Autistic DJ befriended at festival given 'dream' set
BBCAn autistic man whose story about being befriended by strangers when he attended his first-ever festival alone went viral has been invited to play a DJ set next year.
Adam James, 23, from High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, "realised his dream" after he made friends with a group of festival-goers who invited him to camp with them at Boomtown Fair in Hampshire.
The lifelong music fan and aspiring drum and bass DJ has now been offered a set at the festival in 2027.
Adam's dad, Andy, whose social media post thanking the "lads from Bristol" who took Adam under their wing has been seen by millions, said he had seen his "son's dreams come true".
"It's made me really, really proud... Adam's over the moon," he added.
The festival's co-founder, Luke Mitchell, commented on a BBC video to say the story had "circled around the Boomtown office with absolute joy".
"Stories like this are why festivals are so incredibly important," he said, before asking Andy: "Can we fix up a DJ set for Adam next year?"
A spokesperson for Boomtown Fair confirmed that they had asked Adam to play a set, with the stage and timings to be announced once programming for next year's event has begun.
Adam, also known as Adzo to his friends, previously said he had been nervous for his first festival experience, but everything had changed after meeting the group when they asked him if he had a mallet to help build their tents.
"I wasn't very confident in myself, but as soon as I was with them, I was fine," he said. "They could have just ignored me, but the fact they saw I was on my own and took me in was just amazing."
Following the viral post, which has been shared and liked by thousands of people, Adam was reunited with the group at the Trident Pub in Bristol and was booked for several gigs.
Since his story has been shared online, Adam has been inundated with offers from DJs and clubs to come to their events and play at their venues, and has even been invited by the Pete Tong Academy to join a DJing course.
Andy told the BBC the reaction had been "absolutely amazing" to see, particularly after Adam had faced cruel comments online in the past.
"He's become very resilient, but he's such a lovely bloke," his dad said. "It means so much to me and his Mum too."
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