Isle of Wight Festival

1970 Isle of Wight Festival Isle of Wight Festival - The Isle of Wight Festival is a music festival which takes place annually on the Isle of Wight, England, UK. It was originally held from 1968 to 1970, the venues being Ford Farm (near Godshill), Wootton and Afton Down (near Freshwater) respectively.

The 1970 Isle of Wight Festival was by far the largest and most famous of these early festivals; indeed it was said at the time to be one of the largest human gatherings in the world, surpassing the attendance at Woodstock. Included in the line-up were Bob Dylan, The Who, Jimi Hendrix, Miles Davis, The Band, The Doors, Ten Years After, Joni Mitchell, Chicago, Richie Havens and Leonard Cohen.

The event was revived in 2002 at Seaclose Park, a recreation ground on the outskirts of Newport. The festival has been held annually since that year. Many notable artists have performed since its revival including Donovan, Ray Davies, Robert Plant, The Proclaimers, David Bowie, The Who, R.E.M., Coldplay and Bryan Adams.

It was sponsored by Nokia from 2004 to 2006. The promoters of the event now are Solo Music Agency and promotions. Apart from being held somewhere on the Isle of Wight, and featuring the now customary artwork of Dave Roe, there is no connection with the festivals of 1968–1970.

Blackgang Chine Tourist Attraction Last year in 2007 the Isle Of Wight Festival won the Best Major Festival award, at the UK Festival Awards, beating two times winner “T In The Park” off its perch. In 2007 the festival was headlined by the Muse and The Rolling Stones. This years festival takes place on 13th – 15th June at Seaclose Park, Newport, Isle of Wight.

The 2008 Isle of Wight Festival has a line up that boasts The Police’s only UK Festival date, iconic punk rockers Sex Pistols and Brit sensations the Kaiser Chiefs. Also appearing throughout festival weekend is Grammy Award nominee Lily Allen, Q Award ‘Best New Act’ winners The Enemy, Brit Award winner of Best British Female Solo KT Tunstall, legendary punk rockers Iggy and The Stooges, Manchester maverick Ian Brown plus The Kooks, N.E.R.D and James. A host of the hottest newcomers have also been confirmed, including Kate Nash, Hoosiers and Scouting for Girls.

However The Isle of Wight Festival 2008 has already officially sold out! The 50,000 tickets were snapped up within days of there released.