Boom Festival is one of the world’s most iconic psychedelic and transformational gatherings, held biennially on the shores of the Idanha-a-Nova lake in Portugal. Since its inception in 1997, Boom has evolved into far more than a music festival. It is a global meeting point for people from over 150 countries, united by a shared vision of conscious celebration, art, ecology, and cultural exploration. Known for its deep commitment to sustainability, holistic experiences, and community, Boom integrates electronic music, visionary art, wellness practices, and ecological innovation into an immersive and transformative week-long experience.

In this interview, we explore what makes Boom unique, how it continues to evolve, and what the future may hold.

Interview by Psybient.org team on 16/07/25.

Hi Boom Team, thank you for finding time to chat to us. Your festival is definitely the most regarded festival in the World of Psychedelic music and culture, there is a lot of information online, but we want to ask you some questions and present your latest ideas to our audience.

Thank you! Always a pleasure to chat with you about Boom Festival.

Boom has always been known for pushing boundaries — what experiences or experiments can we see this year?

We try in every edition to surpass ourselves and this edition is no different. The curtain will unfold on 17 July.
Until then we leave you with our ethos: Oneness, Music, Peace, Arts, Environment, Culture and Love. The purpose is to transform and regenerate.

How do you envision the future of psychedelic festivals in a changing world—socially, politically, and environmentally?

We cannot speak for other festivals and their purposes and intentions. We aim to propose an experience that will lead to a personal change of the individual. Any significant change must begin inside each one of us. Boomland is a laboratory for sustainable existence. We incorporate it in every action we undertake, may it be in the Boom Festival or in our daily life at Boomland.

Boom Festival features a variety of beautifully curated areas and stages, each with its own unique atmosphere — can you walk us through the main zones (like the Dance Temple, Alchemy Circle, Chill Out Gardens, etc…) and share how each contributes to the overall experience?

Each one of the 23 stages (programme areas) at Boom Festival has its own identity and purpose for the overall experience we curate for the Boomers. We invite everyone to explore our programme at https://www.boomfestival.org/programme

As in every edition we put a lot of work/care in the design and concept of all the architecture and surrounding areas that host the programme to offer an immersive holistic experience, a feast for the senses and a proposal for an alternative reality of creativity, acceptance and love.

Have you introduced any new stages, areas, or types of activities for this edition of Boom?

The Boom Festival 2025 programme is available on our website. It has been growing every edition as a way to incorporate as many different languages we find relevant for the purpose of transforming humans and regenerating the land (nature). This is the aim we all work for.

The theme for this edition – The Ritual Of Dance – plays an essential role in the conceptual design of the festival.

What are the core priorities for the Boom Festival team when planning each edition? Have these priorities evolved over the years?

For each Boom Festival edition we want to present a theme, a programme and an experience that resonate with the current zeitgeist. The goal is to create an experience of undeniable transformational value to all who visit us.

What were the biggest challenges you faced during the last edition, and how did you overcome them?

Every edition of Boom Festival has its challenges and fair share of unforeseen episodes. We thrive in such environments and face them as opportunities. Change is happening all around us, we need to embrace and evolve/expand through it. We believe that the unexpected is to be expected in the process of transformation.

What is the current maximum capacity of Boom Festival, and how do you manage crowd flow and comfort across the site?

Boomland could host much more than the 40 000 Boomers who are visiting from all over the world in this edition. Comfort and space are absolutely vital for the experience we create. And though we are an organisation that depends on ticket sales, we never prioritise it over the comfort and security we aim to offer the Boomers.

The Chill Out Gardens and calm zones are beloved by many—how important is it for you to maintain these tranquil spaces in contrast to more energetic areas?

The Gardens (former Chill Out Gardens) as well other areas of the festival with a more introspective identity are fundamental not only to chill and relax but are also key points for incorporating the entire experience. We need the dialectics between introverted and extroverted moments to fully acknowledge what we are experiencing.

What role does psychedelic culture play in the Boom Festival ethos, and how do you see it evolving in the future?

Psychedelic culture is the backbone of Boom Festival, it’s deeply embedded in its DNA. Through the psychedelic paradigm humanity has a valid alternative or set of tools to unformat itself from patterns that don’t serve us anymore (they never did actually), while opening up to the greatness of possibility and true evolution. Any foreseen positive future will benefit greatly from it.

In your view, what sets Boom Festival apart from other psychedelic or transformational festivals around the world?

We clearly stay away from any competitive posture towards other events (psychedelic/transformational or not). We have a clear path in front of us and draw inspiration from the diversity around us. The purpose of Boom Festival and the drive behind its making is widely recognised. Each edition, each innovation, every particularity are the direct consequence of following our deepest beliefs.

Sustainability has long been a key value at Boom — can you share specific new measures or systems you’re implementing this year?

Sustainability at Boom is a long-lasting lifetime mission therefore we are never looking at novelties or looking at each edition for its own innovations. We look at it on a broader level, you can find out more here: https://www.boomfestival.org/environment

What are the biggest environmental challenges in organizing an event of this scale, and how are you addressing them?

We face many challenges due to the region’s characteristics and the impact we want to leave. In other words, the goal is to leave nature better than we found it. To that end, we try to involve Boomers in our environmental ethics and practices.

Our work is year-round, with environmental plans and a series of measures. The active participation of Boomers is essential to the success of these measures, like the proper disposal of waste. Some examples of these measures are: water management, which is a scarce resource here, and compost toilets, which don’t require any water and create soil. Another example of a water management measure are the two water treatment plants we’ve created. Since 2015, we’ve been working on an reforestation and regeneration plan at Boomland.

Does Boom Festival collaborate with local communities or authorities in unique ways that contribute to the event’s sustainability?

Absolutely. The way Boom Festival impacts the physical space, the territory, and the community is crucial to the sustainability of the event and the region. The way we collaborate with the local community, both individually and organisationally, has been a successful story of integrating a festival into its host region, which is located in a more isolated and less densely populated area.

We contribute for the sustainability of the festival itself but also for the economic and social sustainability of the region in which it is located – Boom Festival is not a “foreign body” in the region, but rather establishes a mutualistic relationship with it. We have a close relationship with the local authority, the fire department and the police authorities. A large percentage of our suppliers are local, and during the festival, we insist on having local food suppliers. While we prioritise vegetarian food, we also demand that the local economy be used.

On the team, we call on people from the region. In 2023, 14% of all workers will be from the Castelo Branco district. The other percentage of workers are from diverse backgrounds, which also attracts a new population to a desertified region. Also some Boomers fall in love with the region. The community extends beyond the festival site. On the environmental front, we collaborate with regional academic institutions to monitor water and soil. One of these is the Polytechnic Institute of Castelo Branco.

Since the very beginning of Boom we are always working with the surrounding communities. The list of projects is extensive but here you can find an important summary:
https://www.boomfestival.org/news/eco-letter-to-the-boomers-2023-part-1
https://www.boomfestival.org/news/eco-letter-to-the-boomers-2023-part-2
https://www.boomfestival.org/news/social-awareness-projects-boom-2023

Besides Boom, are there other events or projects the Boom team organizes throughout the year? Could you tell us more about them?

Boomland is home to all different kinds of projects. Apart from Boom Festival, we organise the Being Gathering, an intimate experience of human transformation and alignment (editions in 2015, 2017 and 2024) and its camping experience spin-off, the Being Camp, in 2021 and 2024.

The Boomland School has been running since 2021 and so far we’ve hosted Permaculture Design Certificate courses, Integrative Holistic Health courses, and we’re now on our way to the second edition of both the Psytrance Music Production and the Natural Building courses.

Additionally, the Boom Bazaar serves as an online marketplace, offering a range of Boomland-related products to explore. We provide consultancy, production, and sustainable management for promoters, artists, municipalities, companies, associations, or brands through Sustainable Balance. With the Boom Karuna Project we donate a percentage of EBITDA to charity. In 2023 the organisations were: Bombeiros Voluntários de Idanha-a-Nova, Associação Viola Beiroa, Fundação Álvaro Carvalhos.

Do you see technology (like VR/AR, decentralized platforms, etc…) playing a bigger role in the Boom experience in the future?

In terms of artistic content one cannot look away from the possibilities that technology can offer. At Boom Festival we are keen to explore the new frontiers that technology can reach. At the same time we are very aware that technology can also have a negative impact on creativity, work ethics and dehumanisation (or banalisation) of artistic creation. We live in a world surrounded by technology, and much of the music you’ll hear at Boom is electronic. We don’t make any sort of orthodox odyssey against technology, we just intend to raise awareness of its use while using its potential for a better Boom experience. Our ethos on this matter is to be a channel, not a dam. In this sense, we’ve created the campaign Unplug to Connect to encourage Boomers to use technology mindfully and with intention.

How do you choose the artists, speakers, and performers who contribute to the festival’s multidisciplinary lineup?

First and foremost we design the programme to fit the conceptual identity of each edition. All the artists, speakers, performers, therapists, facilitators are then chosen with several other variables in mind. Diversity is showcased through an array of artistic expressions alongside gender equality, an ageism-free environment, and true global representation of artists – all while being mindful of our carbon footprint.

As a participative festival, we intentionally keep slots available exclusively for online applications submitted through our website. We believe in creating spaces for Boomers to come and express themselves artistically. It would be easier to just stay within the comfort of “headliners” but we try to push it a bit further.

What does community mean to the Boom Festival organization, and how do you nurture it year after year?

The concept of community is fundamental to the organisation of the Boom Festival. It signifies the sharing of values and vision, a belief in the transformation of individuals and the regeneration of the Earth.

First and foremost, we have the global community of the psytrance movement. The way we care for this community is demonstrated at every edition of the Boom Festival: striving to ensure each festival edition surpasses the previous one, feeding anticipation and a sense of awe among the Boomers. Then we have the community that forms around the festival’s production. A group of extraordinary people, from dozens of different nationalities, who converge for a specific moment in space-time: Boomland and the production of the Boom Festival.

Within the formal structure of the organisation, the “Community” area is created during the production of the Boom Festival, with a dedicated team looking after the community’s needs beyond just physiological and safety requirements. This includes creating a programme of activities and services addressing the social and self-esteem needs of the team, such as emotional support, coaching, cultural, sports, and personal development activities, as well as moments of celebration (we are party people!). During the Boom Festival, Boomers and the production team merge into a single community under the motto “We Are One” – where transformation happens and the energy is created to fuel the next edition.

Finally, what message would you like to share with those who’ve never been to Boom Festival but are curious about what it represents?

It represents something different for each and every individual. Come to Boom and experience it for yourself!

What message would you like to send to people who will join this year edition?

Join The Ritual of Dance ;-)

LINKS:

www.boomfestival.org
next edition lineup = https://www.boomfestival.org/program
picture report (s) from previous editions => https://www.boomfestival.org/gallery
video report (s) from previous editions => https://www.youtube.com/@BoomFestivalOfficialPage