Isle of Wight Festival, 9-12 June
It’s widely known that The Isle of Wight Festival is the first major festival in the UK summer calendar every year. But the Festival’s heritage reaches back over an extraordinary 45 years, is incredibly rich and varied and some facts are better known than others.
Some historical facts:
- The Isle of Wight Festival began with a series of Festivals between 1968 and 1970, widely acknowledged as Europe’s equivalent of Woodstock.
- In 1970, a line up over 5 days included (amongst others) Jimi Hendrix, The Who, The Doors, Joni Mitchell, Supertramp, Leonard Cohen, Joan Baez, Chicago, Procol Harum and played to over 600,000 people.
- Started again in 2002, The Isle of Wight Festival stages has since hosted The Rolling Stones, The Who, David Bowie, Muse, Foo Fighters, Bruce Springsteen, Paul McCartney, Pearl Jam, Kasabian, Amy Winehouse, Kings of Leon, Jay-Z, The Strokes, Coldplay, The Sex Pistols, The Police, Blondie, Fleetwood Mac and Biffy Clyro.
- The Isle of Wight itself enjoys a micro climate. The location, just 2 hours from London door to door, yet across the water, provides a feeling of escapism that others struggle to achieve.