THE most recent installment of one of the UK festival scene’s biggest success stories of recent years, begins today, as BoomTown Fair kicks off in the Bowl of the Matterly Estate near Winchester.

Now with hundreds of artists playing across 22 main stages over nine individual and uniquely-themed city districts, BoomTown has grown to be one of the UK’s top-10 largest festivals from its founding roots as a village fair back in 2009.

BoomTown may be one of the new kids on the block, but part of this festival’s growing attraction is a timeless carnival atmosphere created from the off as its ‘citizens’ are plunged into the magical, make-believe world of this creatively themed urban metropolis, complete with its own quirky storyline, fictional political history, mayoral elections and passports.

This usually-quiet plot of Hampshire countryside has been completely transformed into a giant, eccentric and immersive audio-visual tour-de-force of a pop-up city which really can cater for any and every taste.

BoomTown parades itself as far more than just a music festival, encouraging its citizens to explore street theatre, circus and spoken word alongside an eclectic and varied soundtrack of ska, folk, gypsy, reggae, world, punk, electro-swing, jazz, jungle, garage and techno.

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This year sees the introduction of two new centre stages, DSTRKT 5 and House in the Woods, further broadening BoomTown’s scope and size.

While reggae once again slightly dominates the seemingly never-ending line-up as heavyweights Stephen Marley, SOJA, Alberosie, Barrington Levy and David Rodigan take to the iconic Lion’s Den stage, diversity is offered through gypsy-punk band Gogol Bordello, US ska outfit Streetlight Manifesto and French electro-swing group Caravan Palace, to name but a few, in a distinctly non-mainstream programme that has become synonymous with BoomTown since its inception.

Here is a festival that continues to inspire - and this year promises to be the biggest yet.

We'll tell you what we think!

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