Today marked the start of live music at Watergate Bay for Boardmasters festival, accompanied by sunshine. Around 50,000 festival attendees enjoyed a day of incredible music against the backdrop of Cornwall’s beautiful coast. To top it off, the day concluded with a mesmerizing golden sunset, characteristic of this stunning region.
Lorde headlined tonight, delighting fans with a Solar Powered set and captivating performance of her biggest hits during her debut at Boardmasters. Prior to Lorde, special guest Ben Howard delivered a packed performance as the sun set. Cypress Hill headlined at Land Of Saints, thrilling the crowd with their iconic tracks like ‘Insane In The Brain’. Alongside these headliners, a lineup of world-class artists including Gabrielle Aplin, The Vaccines, SG Lewis, Warmduscher, Bob Vylan, and more provided exceptional entertainment throughout the day. Unleashed hosted Example, Ben Nicky, Belters Only, and others.
The Point delivered energetic beats and top-notch music in genres like house, electro, and more. Tonight’s headliner was Ben Hemsley, supported by an impressive lineup including I. Jordan, Salute, and others. Meanwhile, The View showcased promising talents like Isaac Gracie and local favorite Nathan Ball. A large crowd gathered at the renowned Boardmasters ‘B’ stage, joining the sixty-person Cornish Rock Choir for a sunset sing-along filled with popular hits and even a conga line. BBC Radio 1 set up their studio and photo booth on-site, broadcasting live from Boardmasters with Katie Thistleton, Sam, and Danni from 11 am to 2 pm.
The Green Team actively participated in their daily beach cleans, joining festival goers to contribute towards achieving sustainability goals. Cleanups were conducted at Porth Beach, Watergate Bay, Great Western, and Fistral Beach.
Today, the Boardmasters OPEN surf competition showcased thrilling battles at Fistral Beach. It commenced with the Reef Longboard Pro’s opening rounds and progressed to the Animal Pro QS competition after the Quarterfinals. Alice Lemoigne, a four-time winner at Boardmasters, dominated the first day by delivering impressive performances in her heats, solidifying her position as a formidable contender in the Cornish waters. The standout surprise was 11-year-old Ginger Caimi from the Canary Islands, who triumphed over event favorites and earned a spot in the Semifinals. Beth Leighfield, Izzy Henshall, and Emily Currie, representing the host country, will join them in the Semis.
In the Men’s Reef Longboard Pro, local hero Ben Skinner, Adam Griffiths and Arthur Randell (all GBR) all posted convincing performances in the Quarters and will be crowd favourites when the event resumes for the finals over the weekend. The reigning European Title winner Nicolas Andrade (ESP) and previous 4-time event victor Edouard Delpero (FRA) will be fighting to get back on top of the podium as well. The QS1,000 Animal Pro also continued with the men’s Round of 32 and the women’s Round of 16 as the swell continued to build throughout the afternoon on a sunny Friday in Newquay. The action returns to the UK’s surf mecca of Fistral Beach tomorrow. Boardmasters returns tomorrow for another day packed with world-class live music, unbeatable surf action and much more. Boardmasters takes place from 9 – 13 August 2022 in Newquay, Cornwall. For more information, visit www.boardmasters.com
