Isle of Wight Festival

infobox music festival
music_festival_name = Isle Of Wight Festival
location = England, Seaclose Park
years_active= 1968-1970 / 2002-Present
dates = At the beginning of June
genre = Rock, Alternative rock
website = [http://www.isleofwightfestival.com www.isleofwightfestival.com]


caption = The stage under construction for the 2007 festival

The Isle of Wight Festival is a music festival which takes place annually on the Isle of Wight, England. 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 (mostly non-tickets holders - tickets for the four days cost £3) 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 relased in 2005 entitled "A Message to Love: The Isle of wight Rock Festival 1970." [http://www.amazon.co.uk/Isle-Wight-Festival-1970-Message/dp/B00004D0DO accessed 2008-06-17] A number of the performances by individual bands have also been released.

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 1968–1970.

Original Festival details

1968 "Isle of Wight Festival"

Held 31 August 1968.
Attendance - 10,000 (approx)
Site - Ford farm, near Godshill.
Headline Acts - Jefferson Airplane
Other Acts - Arthur Brown, The Move, T. Rex, Plastic Penny and Pretty Things.

=1969 "Isle of Wight Festival"
=

Held 30 August - 31 August 1969
Attendance - 150,000 (approx)
Site - Wootton
Headline Acts - Bob Dylan, The Who
Other Acts - The Band, Joe Cocker, Free, Richie Havens, The Moody Blues, The Nice, Tom Paxton, Pentangle and Pretty Things.

=1970 "Isle of Wight Festival"
=

Held 26 August - 30 August 1970
Attendance - 600,000 (approx)
Site - Afton Down
Headline Acts (Wednesday) - Redbone
Other Acts (Wednesday) - Rosalie Sorrels, Kris Kristofferson, Mighty Baby, Judas Jump, Kathy Smith
Headline Acts (Thursday) - Tony Joe White
Other Acts (Thursday) - Supertramp, Black Widow, The Groundhogs.
Headline Acts (Friday) - Procol Harum
Other Acts (Friday) - Fairfield Parlour, Lighthouse, Melanie, Chicago, Taste, Family, Cactus.
Headline Acts (Saturday) - The Doors and The Who.
Other Acts (Saturday) - Sly & the Family Stone, Free, Joni Mitchell, Ten Years After, Emerson Lake And Palmer, Miles Davis, Mungo Jerry, John Sebastian, Cat Mother.
Headline Acts (Sunday) - Jimi Hendrix and Joan Baez.
Other Acts (Sunday) - Moody Blues, Jethro Tull, Leonard Cohen, Richie Havens, Everly Brothers, Pentangle, Donovan and Tiny Tim.

Revived Festival Details

2002 "Rock Island"

Held 1 June 2002
Attendance - 8,000 (approx)
Headline Acts (Saturday) - The Charlatans, Robert Plant

2003 "The Isle of Wight Festival"

Held 14 June - 15 June 2003
Attendance - 15,000 (approx)
Headline Acts (Saturday) - Paul Weller, Starsailor
Headline Acts (Sunday) - Bryan Adams, Counting Crows

=2004 "The Nokia Isle of Wight Festival"=

Held 11 June - 13 June 2004
Attendance - 35,000 (approx)
Headline Acts (Friday) - Stereophonics, Groove Armada
Headline Acts (Saturday) - The Who, Manic Street Preachers
Headline Acts (Sunday) - David Bowie, The Charlatans

=2005 "The Nokia Isle of Wight Festival"=

Held 10 June - 12 June 2005
Attendance - 50,000 (approx)
Headline Acts (Friday) - Faithless, Razorlight
Headline Acts (Saturday) - Travis, Roxy Music
Headline Acts (Sunday) - R.E.M., Snow Patrol

=2006 "The Nokia Isle of Wight Festival"=

Held 9 June - 11 June 2006
Attendance - 60,000 (approx)
Headline Acts (Friday) - The Prodigy, Placebo
Headline Acts (Saturday) - Foo Fighters, Primal Scream
Headline Acts (Sunday) - Coldplay, Richard Ashcroft

=2007 "The Isle of Wight Festival"=

Held 8 June - 10 June 2007
Attendance 65,000 (approx)
Headline Acts (Friday) - Snow Patrol, Groove Armada
Headline Acts (Saturday) - Muse, Kasabian
Headline Acts (Sunday) - The Rolling Stones, Keane

=2008 "The Isle of Wight Festival"=

Date 13 June - 15 June
Attendance 70,000 (approx)
Headline Acts (Friday) - Kaiser Chiefs, NERD
Headline Acts (Saturday) - The Sex Pistols, Capibara
Headline Acts (Sunday) - The Police, The Kooks

Awards

On the 6 November 2007, the Isle of Wight Festival won the award 'Best Major Festival' at the UK Festival Awards. The performances by Muse and The Rolling Stones at the last festival were a major influence. As well as this, the event's top man, John Giddings, won the award for 'Outstanding Contribution' to UK festivals. He was presented the award at the UK Festival Awards at London’s Koko Club in Camden, after Virtual Festivals, which curate the awards, selected him as the most deserving recipient. [ [http://www.iwcp.co.uk/News/TOP_AWARDS_FOR_ISLAND_FESTIVALS.aspx Top Awards for Island Festivals] ]

ee also

*List of music festivals in the United Kingdom

References

External links

* [http://www.isleofwightfestival.com/ Isle of Wight Festival]
* [http://www.iwcpgallery.co.uk Isle of Wight County Press gallery of Festival pictures]
* [http://www.myspace.com/isleofwightfestival Isle of Wight Festival 2007 Official MySpace]
* [http://www.ukrockfestivals.com/iow-menu.html Information on the Original IOW Festivals]