About Isle of Wight Festival 2024

Beginning life way back in 1968, the Isle of Wight festival gained significant notoriety as in 1970, after record breaking attendance, Parliament passed a law entitled the Isle of Wight Act, which banned events of over 5000 in attendance to be held on the Island. Thankfully, in 2002, the festival was revived, and has continued to expand with each passing year, and gain more fans as it goes.

The Isle of Wight festival has attracted such world beating acts as Jimi Hendrix, The Rolling Stones, Muse, Robert Plant, David Bowie, The Who, R.E.M, Bruce Springsteen, Pearl Jam, and Coldplay to name just a few. In fact, Isle of Wight has gained a reputation for the stellar lineup it constantly attracts, and the electric atmosphere it breeds.

With its headliners proving to be more diverse with each year, with previous including the likes of Labrinth, Lewis Capaldi, and Katy B, the festival has been drawing in an ever growing demographic of fans, all maintaining the welcoming attitude that permeates the Newport venue. Isle of Wight is now well and truly established as one of the big festivals of the year.

Music genres: Alternative, Indie, Pop Rock, Rock

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The history of Isle of Wight Festival

It was originally held from 1968 to 1970, the venues being Ford Farm (near Godshill), Wootton and Afton Down (near Freshwater) respectively. The 1970 event 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 of over fifty performers were The Who, Jimi Hendrix, Miles Davis, The Doors, Ten Years After, Emerson Lake and Palmer, Joni Mitchell, The Moody Blues, Melanie, Donovan, Free, Chicago, Richie Havens, John Sebastian, Leonard Cohen, Jethro Tull, Taste and Tiny Tim. The unexpectedly high attendance levels meant that local authorities and the festival organizers could not supply adequate amenities and guarantee public safety for all in attendance. Such concerns led, in 1971, to Parliament passing the "Isle of Wight Act" preventing gatherings of more than 5,000 people on the island without a special licence.

The 1970 festival was filmed by a professional film crew directed by Murray Lerner, but the footage wasn't released until 2003 when a television documentary was made. A DVD was released in 2005 entitled "A Message to Love: The Isle of wight Rock Festival 1970." The event was revived in 2002 at Seaclose Park, a recreation ground on the outskirts of Newport. It has been held annually since that year, progressively extending itself northwards beyond Seaclose Park along the fields of the eastern Medina valley. Many notable artists have performed since its revival including The Rolling Stones, Muse, Donovan, Ray Davies, Robert Plant, David Bowie, Manic Street Preachers, The Who, R.E.M., Coldplay, The Proclaimers, Bryan Adams and The Police. 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 and 1970.