Drones at Boardmasters: Exclusive Footage Reveals How Police Monitored 60,000 Music Fans

Behind-the-scenes Insights into Festival Safety

New footage has revealed how cutting-edge drone technology was used to enhance safety at last summer’s Boardmasters Festival, which drew nearly 60,000 revellers to Newquay.

The five-day event, one of the UK’s most popular music festivals, was held in August 2024 and featured headline performances from Sam Fender and Stormzy. To help ensure the safety of attendees, Devon and Cornwall Police utilised drones to provide an aerial view of the massive crowds at Watergate Bay.

The footage, captured using a DJI M350 RTK aircraft equipped with a DJI Zenmuse H30T payload, was streamed live to organisers, giving them real-time situational awareness. This technology allowed for data-driven decision-making and effective coordination of resources.

A Strategic Edge for Crowd Management

Sam Watkins, Boardmasters Festival Producer, described the drones as a game-changer for event safety.

“Having the police support us with the drone was an invaluable tool,” Sam said. “Our crime safety managers, health and safety team, and control room commanders used the drone footage to help deploy resources, move around stewarding and security, and to see any problems evolve ahead of time.”

The drones assisted officers on the ground by providing comprehensive aerial views of crowds, traffic movements, and individual incidents. Their advanced features included night-vision, thermal imaging, and a laser rangefinder with a three-kilometre range.

Advanced Drone Technology in Action

Brandon Jones, a training instructor at drone supplier heliguy, highlighted the capabilities of the DJI Zenmuse H30T, which includes a 48MP wide-angle camera and a 400x digital zoom. These features enabled detailed, close-up observations while keeping the drone at a distance.

Devon and Cornwall Police’s drone unit utilised the H30T’s thermal and night-vision capabilities to monitor festival activities well into the evening. PC Chris Linzey from the drone unit explained the importance of this technology for large-scale events.

“The Boardmasters Festival is the single largest deployment for our team, and our primary role is to assist ground units with air support capability,” Chris said. “By using the drone, we can see a large area of the festival footprint from a single location and then use that imagery to direct units.”

Looking Ahead

Chris also expressed optimism about the future of drone technology in public safety, mentioning the potential of innovations like drone-in-a-box systems and drones as first responders.

These advancements, he said, “will be a fantastic tool to help keep our public safe.”

What’s Next for Boardmasters?

As anticipation builds for the 2025 event, big names like Raye, The Prodigy, and London Grammar have already been announced, ensuring another memorable festival season in Cornwall.