Whatever Allington, England, expected this weekend, it probably wasn’t butt-plug bingo and screaming orgasms.
The annual adult festival known as Swingathon took over this sleepy Lincolnshire town once again, drawing more attendees than the actual population. The three-day event promises pole dancing, foam parties, hot tubs, mobile dungeons, and yep, a game called butt-plug bingo. Tickets start around $250, but the experience comes with a cost that only nearby residents seem to be paying: hours of loud, echoing sex sounds.
“It’s usually the talk of the village,” one unnamed local told a local news outlet. “Some say let consenting adults do what they want, but many are not pleased. It’s just a bit seedy and sleazy, isn’t it?”
Sex Festival Sparks Noise Complaints as 1,000 Swingers Take Over Sleepy English Village
Others were more blunt, saying they were “outraged” by the “ear-splitting orgasms” coming from the campsite. One resident added, “We’re becoming known as the swingers capital of England…and that’s not a title we want.”
Organizer Matthew Cole says the event has been misunderstood. “Contrary to some beliefs, there are no keys in bowls, seedy music, or lecherous individuals,” he told the press. He emphasized that attendees are “respectful, conscientious,” and more likely to practice safe sex than the average person at a nightclub. Swingathon, he added, is about freedom, not shock value.
Still, for a town mostly made up of older adults and families, the festival’s soundtrack of moans and slaps isn’t exactly blending in. The event first launched in 2020 and has grown steadily since, with organizers leaning into alternative lifestyles, including kink, non-monogamy, and LGBTQ+ inclusion. They advertise a safe, welcoming space for sexual exploration—complete with vendors selling toys, paddles, whips, and lingerie between DJ sets.
But locals say the timing and location are the real problem. “It’s not that people hate sex,” one resident said. “They just don’t want to hear it through their windows while trying to eat dinner.”
Cole says the criticism won’t stop the event, and he doesn’t plan to move it. “We’re passionate about normalizing the sexual freedom these lifestyles offer,” he said.
Consider this fair warning: the festival, and everything that comes with it, is already eyeing next summer.
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