ISLE OF WIGHT FESTIVAL

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:''For more information on the recent festival, see Isle of Wight Festival 2007.''
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. The most notable of over fifty performers were The Who, Jimi Hendrix, Miles Davis, The Doors, Ten Years After, Joni Mitchell, Melanie, Donovan, Free, Chicago, Richie Havens, John Sebastian, Leonard Cohen, Jethro Tull and Tiny Tim. The unexpectedly high attendance levels (mostly non-tickets holders) 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 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, 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.

Contents

Original Festival details

'1968' ''"Isle of Wight Festival"''

Revived Festival Details

'2002' ''"Rock Island"''

'2003' ''"The Isle of Wight Festival"''

See also

External Links

Original Festival details

'1968' ''"Isle of Wight Festival"''

Held August 31 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 August 30 - August 31 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 August 26 - August 30 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 June 3, 2002

Attendance - 8,000 (approx)

'Headline Acts' ('Saturday') - The Charlatans, Robert Plant

'2003' ''"The Isle of Wight Festival"''

Held June 14 - June 15, 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 June 11 - June 13, 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 June 10 - June 12, 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 June 9 - June 11, 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 June 08 - June 10, 2007

'Headline Acts' ('Friday') - Snow Patrol, Groove Armada,

'Headline Acts' ('Saturday') - Muse, Kasabian

'Headline Acts' ('Sunday') - The Rolling Stones, Keane, The Fratellis

See also

★ List of music festivals in the United Kingdom

External Links

★ Isle of Wight Festival

★ Isle of Wight County Press gallery of Festival pictures

★ Isle of Wight Festival 2007 Official MySpace

★ Information on the Original IOW Festivals