The Boom Festival was started by a group of friends who regularly attended dance parties in the Indian state of Goa, famous for their psychedelic dance music and relaxed atmosphere. Wanting to bring the vibes of these parties and Goa trancers from around the world to Portugal, they created the Boom Festival in the mid-1990s. The first festival took place in 1997, followed by the second in 1998. After that, they decided to hold the festival every two years.
The ethos of the Boom Festival is based on the Boom Mantras, a set of guiding principles and values including oneness, music, peace and nonviolence, art, the environment, culture, and love. Boom is more than a dance festival: it is a multidisciplinary event featuring cultural, artistic, social, and environmental programs, as well as a variety of events and activities held at several locations on the festival grounds. Below is a sample of what the festival program has to offer:
- Dance Temple. The Dance Temple is the heart and soul of the Boom Festival. People from all over the world come together here to dance to psychedelic trance music and celebrate freedom and life.
- Alchemy Circle. The Alchemy Circle is another dance venue where artists blend traditional psychedelic trance with other music styles, such as drum and bass, progressive, and techno.
- Arts & Installations. Like other transformational festivals, including the famous Burning Man, Boom considers self-expression through art an important part of its program. It features land art, digital art, interactive art, large sculptures and installations, immersive environments, and more.
- Being Fields. The Being Fields are stages and activity areas where festivalgoers can experience yoga, meditation, martial arts, massages, sound healing, and other practices that promote healing, well-being, and self-discovery.
- Gardens. Formerly known as the Chill Out Gardens, the Gardens offer a fusion of eclectic music, art installations, sound healing, somatic dance, and permaculture gardens.
- Sacred Fire. The Sacred Fire is the magical forest of Boom featuring world music, land art, and delicious food made with local ingredients.
- Bike Village. This is a meeting place for cyclists, where they can have their bikes fixed or simply hang out with fellow bicycle enthusiasts.
- The Liminal Village. This is is Boom’s cultural hub, offering talks, panel discussions, Q&A sessions, immersive storytelling, workshops, and other activities that promote cultural exchange.
- Spaceship Earth. One of the latest additions to the Boom Festival, Spaceship Earth is an area dedicated to sustainable projects for eco enthusiasts.
- Young Dragons. Young Dragons is an area for children ages three to early teens with playgrounds, games, workshops, and other fun activities.
The program of the Boom Festival continuously evolves, offering festivalgoers something new with each edition.
Boom is an independent event, free from state funding and corporate sponsorship. It is not a for-profit business venture; rather, the organizers view it as a cultural offering to the community. The festival is managed by two organizations: Good Mood Lda produces the festival itself, and the nonprofit cultural association IdanhaCulta manages the land near Idanha-a-Nova, known as Boomland, where the festival takes place.
Photo: Boom Festival by Manuel Loureiro
