Boom Festival Portugal: Review+Guide+All You Need to Know

This Boom Festival Review + Guide will review my experience to serve as a guide for your trip there, going through 17 different categories of info you can’t find anywhere else on the internet. 

I had waited a very long time to make it to Boom Festival, and of course, it did not disappoint. Boom is truly a special festival and worth traveling across the world for.

This is a massive Mecca for doofers, psytrance lovers, and transformational festival fans the world over. Many people DO make a long journey from all over the world to this Mecca – one of the largest festivals of its kind in the world. 

Boom is a very spiritual and free festival, with music being a large part but only encompassing a small fraction of what this festival has to offer. The more you explore this festival, the more you can find… to the point that a week hardly seems long enough to truly experience everything. 

After a bit of a c*vid hiccup Boom Festival is set to happen every 2 years on odd-numbered years, so make sure to plan accordingly. Below, I’ll tell you everything you need to know before attending Boom Festival, from camping and toilets to fashion, weather, music, and money.

Welcome to Boomland! Use the table of contents to navigate to any specific question about Boom.

Planning a Trip to Boom Festival

Here’s all you need to know before planning your trip to Boom Festival in Idanha a Nova, Portugal. First, we go through everything you can expect at the Boom festival venue and then I’ll let you know what to expect in the campgrounds, where to camp, security, getting there, amenities, food, bathrooms, fashion, weather and more.

For the ultimate campsite, check out my comprehensive festival camping checklist here.

Why listen to me? I’m Kimmie, and I’m usually a festival blogger and photographer, but I was just enjoying myself at Boom rather than taking photos.

For some of my photography work (this post is all just iPhone photos) follow me on instagram. For more in-depth festival review-guides see my festivals page or the top music festivals in Portugal to visit while you are there, or see more below:

Boom Festival Location/Venue in Portugal

Boom festival is held at a spectacular lakeside venue lovingly known as ‘Boomland.” The Festival now owns this land, which retains the same or a similar setup every single year with some permanent art installations present too.

The first thing that you need to know about the Boom venue is that it is HUGE. It can easily take an hour to walk from one end to the other, and there are hills too. The festival’s nucleus is centered around the three main stages, the lake, and the massive main food court, with lots of extra tents, stages, workshop areas, and art areas branching out in all directions.

Here are all the things you can find here in Boomland:

The Lake at Boom

The Lake is arguably the best part about Boom Festival, or its saving grace. With HOT weather (more on that later) this lake might just save your life multiple times throughout the week and play a major role in keep you, and all other Boomers cool. 

Many people talk about the Lake at Boom being too gross after a few days, but I personally disagree. Does it get a bit dirty? Sure. But it’s a small price to pay to submerge yourself in refreshingly cool water on a 40-degree day! There are also some places around the lake you can swim out a bit farther into deeper, cleaner water.

The Dance Temple

The most magnificent stage of Boom Festival is definitely the Dance Temple – the true psytrance Mecca of the world. The stage design changes a bit each year, but it’s always mind-blowing with colorful psychedelic patterns that light up in the black light (with some lights INSIDE the columns). 

It’s one of the biggest and most impressive stages I have ever seen in my festival life (which includes every continent) and I strongly suggest being there for the opening and seeing the massive sea of people start moving to the infectious fast psytrance beat. I’m not even a psytrance person and it truly brought tears to my eyes seeing and feeling the energy of this place starting up. 

Alchemy Circle Stage

The alchemy circle is where the other music occurs – generally techno but also some bass/glitch and deep house. This is where I spent most of my dancing time at Boom – I am a big house and techno girl 🙂 

This stage is also beautiful and colorful with vibrant shade sails gently moving in the breeze and an intricate stage design, matched up with lasers and lighting and sand under your feet.

The Gardens Stage

Known by most as ‘the chill stage,’ the Gardens stage has a completely padded floor under massive tree-like umbrella structures. For most of the day, there are some live acts and relaxed music here, and many people choose to nap here when tents get too hot. 

However, in the evenings, the Gardens Stage can light up with genre-bridging artists playing different fun kinds of music that’s usually quite bassy. Grouch is one of the bigger artists that plays here.

Funky Beach Stage

This stage is somehow not on the actual Boom map/schedule but is a favorite spot for MANY people. If you walk all the way around the top side of the festival, you will reach a tiny psychedelic beach stage hidden behind a little hill that kind of keeps to itself. 

This is THE place for sunset at boom. There are always funky/disco house tunes playing with a little bar and plenty of space to lay out, and it’s the perfect place to swim too. This stage continues to play when the ‘grounding break’ happens each afternoon at boom, which is one of many reasons people end up here to watch sunset over the lake. 

Sacred Fire Stage + Being Fields Area

The Sacred Fire Stage is the beginning of the more spiritual side of the festival that extends to what is known as the Being Fields. This is a whole different branch of the festival with its own smaller food court, a lot more trees, plenty of shade and hammocks, a flow sports area, a massage area, and 3-4 workshop areas. The sacred fire stage itself hosts mostly live bands.

At the end of the Being Fields, there’s a small temple/gazebo up on the hill (with a great view) where you can book and offer one-on-one healing sessions of many kinds. I wished I had seen this earlier as I would have tried different things!

Prana Shala + Chi Temple

The Prana Shala and Chi Temple are the workshop spaces on the Sacred Fire/Being Fields end of the festival. They hold ALL kinds of workshops in everything you could imagine – from interesting types of yoga to trauma healing to sound baths to ecstatic dance to presentations on astrology.

There’s a FULL lineup all day, every day at these tents, so many are sure to stop in for a few sessions to advance your consciousness! 

Workshops Area

Within the Being Fields, there is also a smaller workshop area hidden among the branches and trees. See if you can find it!

Liminal Village

The Liminal Village is the place where more seminars take place. There are some interactive workshops but the majority of events here are interesting presentations informing Boomers about all kinds of interesting things – my favorite was a historic one about festivals held in Ancient Rome and how they were suppressed.

Mud Bath

Up above the Chi Temple there’s a red clay mud bath where people are always soaking, drying, and then heading to swim in the lake. It’s supposed to be good for your skin! 

Other Amazing Features of the Boom Festival Venue

Kosmickare Testing Station

There’s a substance testing area near the main food court, which is open at certain times each day. Make sure to arrive early – Boomers are a conscious and responsible bunch who are always testing their stuff.

Nataraj Dance Stage

Near the Liminal Village within the food area, the Nataraj Dance Stage welcomes all different cultures and movements in one place. It blends performances and workshops so you can watch different dances and learn them, too.

Shop, Markets, and Stalls

You can hardly walk 100m inside Boom without stumbling across some markets or shops. The main outdoor markets set up in the daylight each day near the Alchemy Circle. There are market stalls lining a lot of the festival area with all kinds of interesting clothing, art, crystals, jewelry, and spiritual goodies.

Envisionary Art Gallery

This art gallery is a must visit – there’s all kinds of incredible and even interactive art on display in a tent near the food courts, oftentimes being done live. Some pieces light up, move, or are illuminated in blacklight and look truly magical out in the desert.

Young Dragons Kids Area at Boom Festival

There are LOTS of little ones running around Boom, and this is their special area! The Young Dragons Kids Area is where kits and parents can congregate with special areas to play.

Bike Village

Because the venue is SO massive, many Boomers choose to bring bikes to ride around. This is where you can get bikes repaired and meet other bike friends.

Aerial Yoga

There are silks tied up in the being fields with aerial yoga classes regularly! This was so cool and unique and something I haven’t seen at many festivals.

Water Taps at Boom

You can refill your water at many free water refill stations at Boom. These are spread throughout the venue (not always evenly but you’ll see them) and you should have your own water bottle and/or camelbak to use.

Transportation + Parking: How to Get to Boom Festival

Boom Festival is about half way between Madrid and Lisbon (actually closer to Lisbon) in Idanha a Nova, Portugal, which is a rolling hilly desert landscape. Boom Festival is actually on Google maps itself! Here are the different ways people get to boom:

Driving Yourself to Boom Festival

See the maps above for driving directions to Boom Festival. You can easily drive yourself here and once you arrive into the town, follow the signs to Boom Festival.

Remember, if you take a car, you will need to live in it a lot, and if you take a caravan you will camp where you park it. As mentioned above, I recommend arriving early in a caravan to get a good spot that isn’t a 45-minute walk up a hill. In a car, I also recommend arriving early to get a shaded campsite.

The Boom Bus

The Boom Busses take people at regular intervals on the days leading up to the Boom and the last day of the Boom to and from Madrid Airport and Lisbon Airport. It takes 4-6 hours from each starting point and costs 85-115 euros round trip (and you can fly into one and out of another).

For the busses, you will stop at a check-in area off-site to receive your wristbands before entering the festival. The bus drops you off in the center of the festival area at which point you must walk to find a camp spot.

The busses say you can have 1-2 20kg suitcases/bags per person so if at all possible I recommend joining someone else who brings the majority of camping supplies (but they didn’t really mind people’s amount of stuff as long as it wasn’t excessive)

They have also recently introduced Boom busses from other European countries such as Belgium, France, and Switzerland. Learn more about the Boom busses here.

Public Transport to Boom Festival + Shuttles

it is possible to take public transport to Boom Festival from destinations in Portugal and Spain. From Anywhere else in Portugal, you must get a bus to Castelo Branco, then to Idanha a Nova, and then a shuttle bus or cab from Idanha a Nova to the venue. From Madrid you must either head to Lisbon first or take the Boom Bus. There should be shuttles from both Castelo Branco and Idanha a Nova.

Rideshare + Bike

Check social media, facebook groups, and rideshare platforms to share rides to Boom – there’s always a way to find someone driving! They’re also offering a ‘bike to boom’ group bike ride through the Portuguese desert.

Boom Festival Crowd

The crowd at Boom Festival is among the freest and most spiritual in the festival world. The crowd would be much more aligned with the word’ hippie’ for lack of a better term than raver, partier, or the like. There are lots of dreads, crystals, leather bags, geometric tattoos, and big smiles happy to talk and dance with anyone.

I’d say the people at Boom are truly of all ages. As I mentioned, Boom is like a mecca for this kind of festival, and there are all kinds of humans, from children to elderly people and everything in between.

As Boom is a pretty… intense festival, I’d also definitely say that the attendees here are experienced doofers/festival goers and this isn’t their first rodeo. People handle themselves exceptionally well at Boom and I hardly saw an issue even in the 40 degree heat. Boomers have been going to festivals for many years and know what’s up.

Boom Festival Vibe + Ethos

Boom’s Ethos is extremely connected to and respectful of the earth. One of the most conscious festivals I’ve ever been to, Boom aims to be regenerative and documents every single thing they do. Each year they send a report about where each cent of ticket money goes to so there is absolute transparency.

They are also extremely transparent about constructing in accordance with nature, minimizing materials, proper disposal and reuse of waste, contributing to other environmental initiatives, and maximizing recycling on-site. They encourage leaving your ego and phone at home and being present at all times.

This ethos also brings a crowd and vibe that aligns with it. People at Boom generally keep each other in check in terms of leaving no trace in a fun and collaborative way. There’s a really inclusive vibe throughout the festival grounds where anything really goes – this is a place you can literally feel free to do what you want… including being naked or silly. There’s a playful and grounded vibe throughout the venue and beautiful nature.

Boom Festival Atmosphere/Decorations/Production

The atmosphere at Boom is artsy and earthy. There’s a massive array of art installations throughout the venue (check the Sacred Fire/Being Fields for the most) and everything is created in a tactful way to blend with nature.

The stages, of course, are always made with huge, vibrant shade sails or different kinds of shade structures that both stand out yet work well with the area. Lots of the art is made from natural materials like tree trunks, sticks, wood, and mud, while other touches, like colorful tree ornaments and flags along pathways, add extra flair to the venue with great attention to detail.

The production at the stages varies but is generally fantastic. The Dance Temple has by FAR the best production as it is the main stage playing the music that the biggest majority of Boomers come to see. There are lasers matched up to the designs on the stage and inside the columns which are done so intricately they look like they’re moving, and plenty of strobes, lasers, and more.

The funky beach stage and Gardens stage have a lesser production value in terms of a lightshow but still have fantastic sound quality. Definitely bring earplugs to this festival, especially if you plan to dance near the front of the bigger stages.

Boom Festival Lineup/Music/Artists

Boom is a rare festival that really doesn’t place too much emphasis on artists; The curation and selection of DJs and artists is absolutely impeccable BUT there’s no ranking or headliners putting one above the other. 

Eliot had to correct me multiple times when I would mention or ask if someone was ‘headlining.’ The timings of Boom are set out so that no one is really ‘headlining’ and all slots are equally important. Most time slots are 3 hours, giving each artist time to truly and properly build their energy.

There are always huge names in the psytrance and techno scenes and many emerging ones too. The selection is diverse and interesting, touching upon different genres and styles within the electronic umbrella.

Past names have included the likes of Astrix, Ace Ventura, Acid Arab, and more at the Dance Temple, Rodhad, Anii, Uone, Captain Hook, and more at the Alchemy circle, Grouch in Dub at the Gardens Stage, and many talented smaller performers on all stages who I think might be bigger names in a few years. 

Camping at Boom Festival

Camping at Boom Festival is really a free-for-all. There are 4 options: RV camping, free camping (the majority), teepee camping, and cardboard tent camping. There is no car camping at Boom – you have to park your car and walk in with your stuff to find a spot. 

RV Camping at Boom Festival

It seems that some RV’s and camper vans at Boom get lucky and are placed directly outside the center of the festival/food court area. Others are stuffed up and around a huge hill where you must walk at least 20 minutes to get to any stages.

So, if you drive a camper, see if you can secure a spot if you don’t want to be stuck up a huge hill from the venue itself, which makes returning to camp hard. 

General/Free Camping

The free camping is just a free-for-all scattered all around a slight hill around the lake. Camping areas are all marked and take up a relatively MASSIVE area around the festival grounds – many campsites are quite far away from everything. 

 I HIGHLY recommend that you arrive early to secure space in the shade (it could be life or death… or at least sleeping in until 8 or 11 which is practically the same thing). Arriving early also helps if you want to get a place conveniently close to the festival grounds so you can head back to your tent in the day/night if need be.

According to the map above, the Red and Yellow camping areas are the best/closest. keep in mind all camping areas have a fairly large hill in the middle of them, and even the Red/Yellow take 15 minutes to get from one end to the other (top to bottom).

TeePee Camping Sites at Boom 

You can pay extra to rent a huge white teepee at boom that is set about 10 minutes back from the main area. I am not sure about the value for money in these, but I know they don’t have any extra shade. 

Cardboard Tent Village at Boom 

You can pay a bit extra to share a cardboard tent if you don’t have space to bring your own tent to Boom. However, everything I heard about these cardboard tents was pretty bad.

The village is up a massive hill about 15-20 minutes from the main area, and the tents apparently had hardly enough room to fit 2 people with their bags to even sit up inside. This lead people to need to leave things outside their tents, and theft was more rampant in these areas because of a lack of security outside the tents.

Boom Festival Amenities – Other Features + Stuff to Do

Boom really has it all to make a comfortable week for campers. Here are some things you can expect:

Camping Kitchen

There are a few basic camping kitchens set around the campsites that allow you to heat things up in pots or pans. Many of the ones I saw actually use burning wood under a stove for heat, and one has a pizza oven! This is a great option if you don’t want to buy all meals.

Boom Supermarket

There’s a fantastic supermarket here with actually fair prices that has ALL kinds of food options and camping supplies too. You can get all kinds of ingredients here from veggies to pasta to bread, juice, cheese, yogurt, candy, and more. They also sell most basic camping items that you may have forgotten or broken during the week.

Camping Showers

There are a lot of camping showers around Boom that turn on every morning and evening. The showers are fantastic with great water pressure and facilities. Arrive early to avoid longer lines, or just line up to use the showers that are open to the public (no shower curtains) as many people prefer to have privacy. Bring your own toiletries to use.

Money at Boom Festival Portugal

To buy things at Boom you must first load your wristband with money, either online before the festival or at certain top up points throughout the venue that take cash or card. Then you use your wristband to pay for items.

There’s no different currency or unit in which you have to pay for things here; everything is just in euros. There are also a couple of ATM’s on site – they usually have a line in busier hours.

Food/Drink and Prices at Boom Festival

Boom has fantastic food and drink options, and the prices are actually really good too. Let me elaborate below:

FOOD at Boom

Within 2-3 main food court areas with millions of tables surrounded by dozens of food stalls, you can find pretty much anything you want to eat at Boom. I’d say meals at Boom are affordable and cost between €5 and €15 depending on what it is.

Some different kinds of food are: pizzas, sandwiches, Yemeni wraps, Argentine BBQ, Indian food, Vegetarian/Vegan, hot dogs, Italian, Mexican/burritos, thai, pressed juice, smoothies, and more. MAny places also offer their own version of breakfast.

DRINKS at Boom

The main bars at Boom serve water, a few soft drinks, Super Bock canned (Portuguese) beer, and Somersby cider for €3-€5. For cocktails, there are specific cocktail bars that serve tap beer/cider as well as some cold cocktails like mojitos and margaritas.

If you want wine, there’s an adorable tiny wine bar near the Sacred Fire where you pay a deposit on a glass and can try local wines. These cost €5 a glass.

For non alcoholic drinks, there’s a selection available at all bars and food stalls (such as a special iced tea or limeade). You can find a drink pretty much anywhere!

Boom Festival Tickets/Price

Here are some main Boom ticket FAQ’s.

Tickets to Boom have usually sold out very quickly in the past years, so it’s advisable to be online right when they go on sale.

When you buy tickets, you can buy the ticket, cardboard/tipi camping ticket, and boom bus ticket separately and try to swap or resell tickets on Boom’s ticket resale platform.

Boom Festival Security

There is not much security entering Boom Festival. The ethos and community vibe of the festival carry its attendees through to behave better than I have seen at many other more highly policed festivals! It’s great.

There are a few roadblocks on the roads into the festival – I’m not entirely sure what they are for, but police can stop cars on the way in. Keep in mind there are very relaxed laws in Portugal regarding substances – the worst that can happen is confiscation or a fine. There are some police around the venue but they are more looking for safety rather than trying to catch people doing anything.

With the Boom bus, I simply got off the bus and walked into the festival. I had no security checks besides showing my ID to get my wristband before entering the venue. I don’t think many cars have security checks but be prepared just in case.

Bathrooms at Boom Festival

Boom has regenerative compost toilets throughout the venue. This means you climb up a few stairs to get to the toilet and do your business down into the hole! The toilet paper is kept outside the stalls, so don’t forget to take some before you go inside, and pump some hand sanitizer after.

The toilets were kept impressively clean throughout the duration of the festival. I never saw one too full or dirty and saw the cleaning crew going through many times.

The only issue with the bathrooms is that they are mostly at the bottom of the bigger hills, so if you camp up a hill, you will have to walk 10+ minutes to use the toilet in the middle of the night – not ideal. Lines can sometimes get long, too, so prepare for that.

Weather at Boom Festival

Oh my god, the weather at Boom festival is SO HOT. It’s basically unbearably hot during the day. Temperatures can get well into the 40’s celsius (104-110F+), which to me is simply unlivable (to me at least; I’m bad with heat). The last time I was there, the hottest day was 42, followed by 40, 38, and then 37 the rest of the time.

So prepare for HOT, HOT, HOT – drink water, pace yourself during the day (read: lay down and hardly move haha) and bring any spray bottles, fans, hats, sunnies, sunscreen, water and any other accessories you can. Wear minimal clothing and try to survive 😉 Oh, and bring a sarong to get wet in the lake/tap and put over you; it cools you down amazingly.

At night, it does get a little bit chilly, so make sure to have some more layers to wrap up in should you be out all night. I remember a certain point each night where I would actually put the covers on me for maybe an hour.

Fashion at Boom Festival

Fashion at Boom is earthy, geometric/flowy, and just basic bathing suits. Some people go more all-out with festival clothes, but it’s so hot that most people wear minimal or no clothing most of the time and stay as comfy as possible.

Timings at Boom

The timings at Boom were some of the strangest I have encountered in my festival life. The music goes ALL the time, except for the ‘grounding break’ from around 6 to 9pm each evening (or something like that). So there are sets going at all times, usually 2-3 hour sets, through the night and the only break is in the evenings.

I understand the logic in having a grounding break, but for me the timing of this was really odd. 6pm is right when the weather FINALLY starts cooling off, and the few hours from there are the ones I would MOST prefer to be dancing the night away. But this is when the music stops.

I guess they want people to get dinner and rest when it’s not too hot, but I prefer to get food and rest when it IS too hot. But alas, that’s how it works at Boom. The best time to visit the funky beach stage is at sunset (during the grounding break it still goes) with fun beats right on the Lake.

Volunteering at Boom

Boom has a massive volunteering program with people helping out on-site for the event or even the weeks leading up to it/after it. They have tons of eco projects they need help with and there are many other ways t participate. Here is the current volunteering application.

Final Tips for Boom Festival

• MY TOP TIP FOR BOOM FESTIVAL is to bring a sarong and saturate it with water each time you go to a water tap or the lake. Wring it out and wrap it around you. This keeps you SO much cooler than without it, and if there’s a breeze, it feels like an actual air conditioner. This likely saved my life. Also, having a parasol/umbrella was a game changer too.
• Actually, my real top tip is to make sure you have shade over your tent. MAKE SURE! Know which direction the sunrise comes from and plan for it. A bit of extra sleep in the morning instead of waking up in your own sweat at the crack of dawn is everything.
• Seriously just stay hydrated and rest while it’s super hot. Don’t push yourself. Heat can be dangerous and it’s important to know your body and how much you can handle.
• DON’T FORGET THE BEING FIELDS AREA! It’s easy to get caught up at the stages, but there are seriously so many incredible workshops, art pieces, and things to do on this side of the festival that it’s worth spending at least a whole day or popping into a workshop a few times.
• Bring in some of your own drinks/alcohol so you can mix drinks before you head out (and don’t always have to buy them). Also bring some snacks to have at your tent in case you camp far away from food and get peckish. Supermarkets in Portugal/Spain are very affordable.
• BRING MULTIPLE, CHARGED POWER BANKS IF YOU WANT TO CHARGE THINGS. The only place you can charge your phone at Boom Festival are two pillars in the middle of both the food court table areas, which are like hell on earth. The good vibes of this festival are ruined solely in these two places as people will fight, steal, and unplug each others cords when they leave (the vibe is that they won’t steal your phone but will steal your plug and cord. ugh). It’s not pretty and not worth it. Bring multiple banks and try not to leave them at the charge places.
• Bring a spray bottle or battery powered fan and a hand fan too!
• Dont poo in the lake. Don’t be an asshole. The lake is so important to be able to swim in.

Leave me a comment if you found this Boom festival guide helpful, or if you have any questions!

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