Boomtown On Drugs: The Harm Reduction Story

We have put together a short Harm Reduction film covering the measures we put in place this year to keep people safe, as well as spread some much needed awareness on the dangers that can be associated with taking drugs.
As we enter the festive party season, it is even more important to be fully aware of the risks associated with what you're putting into your body. Please give yourself 15 minutes to watch this; education and awareness can be a lifesaver.
Thank you to everyone involved The Loop Chill Welfare Beans on Toast and especially Wendy Teasdill and her family. As well as the talented team at Clockwise Media.
For more information, please head to our website here: www.boomtownfair.co.uk/info/drugs-and-safety/

[@glitchkin1981]

Mad respect for boomtown for this

[@KrankuSama]

Huge respect for the Rowe family

[@larryhkl]

11:18 you can see me in the bottom left eating cheesy chips

[@hellonobody3321]

@@abcdef-hn6hu aired

[@sammccormack5890]

@@abcdef-hn6hu you’ve been blanked

[@devonrenton3040]

@@abcdef-hn6hu maybe he over dosed aswell

[@Edrwad]

i'm @ 1:51. flicking the bird.

[@Teddy-ez9qq]

Is that you Steve Bruce?

[@amybean1607]

Leeds and Reading rly need to have the loop testing thing jfc

[@pattyx984]

they did this year

[@NIStreakz]

They did not

[@tomclarke4530]

They didn't, load of absolute shite , I got told it would give off the wrong idea if they did when I asked a supervisor

[@akromajones3385]

It is good that people are starting to realise that prohibition just doesnt work or help anyone.

[@sparkjolt]

"Boomtown on drugs" is great...this video ain't too bad either. Joking aside I'm sure I met one of the Rowe family when queuing for the loos (the curly haired woman on the right). We got discussing about this topic and what was truly amazing was that they were for harm reduction, and haven't completely slated the festival or its occupants. They had every right to hate drugs, the culture, the festival, for taking away a family member, but they are speaking out for safety, for education, and for harm reduction in the form of services like The Loop.

[@rogw4109]

thats what the government should be doing, following the footsteps of the rowe family and the loop

[@mikenorledge4110]

@@rogw4109 thank you for typing exactly what I just wanted to .. Jay/Beans is a hero and friend of mine and my brother'

[@piscesfairy305]

ket and drink is such a lethal combination, i learnt that the hard way, mad respect for the family RIP. all festivals need to adopt this approach, always practise safe sesh :)

[@worwor1721]

Ha, I came out of there, saw some guy standing outside the tent and told him my bag of hash ended up being heroin haha, the look on his face

[@watfordman]

😂😂😂

[@Bigchungywungy]

Drugs won the war on drugs. It is time for governments to accept that and adopt a forward thinking approach.

[@cakulha5467]

Say Know to drugs

[@janettegilmartin3320]

how do you spell no wrong

[@Gravenhex]

@@janettegilmartin3320 are u dumb

[@jordanpilcher5528]

Say no to say no to drugs😂

[@igniex]

@@janettegilmartin3320 how have you not deleted this dumbass comment yet 😂, someone even pointed it out

[@neurospicypisces]

I can think back to the many times I mixed alcohol and ketamine... And I didn't know it was a lethal combination until now. Thank you for your harm reduction effort Boomtown 🖤 I hope one day in my life I get to experience you

[@turkeyphant]

Glad to see the UK slowly catching up to more forward thinking countries.

[@chaiandrelax]

Can these be more spread around the city, after its huge success!

[@JorisVDC]

You should wonder why alcohol is allowed, it's at number three in the most harmful drugs when you get addicted, just after heroine and crack. People think that alcohol is harmless, yet it is a hard drugs.

[@extremepoker75]

Alcohol is #1 mate just ask professor NUTT....

[@AutonovaAI]

alcohol is literal poison but because its socially acceptable and profitable everyone ignores its negative effects

[@redeye2e]

The government approved drug kills 3 million people worldwide every year plus all the misery it brings to families, children and society as a whole. 😢

[@georgefilms4702]

Amazing. Love for Rowe family. Important for there to be transparency and understanding that this is done by young people at every festival so the more information the better

[@adamfirth3082]

was just at reading, pretty sure at least 70% of the fest was doing ket lmao

[@Boymentation1994]

literally

[@chazzucic]

Fully lol

[@DJSimNRecords]

Adam Firth you should go to a harder-styles-festival, at least 95% is on xtc lol

[@liamgallagher9939]

Tons of girls with ‘ketty and sketty’ or ‘willsuck dick for coke’ painted on them

[@ralfydosnachos410]

I worked at reading and at least 50% of girls under 18 asked bar staff for gear in exchange for sex etc

[@giannixoxo4885]

at leeds fest i found a bag of ket on the floor at relentless and sniffed it. i am harm reduction

[@henrypearce3267]

See that woman, that is spreading awareness about the drugs that killed her daughter and you mock it. You are dirt

[@giannixoxo4885]

@@henrypearce3267 I'm a lot worse than that mate

[@fldn7086]

😂😂😂

[@joshuaellisakass122]

@@giannixoxo4885 you’re vile

[@ellboss7156]

😂😂😂

[@EmceeIntricacy]

Always practise safe sesh! That resonated beautifully.

[@EmceeIntricacy]

that woman was so fucking depressing mind, booze and K is potentially lethal, if you're not strong enough or strong willed enough to stay alive, that's your fault.

[@jameslahiffebaker2412]

Amazing! Everyone needs to be more open minded about how to reduce harm because you're never gonna stop it

[@charliej.hallam9571]

That Lady who lost her daughter would be the best person to of given that talk beans on toast did. In time she will be strong enough too. but i found people didnt take beans very seriously. @boomtownfair

[@madiwill3082]

Such a smart idea to make the festival more enjoyable and safe for everyone. I’ve heard so many stories about deaths due to drugs at festivals💔I’m going to reading 2019, and the Loop needs to go to alllll festivals !

[@mitchellwing2880]

So many people shat themselves after they found out what it was that killed her whilst drinking and 5 minutes after a fat line of K

[@casholi121]

This is amazing! Seeing you guys take this on board is such a positive step towards safer environments so thank you so much!!!

[@v6nce]

Massive respect to Boomtown, Wendy's Family inc Saskia Kent who I had the pleasure to meet and chat with in 2018 and of course The Loop and our Government for attempting to get to grips with reducing the problem of drugs. But what's gone wrong??? 2019 Saw a step backward I know it's not Boomtown's choice So who and why?

[@orgnumberXV]

Legal complexities, aka THE GOVERNMENT stopped the loop from being able to test at boomtown this year. The war on drugs. Don't respect them.

[@thebossiam2960]

A total shambles. The government can stretch legislation re. Lockdowns and COVID parties but local authorities not able to take a purposive approach in the pursuant of harm reduction. Hampshire Council should grow a set of balls and until then should be culpable of negligence / invol manslaughter for every casualty at the hands of their dysfunction. Legalisation is a separate argument, it shouldn’t be contentious that people can take steps to mitigate harm.

[@barrels5262]

Guy Jones is an absolute legend! Gave me my first test kit a couple of years ago and really opened my mind to the dangers of drugs, nice!

[@Rs500ybd]

We Love Boomtown. 2023 xXx.

[@spudgun889]

AMAZING. Really fucking amazing. Well done.

[@jakesouthgate2676]

Beautiful so nice to see the people growing up it's not making drugs okay it's making the people who will do drugs anyway safe

[@Edrwad]

I've found myself at 1:51! Perfect hand signals! Beauty!

[@aaronjohnson2215]

Intelligence has nothing to do with saying no to drugs. Ppl do it to have fun. I think those guys save more lives with these facilities than anyone else or government banning drugs. Why don't they legalise it, produce good drugs in labs, educating people? This would help. They let people slowly die from cigarettes and alcohol putting massive strain on NHS, why won't they legalise drugs and make them government controlled? Tax it, make it lab clean, earn money, save lives. Guys please come to Creamfields with your facility.

[@HousePeople]

An important film. Thank you guys x

[@vietfrog549]

I love this, at every festival I go to I also give out free drug testing. I’ll pop ur pingers, snort ur coke, ket, speed, md etc and tell u if it’s good shit

[@southparkshorts8830]

The drug testing idea is genius

[@davidpurkiss7777]

This is brilliant work not about drugs at all really but think this is great to help those who are

[@emmas5283]

I’m so angry that the government have stopped festivals from accessing The Loop harm reduction since this video was made! 🤬🤬🤬

[@josephfarr9128]

The Loop were at Boomtown this year but only as a back of house service. Much better than nothing but they need to be a visible presence to get more people to use it. Cocaine Anonymous, Safe Space and Chill Welfare all also present to differing degrees. The Safe Space crew were numerous and present throughput the festival space in groups of 3-4 spreading information. The same thing with the loop could literally save lives by itself. All in all, Boomtown are clearly working very hard to manage and eliminate as many welfare issues as they can and have to be given serious credit for doing so. My last year prior to this year’s festival was back in 2016, and it is very encouraging to see how far the Boomtown organizers have come in those 6 years. This year they implemented a sizeable restructure to the festival and doubled down on their original ethos. Boomtown being a community became instantly more obvious with the formation of 3 campsites with central welfare hubs and daily talks and activities focused on welfare. It felt much easier to find assistance on site and the security and stewards (both at the stages and campsites) were all fantastic. I have endless respect for the Rowe family for even being able to attend Boomtown after what happened, let alone instigating and assisting the monumental positive changes the festival has put in place. Everyone in this video is truly inspiring, and I’m sure while he considers himself to be by far the least important part of this video, Beans On Toast has to be mentioned for always going out on stage and saying what needs to be said. He’s bursting with positivity and his messages reach millions who almost all regularly attend festivals. The King of the Sunday 3pm slot always gathers a community rather than a crowd and his messages never go unheard at Boomtown. Always practice safe sesh 💚 See you next year Boomtown!

[@theuktoday4233]

what a brilliant idea....

[@eviehart628]

huge respect gonna save so many more lives than just banning it

[@Nick-be5hh]

This tends to be the attitude over here in Canada too. Its the way to go. They have charts up the harm reduction with which chemicals can and can't be mixed and then they test your shit (non destructively) for purity. And they can tell you what else is in there if it's not pure. Very clever and the way forward. Party safe my friends

[@gyros69420]

It's actually fucking ridiculous that all festivals don't have drug testing. Lacking so much responsibility.

[@simonmclean09]

Society is lucky it has Drugs as without them there would be alot of bored people that want a whole lot more

[@youngesaavageaap1739]

i almost died being way too drunk and taking a quite fucking big line of ketamin it felt if i had let go i would have died i was on the floor trowing up for 4h not able to stand up it was a nightmare i didn't know about the drugs interaction was very hard to not let go somehow i made it

[@eleanorecn]

i love you for making beans start this xxxx

[@simonerusso6920]

We love wat u do information is possible love

[@notreal1477]

Health issues should never be criminalised. The sooner the boomers are gone from parliment the sooner this country can have a sensible attitude towards drugs.

[@-__-_-.-]

Pretty sure I almost died from ketamine once. Had been drinking. Was my first time. The person that gave it me didn't ask me until I had taken it (turned out to be a big line, but I didn't know dosages) whether I had been drinking. Pretty much straight away I was completely fucked, could barely move for the next half hour I think it was, I completely lost track of time. Passed out/slept/unconscious, no idea what happened. Luckily I had a friend look after me, and woke up 8 hours later. Can't say it's not my own fault

[@readingfc83]

Yammercat you were in a k hole

[@-__-_-.-]

no bro. it wasnt a k-hole

[@amberh8931]

K-hole or not, that would've been very dangerous. I'm glad you're okay, and you're not being dramatic. That sounds scary

[@chronomeatbag4223]

sounds like a k hole for sure...if you do a big enough line you can transcend into space fly around the universe and have every molecule of your body blown around like dust for a bit...then everything comes back to normal and you realise your under a table and have been staring at some fluff on the floor.

[@michaeloruaidh3605]

R.I.P Ellie

[@Gibzist]

superb message

[@tunez4uhickman997]

Bring your drugs to me and I will test them and tell you if the are good or not

[@jackkelly4622]

justin hickman hahaha yess bro

[@ryanshuman2456]

Keep the testing! Searches and seizures are dumb. People have the right to party sober or not. For me I go to festival to party very hard.

[@MODERNFLEX]

the problem with drugs at these sorts of events is that people feel the need to rely on them to have a good time. i could go completely sober and enjoy it, get slightly drunk, hammered, or clapped on md and kezzle

[@O_G7]

This is great but they didn't have it at boomtown 2019..

[@sophiewilkinson2695]

Olly P yeah they did

[@O_G7]

@@sophiewilkinson2695 loop were there giving counselling advice and what have you , but no drugs were tested!

[@swicks7882]

Olly P The Loop wasn’t at boomtown as (even tho it’s harm reduction) at events you have to have no tolerance of drugs and the license/uk law see the loop at boomtown as promoting drug use

[@shootermcgavin4559]

Do they test the quality ?

[@madsines1494]

They tell you how strong/pure the drug is out of 3, with 3 being the most pure (65-100% I think). They're not allowed to go into any more specifics than that.

[@roblowe1074]

Why was the loop taken away this year ?

[@sophielodge2782]

it was very controversial and people said that it encouraged the use of drugs

[@roblowe1074]

@@sophielodge2782 folks will take drugs legal or not but to make it a bit safer by testing it could save a life.

[@sophielodge2782]

@@roblowe1074 I agree

[@Teddy-ez9qq]

Beans on toast is the lead singer of idles

[@leavejoeyalone3270]

Dont wanna bash the Rowe family but wanna talk about a personal experience with alcohol and ket, i went to the pub with some mates and turned out i had a free house that weekend, my friend had some ket and bud so we took the party to mine, invited some more people and got out the bottle of vodka, already pretty drunk at this point, on my own i probably polished half the bottle and between 4 of us niffed through a g of k and i was okay. We all was. Could have been the K or how my body reacted to the combination but i survived

[@Baudiahd]

LeaveJoeyAlone never know how fucked she was or how much she sniffed, everyone’s body’s different g

[@ManLykMatt]

she deffo sniffed some sketchy shit i always mix cans and ket no worries there

[@psilopsychic]

Luck of the draw, also individual biochemistry is unique, as is tolerance, etc.

[@TNJX]

Ellie Rowe died from a combination of ALCOHOL and ketamine. One line of ketamine alone does not kill.

[@amberh8931]

You don't know that. Ketamine is a very dangerous drug, and shouldn't be messed with

[@chronomeatbag4223]

@@amberh8931 you clearly dont know about k...it is a safe dissociative that they will happily shoot into kids/babies at hospital to put them under. The ALCOHOL is what makes it dangerous.

[@calebearly6591]

@@chronomeatbag4223 nah ketamine used in hopsitals can stop breathing. That's why they often have to pinch the patients ear as they forget to breath and shit. It's also why they have more than one person administrating ket.

[@georgemc6441]

@@chronomeatbag4223 you’re so so eager to make drugs look less bad than alcohol, get a grip

[@chronomeatbag4223]

@@georgemc6441 bet your fun at a party

[@Hainesi]

what an amazing idea. think of the data they can collect from all these drug tests too!

[@MS-uc8ie]

the girl who died was only 16? that’s so sad omg

[@jafro8]

They usually are young girls, their bodies can’t hack it and they take too much

[@Teddy-ez9qq]

She was 18

[@blaffirmative5492]

mad respect

[@bennyboy7090]

Respect to boomtown

[@k1dn1ce76]

Why do people use Ket? It's like a heavy/dirty acid a bit like mescaline,far from enjoyable. Ket is relatively cheap for a reason guys and girls - it's dirt.

[@mikkyfinn1111]

Can't have a war on a WORD ! ,DRUGS , TERROR, etc its like going to war with a thought??

[@N1Z3L]

does anyone know where to find this thing 1:25?

[@sophielodge2782]

They closed it after 2018 becuase it was so controversial and people said it encouraged the use of drugs

[@MiaGraceee]

@@sophielodge2782 That’s so stupid! When will governments realise people are always going to do drugs

[@sophielodge2782]

@@MiaGraceee honestly ! I guess they may think that if people know their drugs arent mixed with other shit they may be less cautious while taking them?

[@maxdilcon5679]

hmm I drink and do k all the time didn't think it was that bad :S

[@Highervibesofficial]

if offered it say no be the bigger person and report it even if tempted you dont know where its been

[@jangrzymaa5240]

Massive!

[@sirushraiz1881]

Big up boomtown

[@kida6460]

Fucking love boomtown so much

[@selCIKO84]

amazing

[@andrewleese89]

amazing video.

[@perpetualtom6649]

Fucking love Boomtown

[@waynesilverman3048]

Knew this women who got of heroin and prostitution ect and went out and took some amphetamine and when the gruesome comedown came she took ketamine for the 1st time and then died she had kids took of her but a baby was took a year before she got clean

[@gingerninjachop]

Are they actually strict on how much alcohol is bought in

[@The8Music8Guy]

shame they got rid of it

[@psoup.42]

Omg this is well weird, I took sooooo much k this boomtown, you don't even know😳😳

[@0zzySpartan117]

wowwww you're a madman mate

[@TheJacob185]

@@0zzySpartan117 enit who the fuck boasts about drug use anymore other than young heads

[@sm8476]

Nitty

[@stevegrimes21]

Aerial view acres and acres of plastic

[@roundseye]

Great message, awful story. Glad steps are being taken to curb drug use, but seems a little counter intuitive in an environment that essentially promotes drug use subliminally in its themes and symbolism.

[@redpillmediagodfather8790]

Is it not the drugs are drawn to the culture and people who like a type of music/art might also like drugs, not culture is drawn to the drugs

[@twinspirationaj1266]

im sorry but ketamine is weird as fuck, I have drunk alcohol most my adult life , ive done cocain, i did ket once and lost everything i had , ive smoked weed and done mdma, ketamine is by far the weirdest and worst of all of them. totally weird

[@K20rotrex]

In 2013 Ket was dirt cheap and strong

[@readingfc83]

JD_k20 how much a g?

[@waynestewart3097]

@@readingfc83 10 a g back then

[@waynestewart3097]

@@readingfc83 litres 50g for 250 now between 500 and 600

[@w.e.smithereens8178]

How do I get a test to test my Shit at home

[@pinwheel8723]

Why is this romantised with soft music and people dancing in slow motion lol

[@igniex]

What are you talking about

[@pinwheel8723]

@@igniex literally what i just said wdy think

[@wallbags2516]

Warning common sense at work

[@garve1238]

Anyone see the fella sticking his finger up 😂😂😂

[@michelangeloxiv2172]

Oops bowdown corrected to boomtown

[@GG-gl3zx]

Western culture

[@kongtoch9715]

11:26 That girl got a BIG future behind her😍

[@Willbailey862]

this is a great step forward but having a guy that wrote a song called MDMamazing (beans on toast) represent your cause isn't gonna do you any favours, makes it look like you're encouraging drug use

[@solomono.b6032]

That's the point. A recognisable figure who isn't anti-drugs (No one's listening to that at a festival) but is pro safe and responsible use. Makes sense to have someone like Beans say this

[@TheAlexmynameis]

MDMA is amazing though, when taken in a safe dose with people you trust. Unfortunately it is difficult to know what dose you are taking.

[@georgegear6823]

Well if you mix ket with alcohol you’re not that clever.

[@PJOffler]

It really all depends on the quantities if you’re getting pissed out your head and doing lines then it’s your own fault, moderation and balance I’ve never had a problem

[@alexastaniotis6924]

Ketamine is a catalyst, you’re supposed to drink or smoke weed before, u just need to make sure it’s actually ketamine

[@jezlanejl]

I hate People that because they have an Education think they are Intelligent. Usually it just means they have more money than most. But the most annoying thing is when they throw out statements and think they are smart for doing so. I mean that lady claims "You don't know what you don't know"....Rubbish. I know i don't know many things, like what happened Before the Big bang, If We are in Space then what is Space in? These kind of things...

[@olit1234]

Sounds like you just got back from Boomtown.

[@jezlanejl]

"Maybe i should get an Education" when you can't understand the Comment? Sounds like Hypocrisy to me.

[@jezlanejl]

So you believe that you don't know what you don't know then?....

[@lizzytheepiclizardgibb9571]

Harry Limes Your comment reeks of resentment and insecurity. If you perceive someone to be more educated than you are and “think” they’re more intelligent than you, they probably are. Open more books if you care how smart you are

[@jezlanejl]

Lizzy, Another Buffoon. I don't think shes more intelligent i think she thinks she is, Just like you. Another clown trying to be a smart arse but can't actually comprehend what they are being a smart arse about because unfortunately they were born Stupid.

[@user-zy9yg2eu5t]

Arrest everyone who uses drugs

[@josephfarr9128]

Worst troll attempt ever.

[@Knight766]

Music festivals are so fucking corny

yep you just don't mix booze with Ketamine but a lot of those young peeps don't know how to take these drugs, it's a recipe for trouble. It's not their fault because they are not informed and accidents happen sadly each year in festies.