Skip to main content 
Rock Choir Makes History on the Boardmasters Main Stage
Rock Choir Boardmasters Festival history was made in Cornwall when 120 Rock Choir Members stepped onto the Main Stage for the very first time, marking an unforgettable milestone in our five-year journey with the festival.
Performing on the same stage that welcomed major artists including Lily Allen, Fatboy Slim and Kasabian, the Rockies opened Saturday’s Main Stage programme with a 45-minute set in front of festival-goers in Cornwall.
Five Years of Rock Choir at Boardmasters Festival
The Main Stage moment had been five years in the making. Rock Choir Cornwall first performed at Boardmasters in 2022, when 165 members sang in the Cornish Market. Since then, Rockies have become a regular part of the festival, building a following through bespoke set lists, sunset singalongs, audience interaction and some now-famous festival conga lines.
In 2023, hundreds of people joined Rock Choir for a packed golden-hour singalong at the iconic Boardmasters ‘B’, while 2024 brought more feel-good performances at the Bandstand. Ahead of Boardmasters 2025, 150 Rock Choir singers also worked directly with the festival on a special campaign featuring songs by artists appearing on that year’s line-up.
Across five consecutive festivals from 2022 to 2026, an estimated 1,000 Rock Choir Members have now had the opportunity to perform at Boardmasters Festival!
120 Rockies Take to the Main Stage
That journey reached a new level in 2026. After years of performing around the festival site, 120 Rockies finally walked onto the Boardmasters Main Stage!
Their set featured a huge mix of Rock Choir favourites including Sweet Child O’ Mine, Space Man, Roll With It, Shallow, Loco in Acapulco, Hold the Line and Don’t Stop Me Now.
Rock Choir Cornwall Leader Marcus Alleyne reflected on the moment:
“We have dreamed about the main stage for five years. What I loved most was watching people walk onto that stage and suddenly realise the scale of what they were about to do.
“These are ordinary people from communities across Cornwall being given an extraordinary experience.
“Five years ago, the main stage felt like a dream. This weekend, 120 of us stood on it together. I don’t think any of us will ever forget it.”
Performing Across Boardmasters Festival
The Main Stage was just one part of a packed five days for Rock Choir Cornwall. Members performed throughout the Boardmasters site, including appearances at Clifftop and Cribbar, as well as a late-night performance at the Keg & Pasty.
There were memorable moments away from the stages too. Backstage, Rockies found themselves meeting artists including Rudimental and Kasabian, who stopped to chat and take selfies with members.
Marcus said:
“One minute you are somebody who goes to choir once a week in Falmouth, Truro, Penzance, Helston, St Austell, Saltash or Wadebridge, and the next you are backstage at Boardmasters bumping into some of the biggest artists at the festival before heading out to perform yourself.
“You can’t manufacture that feeling.”
A Milestone at Home in Cornwall
For Marcus, the Main Stage performance carried particular significance. Having attended Boardmasters since 1995, first with his parents and later with friends, he has watched the festival become part of Cornwall’s musical identity before eventually bringing hundreds of Rock Choir Members there to perform.
“I have been incredibly fortunate during my career to conduct and perform on some extraordinary stages around the world, but standing on the Boardmasters main stage, here at home in Cornwall, looking out and seeing 120 members of our community sharing that moment with me was something completely different.
“It is without question the greatest experience of my career.”
From the first 165 singers in the Cornish Market to 120 Rockies standing together on the Main Stage, Rock Choir Cornwall’s five years at Boardmasters have created opportunities and memories for members from communities across the county.
