Boardmasters should be 10 times smaller - teenager

Tristan said Boardmasters security staff were only on the stage and not in the crowd

A 16-year-old who was dragged into a crowd surge at a festival in Cornwall has described it as "mayhem".

Tristan said there was "not enough security to handle the surge" at Boardmasters festival in Newquay on Friday evening, and that attendees had to "carry injured people" from the crowd as the security was "only on stage and not in the crowd".

He added that, while it was his third time attending, event organisers should not increase the number of people attending next year, adding it should be "10 times smaller".

Boardmasters has been approached for a comment.

'Fell like dominos'

Tristan, from Newquay, said: “The whole crowd fell like dominos, and I was trying to help people up.

"The crowd was claustrophobic. I couldn’t really move and when the crowd surge fell, a guy landed on my ankle.

"I asked him to get off me, but he couldn’t because of hundreds of people on top of him."

He said he believed his ankle was "just bruised" and had not sought medical attention.

He added: “There was definitely not enough security to handle the surge. They were only on the stage and not in the crowd. They kept asking people to move back.

“It was unbelievable. It’s not what you would expect to happen at a festival."

He explained how he felt the festival was already "overcrowded" last year and with the approved application earlier this year to increase the number of attendees, he felt it was "unsafe".

Space and capacity

“I think the organisers are being way too greedy," he said.

“Then they want to whack it up to 65,000 next year. I just don’t think the space and capacity was big enough this year and it just made it unsafe for the people.”

He added: “They shouldn’t make it as big next year and it should be 10 times smaller.”

Asked whether he would attend the festival again in the future, he said: “It has not put me off going again, but it has put a weird thought in my mind every time I have been there since."

Boardmasters said on Sunday that "experienced pit management and security teams" had been "in place across the festival with robust medical and welfare provision including highly experienced and trained medical, welfare and safeguarding staff".

They said: "These teams are available in the main arena and campsites 24h a day, for anything our audience might need."

Event bosses have been been approached for a comment about Tristan's claims.