Why Boardmasters is putting Cornwall before its 2027 lineup

Every festival has a lineup. Boardmasters reckons it has something most of them could never book.

Boardmasters has launched a new brand campaign, ‘Good Things Come In Waves’, ahead of its 2027 lineup announcement. Created with creative studio and production house TCO London, it builds on the festival’s recent visual rebrand and the success of its 2026 edition, and it moves the spotlight away from who is playing and towards where it all happens.

The festival returns to Watergate Bay and Fistral Beach in Newquay from Wednesday 4 to Sunday 8 August 2027.

📷Credit: Ella Pavlides and Dom Lake

Cornwall as the main draw

Music stays central to the festival. But the new direction puts its relationship with Cornwall at the heart of things: the unique coastline, the surrounding landscape and the people who come together there.

The campaign sets out to show what makes Boardmasters distinct as a destination festival. The sea, the atmosphere, the people and the moments that make it memorable all shape the experience, and the festival says it wants to connect with a broad audience looking for a deeper connection with culture, community and the outdoors.

“We wanted to remind people what makes Boardmasters different. Cornwall is our biggest asset, and very few festivals can offer what it does. This campaign is about celebrating that. TCO has helped us capture it with real depth and care, putting that sense of escape at the heart of the brand. ‘Good Things Come In Waves’ marks the start of a new chapter for the festival and the community around it,” said Kizzy Liddington, Head of Marketing at Boardmasters.

📷Credit: Ella Pavlides and Dom Lake

Why a wave?

The wave is the campaign’s central motif, linking the natural environment with the energy and emotion of the festival itself. Its creative direction draws on Cornish references including the Tide Times book and the Newlyn Tidal Observatory, bringing local details and scientific textures into the visual identity.

The idea stretches past the sea. “Waves” also describes how the festival feels: the collective energy of a crowd, the impact of a piece of music, and the emotions and memories that stay with people long after the event. Tactile imagery, candid crowd photography and a focus on physical textures are used to capture those different forms of connection.

📷Credit: Ella Pavlides and Dom Lake

Small moments, shot in Cornwall

“Boardmasters is one of the biggest festivals in the country. But when we started to think about what makes it special (the location, the people, the experience) it felt right to focus on the small things. Little moments and waves of feeling that shape your memory of a place. Lovingly shot by Ella Pavlides and Dom Lake with a uniquely Cornish design language steered by our Design Director, Tertia Nash. This was very fun to make, it’s wonderful seeing it come to life,” said Duncan Harrison, Executive Creative Director at TCO London.

The campaign brings together two sides of the Boardmasters experience, the energy of live music and the restorative qualities of the natural surroundings, with Cornwall as both the setting and the inspiration for the festival’s next chapter.

📷Credit: Ella Pavlides and Dom Lake

What happens next

The brand campaign launches this week and will unfold over the coming weeks, leading up to the 2027 lineup announcement.

Boardmasters was born from a surf competition in 1981. It has since grown into a music and lifestyle festival on the clifftops above Watergate Bay, with a diverse music programme alongside surfing, skateboarding, wellness, and food and drink. A takeover of Fistral Beach, home to the Boardmasters OPEN, runs alongside it.

Who will top that 2027 bill is still under wraps.

📷Credit: Ella Pavlides and Dom Lake

📷Credit: Ella Pavlides and Dom Lake

📷Credit: Ella Pavlides and Dom Lake

📷Credit: Ella Pavlides and Dom Lake

📷Credit: Ella Pavlides and Dom Lake

📷Credit: Ella Pavlides and Dom Lake

📷Credit: Ella Pavlides and Dom Lake

📷Credit: Ella Pavlides and Dom Lake

📷Credit: Ella Pavlides and Dom Lake

📷Credit: Ella Pavlides and Dom Lake

📷Credit: Ella Pavlides and Dom Lake