Amidst a sea of samey music festivals, the UK’s Boomtown Festival shines brightly as one of the most imaginative festivals and music gatherings on the calendar. Like spending a long weekend in a specially-assembled town which is both utopian and dystopian, it’s an absolute feast of imagination for fans of electronic music and immersive theatre. The Winchester event, which features eight distinct ‘districts’ and over 50 hidden venues, is known for its incredible visual displays and lighting. Headliner finds out how Cameo Lighting stepped up to the task for the 2025 edition.
British event technology service provider GLS Lighting was once again responsible for the realization of several main stages this year, with a clear focus on fixtures from Cameo. For the high-profile Grand Central Stage, account and project manager Wil Gregory created a setup designed to integrate harmoniously with the spectacular stage architecture and handmade backdrops by the London design studio Brutal.
“We wanted to optimise the iconic set design of Brutal – not compete with it,” Gregory explains.
The design utilized Cameo ORON H2 IP65 hybrid phosphor laser moving heads and OTOS W6 IP65 wash moving heads. Gregory distributed these across the centre stage and above the LED screens.
“The ORON H2s produce incredibly focused beams and cut through the night sky like a laser,” he explains. “In addition, the OTOS W6 not only delivers rich colours and powerful washes, but also brings additional movement and depth to the overall design with its eye-candy effects.”
The Engine House Stage featured a denser, club-like design. Here, Gregory focused on a combination of versatility and performance using the Cameo OTOS H5 IP65 beam-spot-wash hybrid moving heads, ZENIT W600 SMD Outdoor SMD-LED wash lights, and OTOS W3 IP65 wash moving heads, which served as backlights, frontlights, and effect lights.
Gregory confirms the versatility of the fixture: “For me, the OTOS H5 is like a Swiss army knife: beam, spot, and wash in one, fast, precise, and reliable.” He adds, “With the OTOS W3, we were able to realise very compact yet powerful wash effects – ideal for the club atmosphere of the Engine House Stage.” Crew Chief Josh Utteridge from GLS Lighting also comments on the reliability of the ZENIT fixtures: “The ZENIT W600s are extremely robust, bright, and versatile – simply great. They can be positioned perfectly and work exactly as we need them to.”
A further highlight for the team was the logistical efficiency of the Cameo lights. Their compact and well-thought-out construction allowed the devices to be easily mounted on truss elements, even at challenging angles. “We had to get creative with many positions – and that’s where Cameo gave us the flexibility we needed,” Gregory concludes.
This efficiency was evident on the PA towers. By using the high-output Cameo FLAT PRO 7 G2 and FLAT PRO 12 G2 LED PARs, the team was able to reduce the total number of lights required while maintaining the desired visual impact.