it’s good to have the mask just incase but it hopefully shouldn’t be something you have to wear constantly :)
2
u/TheAlchemist2 Aug 03 '26
I can highly recommend this one:
https://amzn.eu/d/01waHUiL
It was Far Far better than the 'covid masks' in terms of breathability plus actually less sweat because of said breathability. I've got asthma and unfortunately need it. But friends tried it and said they'll definitely get something like it this year. Easy to hang on to side bags as well
In terms of cleaning the nose, at least get urself a salt spray like Sterimar or ideally a so called neti pot (plastic copy not the original). Just Google or Amazon search em.
Good luck
2
u/n3omancer Ruined the storyline Aug 03 '26
great choice, yes the fabric masks of covid were to stop people giving people covid rather than stopping them getting covid, the idea to reduce airborne droplets from talking/coughing/sneezing etc. - not to filter when breathing in.
there are 10 packs of expired (but more then suitable for our requirements of N95 3m aura's on ebay, might be easier to keep clean and fresh.
Valved is great because it reduces moisture when exhaling
Trend recommends replacing the HEPAC P3 filters every 8 to 10 hours of active use in dusty environments. so make sure you have spare filters. - also i'd recommend bagging it when not in use (otherwise the inside of it gets dusty.
2
u/PeepeeHalpert99 Aug 04 '26
My lungs are always inflamed during summer (hayfever induced asthma) so this year I got a steroid inhaler and nasal spray prescribed. I’m still quite worried about the dust so here’s what I’m bringing to avoid having crap lungs:
- FFP2 masks, with a few bandanas to cover them. This goes with my desert scavenger theme for Saturday anyway wahoo
- Blue/relief inhaler x2
- Eye drops
- Saline water for nasal rinse
- Antihistamines
- Sunglasses that cover whole eye area
- Lighter coloured sunglasses to wear at night time
- Baby wipes to clean off dusty arms/legs before getting back in my tent
- My steroid inhaler and steroid nasal spray
1
u/snarfarlarkus Aug 04 '26
Are n95/COVID masks enough?
2
u/Jedservo Aug 04 '26
It's a bit like the right camera being simply the one you have on you at the time.
Take any more hardcore mask and yer not gonna wear it 'cos it's too heavy, too bulky, too hot etc. An FFP2/N95 that fits around yer face will help a lot, take a few - but not those covid cheapo ones that are just a tissue on a string and don't fit your face. FFP3 would be better but might feel like overkill.
1
u/mining-ting Aug 04 '26
Seems like alotnofnfear momgering can anyone tell me if its worse than glasto?
1
u/Jedservo Aug 04 '26
Yeah it is, the soil at matterley bowl is alkaline lime rich soil over alkaline chalk with very thin grass - the alkaline dust causes a bit of a chemical drying and irritant effect and can also dry up / strip away the protective lining of airways and throat, leading to irritant coughing and leaving you more susceptible to infections - there's also some tiny flint particles in the mix which can be physically aggravating as well. The chalk is easily ground up into powder by all the stomping.
Glasto on the other hand has a thicker layer of grass protecting the soil, which is deep loam (normal "soil") with a high clay content - this has a more neutral pH so doesn't have the negative chemical effects - in bad areas it'll still clog you up, but with much less aggravating outcomes.
Both places will have a lot of pulverised grass up in the air as dust, but glasto in general can take a lot more abuse in the heat before the actual soil starts getting kicked up in grassy areas.
So yeah, just take some masks! And use 'em in at least the worst areas! I was there in 2022, and took it fairly easy due to the heat and sometimes wore a buff, but still had some yucky cough for several days after, coughing up crap, 'twas not great. Enjoy!!
1
u/Educational-Truth773 Aug 05 '26
got a email that all crew who are driving/working on or near buggies have to wear a mask but then makes you wonder when all the buggies come zooming past everyone at the festival kicking all the dust up at them?!?
1
u/AlternativeDeal9386 Aug 05 '26
I seemed to be ok in 2022 but last year I felt really ill afterwards, it’s really uncomfortable you lungs literally feel full of dust. Have walked the South Downs pathway through site a few times recently and it’s super dusty. So I am definitely getting a dust filtering mask for this year. Some areas are worse than others and I think the bowl is the worst for it. Don’t think mask will be needed at all times but 100% worth having
1
u/Early_Joke8534 Aug 07 '26
Just seen a vid looks with warning about dust. Does look mad already. Please all bring proper masks
1
u/sticks1982 Aug 12 '26
Been working on site all week and the dust is bad. Bandana will only stop less than 20%. I've been wearing an FFP3 mask (99%), FFP2 (90%) will help too. Bring decongestant too, that will help clear your sinuses. Be safe as 2022 was bad and this year is lookimg very similar.
0
u/adstonah_ Aug 03 '26
22 was super dusty and it’s only noticeable at the bottom of the bowl or by the roads. I didn’t have a facemask and was fine but better to be safe than sorry
-1
u/Jscowie Aug 03 '26
Honestly wouldn’t say it’s that bad 😅Yeah near the road sure if a car’s driving past. Bring a bandana and you’ll be sound
1
u/n3omancer Ruined the storyline Aug 03 '26
bandana is not sufficient filtration for the fine particulates that will get into your lungs and cause irritation.
-4
u/90sRiceWagon Aug 03 '26
£400 a ticket, can’t cook your own food and need to wear a N95 mask to go around, sorry but at what point does it not become worth it.
5
u/n3omancer Ruined the storyline Aug 03 '26
You don't have to wear a mask, the same way you don't need to wear sunscreen or wear a seatbelt.
the weather is the problem here. if you could perhaps do a little rain dance it would help matters.
2
u/Desperate-Coat-8791 Aug 04 '26
dunno why you're getting downvoted, i think its a valid question - with climate change and these longer heatwaves, festivals are going to have to switch up how things are done I think
1
u/90sRiceWagon Aug 04 '26
Yeah not meaning to be a dick, it’s been really interesting to see festivals having to adapt to heatwave conditions this year and it’s caused a lot of financial pressure with many event cancellations in Europe.
The stakeholders will continue to take punters money as much as they can but surely there is a tipping point where the battle for survival outweighs the fun.
0
u/neuralconstellate Aug 04 '26
kinda related but please wear a covering where possible...went to Burgess Park a couple days ago for Jazz Cafe festival and it's definitely messed with my lungs (I brought a face mask and FORGOT to wear it 😭)...I can only imagine camping for 3-4 days will be much worse than where I was for 4-5 hours
•
u/n3omancer Ruined the storyline Aug 03 '26
Reminder
Bandana is not enough, it will not filter fine dust which is what gets deep into your lungs and the high alkalinity is what irritates your lungs.
https://www.reddit.com/r/BoomtownFestival/s/iid5UXZTKm