One teenage Boardmasters Festival attendee reportedly fell and suffered an “incredibly painful” hyperextension of his leg.
Boardmasters Festival 2024 — which ran from Wednesday, August 7 – Sunday, August 11 at Watergate Bay in Cornwall, UK — was overshadowed by a crowd rush on that temporarily halted music on two stages and sent seven attendees to the hospital.
The surge in crowd congestion took place on Friday and prompted calls to the Devon and Cornwall police. UK garage sensation Sammy Virji and singer-songwriter Sam Fender both had to pause their performances as a result.
Seven attendees suffered “minor injuries” and were hospitalized for “precautionary examination,” according to the police. All have since been treated and discharged.
“Contrary to speculation, we can confirm that there have been no deaths as a result of this incident,” reads the police statement. “This is an isolated incident and the festival continues.”
In conversation with Sky News, a 16-year-old attendee recounted their harrowing experience of the crowd rush. While he was “near the front” during Virji’s set, he said that “loads of people came in” at which point he was pushed and fell on his back, twisting his leg to the point of hyperextension.
“It was incredibly painful, and I couldn’t get up,” he said. “There were people on top of me, and I was on top of other people.”
On his Instagram Story, Virji emphasized the importance of crowd safety at large-scale events. “The stoppage was completely out of my hands and hope you all understand the festival needed to prioritise everyone’s wellbeing,” he said. “Hopefully catch you all soon at another set.”
Boardmasters Festival inaugurated in 1981 as a surfing competition and expanded to include music programming in 2005. This year’s edition reportedly drew 58,000 attendees, up from last year’s count of 53,000. Among the electronic music billings were Nia Archives, Andy C, Leftfield, and Overmono.