A teenage festivalgoer thought he 'was going to die' after an alleged spiking at Boardmasters festival, his father has revealed.

Brothers Cooper, 17, and Charlie May, 19, attended the five-day event in Newquay, Cornwall, which took place from August 8-10. 

But while enjoying watching headline act RAYE in the midst of a bustling crowd, what was supposed to be a fun a weekend away took a dark turn for the youngest sibling. 

His father Roly May, better known as Daddy May on social media, said while in the crowd Cooper suddenly began to 'freak out', feeling 'really hot' and 'weird'. 

Roly told The Daily Mail: 'His mates were kind of conscious that potentially he might have been spiked because there's a lot of chat going around about it.'

The May family have well over two million social media followers across their social media channels, with droves of fans flocking to take snaps with Cooper at the event.

And as such, when the youngster decided to head back to his tent after the suspected spiking, he opted to not attend a medical tent to avoid being spotted by fans. 

'He'd already been getting a bit of quite a bit of attention and he just didn't want to put himself in with everyone else when he was feeling that way,' his father added. 

But, shortly after arriving back to his tent the 17-year-old feared falling asleep. 

'He didn't want to go to sleep because I think he thought he was gonna die basically,' Roly added. 'So he was really conscious about going to bed.

'He said he finally got to sleep around four in the morning and then they found the spike mark on his arm.

'That's when they assumed it, [a spiking] had happened,' the father added. 'He can't explain it any other way.'

It comes as claims surfaced online that Boardmasters concertgoers were being spiked with needles in the crowd. 

However, organisers have said anti-social behaviour was 'significantly' down this year.

There were 14 suspected spiking incidents this year, down from 55 in 2024, according to a spokesperson, with none testing positive for drugs in their system.

In a statement they said online claims were 'misinformation' and spiking had not been a 'prevalent issue' at the event over the last two years. 

Boardmasters also said drug-related incidents had fallen from 2.65 to 1.79 percent in 2025, with zero hospitalisations over the weekend. 

They described the 'clear reduction in anti-social behaviour, including sexual assault,' this year as 'encouraging', before adding that 'even one incident is too many.'

In 2024, research conducted by Drinkaware and Anglia Ruskin University suggested 90 percent of spiking incidents went unreported to police. 

Despite the event's denial of any spikings, parents Roly and Katy have called on the festival to take actions instead of 'burying their heads in the sand.' 

They raised concerns over security, alleging there were a lack of patrols on campsite, and threats had been made to set Cooper's tent on fire.

'They've got to do something. Year on year it's becoming worse and worse because everyone's kind of getting smarter about bringing things in,' Roly said.

'I think they're setting themselves up for a massive problem,' he added. 'I don't want Boardmasters to be stopped, I just want it to be safe.

'I feel like its an inevitable problem they they're going to give themselves because they're not listening and they're just kind of burying their head in the sand. 

Regarding the effects of the alleged spiking on Cooper, his mother Katy said: 'I don't know what he'll feel like if he did get into another crowd. 

'I'm not so sure he'll feel that comfortable. 

'It's really difficult because obviously, he is also a teenager, so when we ask the question, he doesn't necessarily want to talk to us.

'It definitely has affected him, but as you know, we don't know really the extent of the effect on him yet because it's only just happened.'

Boardmasters have said they are unable to comment on Cooper's experience as there is no record of him using medical or welfare facilities at the festival. 

The festival said 'spiking of any kind is not acceptable or tolerated', and anyone found doing so at the event would be reported to police and evicted from the festival immediately.

It also echoed a similar message for anti-social behaviour, including tent burning, citing their swift action to shut down planned anti-social behaviour on the last night of the festival.  

Boardmasters also stated they could 'categorically confirm that staff patrol the campsites 24 hours a day throughout the duration of the festival', including security staff as well as campsite managers. 

It also added CCTV is in place across 'key areas' of the event,  and that 'all welfare, security, and support services are directly linked [to their] central Event Control Room to ensure a continuous presence, rapid response and the highest level of safety for the audience.'

The festival encouraged festivalgoers to visit medical and welfare facilities or ask a steward or member of staff for help if they have issues 'no matter how big or small'.

'Boardmasters cannot control the behaviour of others but take every step possible to educate everyone on respect and creating a safe and inclusive environment for all.

They added: 'If the festival is notified of any on site issues, the team will make efforts to swiftly deal with them.'

They also stated that 'unfortunately' spiking and antisocial behaviour were societal issues which can occur in everyday life. 

Last week, Boardmasters CEO Andrew Topham said the event was committed to improving safety at their festival after the event announced there were zero spiking reports at the event.   

'While one incident is always one too many, this reduction shows that the work we do, alongside our partners, is making a real difference. 

'We remain committed to creating a space where everyone, of all ages, can enjoy the festival safely and respectfully, and doing everything we can to prevent harm whilst supporting those affected. 

He added: 'We will continue to invest in on-site support services, ensuring every attendee has access to the care, guidance, and protection they need while at the festival.'

Devon & Cornwall Police Inspector for Newquay, Steve Johnson, said: 'This year we saw a reduction in the number of incidents reported to police in relation to Boardmasters, with a total of six arrests made. 

'In both the planning phase and during the festival we worked closely with partner agencies to create and implement robust plans which promoted a safe and smooth-running event for those attending and for the local community. 

'I'd like to thank the officers, festival staff and all the partners who played a part in bringing those plans together and delivering a safe event.'

Devon and Cornwall Police received a report of a needle spiking, however this is understood to have been unconfirmed.  

The Daily Mail have approached Boardmasters and Devon and Cornwall Police for comment.