Newquay-based surf and music festival Boardmasters has announced plans to increase its capacity, ultimately from the current 53,000 to 65,000.
The event's founder, Andrew Topham, says that the increase in attendees would allow the festival to present "even bigger artists from all over the world" and "even more content for our attendees to enjoy", while also having a "greater economic impact locally", creating "more jobs as we increase staffing numbers and much more".
The Vision Nine promoted event has put in a licensing application with Cornwall Council seeking permission for the expansion of the festival. The plan is to move to a 58,000 capacity next year and then up to 65,000 in 2025.
An official statement announcing the plans quoted a number of local councillors who talked up the festival, demonstrating there is local support for the capacity boost.
That included Councillor Olly Monk, who says: “Vision Nine, the organisers of Boardmasters, have always prioritised producing the best possible festival".
"The growth plans are exciting", he adds, "particularly in our hard current economic climate, when the creation of additional jobs, larger contracts for Cornish business and more tourism to fuel our economy are hugely important for Newquay and Cornwall. We look forward to working with Vision Nine on the plans".