Today the sun shone on Boardmasters festival for the first day of live music at Watergate Bay. 50,000 festival goers basked in Boardies goodness for a day laden with live music, set against the backdrop of the stunning Cornish coast. And what’s more, the day rounded off with one of Cornwall’s breathtaking golden sunsets.
Lorde was tonight’s headliner, treating fans to a Solar Powered set and an ethereal performance packed with her biggest hits and a dose of pop mastery as she made her Boardmasters debut. Ahead of Lorde, special guest Ben Howard took to the stage for a packed out performance as the sun went down. At Land Of Saints, Cypress Hill headlined, dropping their most iconic tracks including the ultimate crowd pleaser ‘Insane In The Brain’. Throughout the day, other world class artists provided glorious entertainment including Gabrielle Aplin, The Vaccines, SG Lewis, Warmduscher, Bob Vylan, with Unleashed hosting Example, Ben Nicky, Belters Only and more.
The Point brought banging beats and the best in house, electro and more. Headlined tonight by Ben Hemsley, the line-up was fire, featuring I. Jordan, Salute and more, while The View played host to new music and breakthrough acts such as Isaac Gracie and Cornwall favourite, Nathan Ball. Fans gathered in droves to join the sixty-person Cornish Rock Choir at the famous Boardmasters ‘B’ for a sunset sing-along featuring bangers, karaoke classics… and even a conga for good measure. And BBC Radio 1 threw open the doors to their onsite studio and photo booth, broadcasting live from Boardmasters from 11am – 2pm with Katie Thistleton, Sam and Danni.
The Green Team were well away on their daily beach cleans, doing their bit alongside festival goers to make strong efforts towards its continued sustainability goals. Beach cleans took place at Porth Beach, Watergate Bay, Great Western and Fistral Beach.
The Boardmasters OPEN surf competition continued today with exhilarating battles taking place on the waves of Fistral Beach. The day started with the opening rounds of the Reef Longboard Pro and ran all the way through the Quarterfinals before moving into the Animal Pro QS competition once again. Four-time winner at Boardmasters, Alice Lemoigne (FRA) dominated the opening day of competition and proved she will once again be hard to beat in the Cornish waters, posting big numbers in her two heats. The biggest surprise came from Canary Island youngster Ginger Caimi (CNY) who, at only 11 years old, beat some of the event’s favourites to claim a spot into the Semifinals. Beth Leighfield (GBR), Izzy Henshall (GBR) and Emily Currie (GBR) will represent the host country 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
Image credits:
Darina Stoda / Boardmasters
Em Marcovecchio / Clunk Magazine
Danny North / Boardmasters
Will Bailey / Boardmasters
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