For its penultimate Chapter 8 district line-up announcement BoomTown steps into TrenchTown, one of the festival’s most popular districts and the city hub of all things reggae, dub, dancehall and jungle.

At its heart is the Lion’s Den, an ancient temple towering 40ft into the sky and the UK’s largest dedicated reggae stage.  

Elsewhere in the district, the Hidden Woods stage is all about the beach party vibrations and deep into the woodland Tangled Roots celebrates sound system culture to the fullest, while all new stage The Windmill is the place to go to soak up laid-back folk, reggae, soul and funk sounds.

Topping Chapter 8’s monumental line-up are two acts who represent so much of BoomTown’s heritage and finally make their debuts at the festival; the legend that is Damian ‘Jr Gong’ Marley and New Zealand dub dons Fat Freddy’s Drop.

Joining them is a collection of previously announced reggae and dub big hitters; Morgan Heritage, Inner Circle, Tarrus Riley, Junior Kelly, Channel One meets Mad Professor, Kabaka Pyramid & The Bebble Rockers, Little Roy and Mungo’s Hi Fi LIve, plus a fresh wave of additions that includes Pama International, Alaine and Dean Fraser with Blak Soil Band, Earl Gateshead, Kiko Bun, Hollie Cook and IQulah Rastafari.

Bashment fans will be getting their dutty whine on to dancehall queens Tanya Stephens and Soom T, The Heatwave alongside an explosive line-up of UK vocal talent including Big Narstie, Tippa Irie, General Levy, Flowdan, Rodney P, Demolition Man, Skibadee, Solo Banton, Serocee, Stush and Nadia Rose, plus Japanese soundsytem collective Part2Style and US producer 6Blocc.

Repping the ragga junglists and dubwise DnB heads are the likes of Congo Natty feat Congo Dubz, Tenor Fly & Iron Dread, Benny Page vs Ed Solo, Aries, Dreadsquad & Blackout JA plus Uncle Dugs dropping a ‘Jungle Renaissance Rinse FM set’.