The enigma that is Boom has led many people to speculate about the dynamics of the festival, the people behind it and its current and future plans.
Boom Festival is a totally independent event that is proudly free of corporate sponsorship, state-funding or political affiliations. And as knowledge is power, we would like to take this opportunity to unravel the mystery of Boom by providing a response to some of the rumours that have been circulating in recent times.
Portuguese organisation, Good Mood Productions has been at the helm of the Boom Festival since its inception. The organisation became the first to introduce the Portuguese populace to the sounds of Goa trance and psy trance in the early 1990s.
Around the mid 2000s it strived to engage with individuals and organisations with new approaches to living sustainably. From permaculture courses and curated art initiatives to developed environmental projects for festivals, municipalities, and nature parks - the organisation continues to discover and disseminate innovative solutions to sustainable living and artistic creation.
Boomers have been given indepth insights to the dynamics of the organisation, the festival and its history, thanks to the publication of two hard backs, several DVDs and CDs, also including the first ever psychedelic trance CD to feature Portuguese artists.
Good Mood was also responsible for staging several events, not just in Portugal, but also in Brazil, the UK, Israel and Goa.
The revolving doors of the group have seen many of its members come and go over the years, either because they have moved on to other projects, or because they have ascended to the next dimension.
Boom team members always opted for a low profile ethos focusing more on content and concepts rather than individuals. To be part of the Boom team is to be, first and foremost, a Boomer. It is the talent, vision, skillset and experience of countless people, artists, participants and volunteers that has allowed the festival to adapt to an ever-mutating world. Serving the Boomers is a passion.
Recently, a brand new non-profit organisation - IdanhaCulta - was born within the context of the Boom Festival production. It was set up by Good Mood as a separate entity to expand the boundaries of community-based projects.
IdanhaCulta not only manages Boomland, it also contributes to the manifestation of social change with local projects and holistic event, the Being Gathering, which is also hosted at Boomland.
We’ve launched the official Boom Festival 20 Years movie in 2017 to commemorate the 20th anniversary of our festival. The film takes you on a journey through time, chronicling the history of Boom Festival and all its related projects.
To mark Boom Festival’s 20th anniversary, we've also put together book which follows its journey from the years 1997 to 2017. Encapsulating the inside story across 356 pages, “Boom Festival 20 Years: A Visual and Oral History” features the testimonies of 134 people who have had an impact on the evolution of the festival, and whose lives Boom has touched.
That would be one amazing dream to manifest. And there is no doubt such a vision is an inspiring topic of conversation for the many people who would like to see Boom transform into a permanent event. However, this is not a reality.
Yes, this is a fact. Following several years of negotiations, savings and a loan, Boom became the owner of Herdade da Granja, Idanha-a-Nova, in September 2016. The vision behind the Boomland and the ongoing crowdfunding to pay part of the loan are detailed on the Made In Boomland website.
