Isle of Wight Festival
The Isle of Wight Festival is a British music festival which takes place annually in Newport on the Isle of Wight, England.[1] It was originally a counterculture event held from 1968 to 1970.[2][3]
| Isle of Wight Festival | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Rock, pop |
| Dates | 15–18 June 2023 |
| Location(s) | Seaclose Park, Newport, Isle of Wight, England |
| Years active | 1968–1970 2002–2019 2021–present |
| Website | isleofwightfestival |
The 1970 event was by far the largest of these early festivals and the unexpectedly high attendance levels led, in 1971, to Parliament adding a section to the Isle of Wight County Council Act 1971 preventing overnight open-air gatherings of more than 5,000 people on the island without a special licence from the council. The event was revived in 2002.[4]
Original festival edit
The original events were promoted and organised by the Foulk brothers (Ron and Ray Foulk) under the banner of their company Fiery Creations Limited and their younger brother Bill Foulk. The venues were Ford Farm (near Godshill), Wootton and Afton Down (near Freshwater) respectively.[5] The 1969 event featured Bob Dylan and the Band. This was Dylan's first paid performance since his motor cycle accident some three years earlier, and was held at a time when many still wondered if he would ever perform again. Followers from across the world trekked to the Isle of Wight for the performance. Estimates of 150,000–250,000 attended. The 1969 festival opened on Friday 29 August—eleven days after the close of Woodstock. Dylan was living in Woodstock, New York, at the time and it was widely believed that he would perform there, after the event had been "put in his own backyard". As it happened, Dylan left for the Isle of Wight on 15 August—the day the Woodstock festival began.
The 1970 event was by far the largest of these early festivals; indeed it was said at the time to be one of the largest human gatherings in the world, with estimates of over 600,000, surpassing the attendance at Woodstock. Included in the line-up of over fifty performers were Jimi Hendrix, Miles Davis, The Doors, The Who, Lighthouse, Ten Years After, Terry Reid, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Joni Mitchell, The Moody Blues, Melanie, Donovan, Gilberto Gil, Free, Chicago, Richie Havens, John Sebastian, Leonard Cohen, Jethro Tull, Taste (Irish band) and Tiny Tim. The unexpectedly high attendance levels led, in 1971, to Parliament adding a section to the Isle of Wight County Council Act 1971 preventing overnight open-air gatherings of more than 5,000 people on the island without a special licence from the council.[6]
The 1970 festival was filmed by a film crew under director Murray Lerner, who at that point had just directed the Academy Award-nominated documentary Festival of the Newport Folk Festival. The footage passed to Lerner in settlement of legal fees after a dispute with the Foulk brothers in which each side claimed against the other for breach of contract. Lerner distilled material from the festival into the film Message to Love (released on video in the US as Message to Love: The Isle of Wight Festival: The Movie[7]) released theatrically in 1996 and subsequently on DVD. In addition to this film, Lerner has created full-length films focused on performances by individual artists at the 1970 festival. To date there have been individual films of Miles Davis, Jimi Hendrix, The Who, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, The Moody Blues, Free, Taste (Irish band), Leonard Cohen, Jethro Tull, The Doors and Joni Mitchell. Dave Roe (ex Liverpool Collegiate) produced all the psychedelic artwork for posters and advertising material.
1968 edit
The first festival was held at Hells Field, Ford farm, near Godshill, on 31 August and 1 September 1968, and was attended by about 10,000 people.[8] Jefferson Airplane headlined, with Arthur Brown, The Move, Smile, Tyrannosaurus Rex, Aynsley Dunbar Retaliation, Plastic Penny, Fairport Convention, and The Pretty Things also performing.[9]
1969 edit
This took place on 30 and 31 August 1969 at Wootton, with an estimated attendance of 150,000.[8] The line-up included Bob Dylan, The Band, The Nice, The Pretty Things, Marsha Hunt, The Who, Third Ear Band, Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, Fat Mattress, Joe Cocker. Many celebrities of the day also attended the Festival, including John Lennon and Yoko Ono, George Harrison with Pattie Boyd, Ringo Starr with Maureen Starkey, Keith Richards and Jane Fonda.[10]
1970 edit
This event was held between 26 and 30 August 1970 at Afton Down. Attendance has been estimated by the Guinness Book of Records to have been 600,000 or even 700,000.[11] However promoter Ray Foulk has said he believes it to have been half of that.[8] It was widely reported on, due to its line-up and extremely high attendance. Acts included Jimi Hendrix, Miles Davis, Jethro Tull, Ten Years After, Chicago, The Doors, Lighthouse, The Who (whose set produced a live album), Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Supertramp, The Moody Blues, Joan Baez, Free, Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen, Kris Kristofferson, Donovan, Ralph McTell, John Sebastian, Terry Reid, Taste (Irish band), Redbone and Shawn Phillips.
Revived festival details edit
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 artists have performed since its revival including The Rolling Stones, Blondie, Amy Winehouse, Robbie Williams, Paolo Nutini, The Crazy World of Arthur Brown, The Prodigy, Paul McCartney, Fleetwood Mac, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Muse, Boy George, Sex Pistols, Rod Stewart, Calvin Harris, Stereophonics, Yungblud, Pulp, Faithless, Donovan, Ray Davies, Robert Plant, Queen + Adam Lambert, David Bowie, Liam Gallagher, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, Manic Street Preachers, The Who, The High Kings, Placebo, R.E.M., Travis, Coldplay, The Zombies, Pearl Jam, The Proclaimers, Bon Jovi, Bryan Adams, The Police, Foo Fighters, The Killers, Nile Rodgers and Chic, The Stone Roses, Fleetwood Mac, Madness, Lewis Capaldi, Paloma Faith, Kings of Leon and Rick Astley. Bowie's 13 June 2004 concert would prove to be his last live performance in the UK following emergency angioplasty in Hamburg after a concert in Germany twelve days later which eventually saw him retire from touring.[12] It was sponsored by Nokia from 2004 to 2006. The promoters of the event now are Solo Promoters Ltd.
There was no festival in 2020.
2002 edit
Held 3 June 2002
- Attendance: 8,000 (approx.)
- Headline acts (Saturday): The Charlatans, Robert Plant
2003 edit
Held 14–15 June 2003
- Attendance: 15,000 (approx)
- Headline acts:
- Saturday: Paul Weller, Starsailor
- Sunday: Bryan Adams, Counting Crows
2004 edit
Held 11–13 June 2004
- Attendance: 35,000 (approx)
- Headline acts:
- Friday: Stereophonics, Groove Armada
- Saturday: The Who, Manic Street Preachers
- Sunday: David Bowie, The Charlatans
2005 edit
Held 10–12 June 2005
- Attendance: 50,000 (approx)
- Headline acts:
- Friday: Faithless, Razorlight
- Saturday: Travis, Roxy Music
- Sunday: R.E.M., Snow Patrol
2006 edit
Held 9–11 June 2006
- Attendance: 50,000 (approx)[13]
- Headline acts:
- Friday – The Prodigy, Placebo
- Saturday: Foo Fighters, Primal Scream
- Sunday: Coldplay, Richard Ashcroft
2007 edit
Held 8–10 June 2007
- Attendance: 60,000 (approx)[14]
- Headline acts:
- Friday: Snow Patrol, Groove Armada
- Saturday: Muse, Kasabian
- Sunday: The Rolling Stones, Keane
2008 edit
Held 13–15 June 2008
- Attendance: 55,000 (approx)[15]
- Headline acts:
- Thursday: (Big Top) Björn Again, Suspiciously Elvis
- Friday: Kaiser Chiefs, N.E.R.D
- Saturday: Sex Pistols, Ian Brown
- Sunday: The Police, The Kooks
2009 edit
Held 12–14 June 2009
- Attendance: 50,000 (approx)
- Headline acts:
- Thursday: (Big Top) The Human League, King Meets Queen
- Friday: The Prodigy, Basement Jaxx
- Saturday: Stereophonics, Razorlight
- Sunday: Neil Young, Pixies
2010 edit
Held 11–13 June 2010[16]
- Attendance: 60,000 (approx)
- Headline acts:
- Thursday: (Big Top) Squeeze, Are You Experienced
- Friday: Jay-Z, Florence and the Machine
- Saturday: The Strokes, Blondie
- Sunday: Paul McCartney, P!nk
2011 edit
Held 10–12 June 2011[16]
- Attendance: 65,000 (approx)
- Headline acts:
- Thursday: (Big Top) Boy George, ABC
- Friday: Kings of Leon, Kaiser Chiefs
- Saturday: Foo Fighters, Pulp
- Sunday: Kasabian, Beady Eye
2012 edit
Held 22–24 June 2012
- Attendance: 55,000 (approx)[17]
- Headline acts:
- Thursday: (Big Top) Primal Scream, The Stranglers
- Friday: Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Elbow
- Saturday: Pearl Jam, Biffy Clyro
- Sunday: Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band, Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds
2013 edit
Held 14–16 June 2013
- Attendance: 58,000 (approx)
- Headline acts:
- Thursday: (Big Top) Happy Mondays, The Farm
- Friday: The Stone Roses, Paul Weller
- Saturday: The Killers, Bloc Party
- Sunday: Bon Jovi, The Script
2014 edit
Held 12–15 June 2014
- Attendance: 58,000+ (approx)
- Headline acts:
- Thursday: (Big Top) Boy George, Inspiral Carpets
- Friday: Calvin Harris, Biffy Clyro
- Saturday: Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Specials
- Sunday: Kings of Leon, Suede
2015 edit
Held 11–14 June 2015
- Attendance: 58,000+ (approx)
- Headline acts:
- Thursday: (Big Top) Billy Idol, UB40
- Friday: The Prodigy, The Black Keys
- Saturday: Blur, Pharrell Williams
- Sunday: Fleetwood Mac, Paolo Nutini
2016 edit
Held 9–12 June 2016
- Attendance: 58,000+ (approx)
- Headline acts:
- Thursday: (Big Top) Status Quo, Cast
- Friday: Faithless, Stereophonics
- Saturday: The Who, Richard Ashcroft
- Sunday: Queen + Adam Lambert, Ocean Colour Scene
2017 edit
Held 8–11 June 2017
- Attendance: 45,000+
- Headline acts:
- Thursday: (Big Top) Razorlight, Starsailor
- Friday: David Guetta, Run-D.M.C.
- Saturday: Arcade Fire, Catfish and the Bottlemen
- Sunday: Rod Stewart, Bastille
2018 edit
Held 21–24 June 2018
- Attendance: 72,000
- Headline acts:
- Thursday: (Big Top) The Wombats, Hot Dub Time Machine
- Friday: Kasabian, The Script
- Saturday: Depeche Mode, Liam Gallagher
- Sunday: The Killers, Manic Street Preachers
2019 edit
Held 13–16 June 2019
- Attendance: 59,000
- Headline Acts:
- Thursday: (Big Top) Wet Wet Wet, Heather Small
- Friday: Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds, Courteeners
- Saturday: Fatboy Slim, George Ezra
- Sunday: Biffy Clyro, Richard Ashcroft
2020 edit
The 2020 event, which had been scheduled for 11–15 June, was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[18]
- Originally scheduled headline acts:
- Thursday: (Big Top) Happy Mondays
- Friday: Lionel Richie, Lewis Capaldi
- Saturday: Snow Patrol, The Chemical Brothers
- Sunday: Duran Duran, Black Eyed Peas
On 12–14 June 2020, Absolute Radio and Sky Arts both held virtual festivals, broadcasting selected acts from the festival's archives, including exclusive footage from the 1970 edition.[19][20]
2021 edit
The 2021 event was originally scheduled to take place on 17–20 June,[21] it was postponed to 16–19 September, the first time that it took place in the autumn.[22]
- Headline acts:[23]
- Thursday: (Big Top) Scouting for Girls, Sophie Ellis Bextor
- Friday: Liam Gallagher, Tom Jones
- Saturday: David Guetta, Snow Patrol
- Sunday: Duran Duran, The Script,
Sky Arts broadcast sets from the show each night of the festival from 7pm with Becky Hill, Kaiser Chiefs and Razorlight's sets shown alongside the headliners.[24][25][26]
2022 edit
The 2022 event took place on 16–19 June.
- Headline acts:[23]
- Thursday: (Big Top) Happy Mondays, Heather Small
- Friday: Lewis Capaldi, Madness,
- Saturday: Pete Tong, Kasabian,
- Sunday: Muse, Rudimental
2023 edit
The 2023 event took place on 15–18 June.
- Headline Acts:[23]
- Thursday: (Big Top) Groove Armada (DJ set), LF System
- Friday: Pulp, Courteeners
- Saturday: The Chemical Brothers, George Ezra
- Sunday: Robbie Williams, Blondie
2024 edit
The 2024 event is set to take place between 20-23 June
- Headline Acts:
- Thursday: (Big Top) Scouting For Girls
- Friday: The Prodigy, The Streets
- Saturday: Pet Shop Boys, keane
- Sunday: Green Day, Simple Minds
Awards edit
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | UK Festival Awards | Best Major Festival | — | Won | [27] |
| Outstanding Contribution to UK Festivals | John Giddings | Won | |||
| 2009 | ILMC 21 Arthur Awards | Liggers' Favourite Festival | — | Won | [28] |
| 2015 | UK Festival Awards | Best Family Festival | — | Won | [29] |
| Headline Performance of the Year | Fleetwood Mac | Won | |||
| Isle of Wight Visitor Attraction Association Awards | Best Activity/Event | — | Won | [30] | |
| Festival Baby Awards | Best Festival | — | Won | [citation needed] | |
| 2016 | Family Traveller Awards | Best Family Festival | — | Won | [31] |
| ILMC 28 Arthur Awards | Liggers' Favourite Festival | — | Nominated | [citation needed] | |
| Live Music Business Awards | Best Festival | — | Won | [32] | |
| Red Funnel Isle of Wight Awards | Best Event to Lie Back & Soak Up the Sounds | — | Won | [33] | |
| 2017 | ILMC 29 Arthur Awards | Liggers' Favourite Festival | — | Nominated | [citation needed] |
| Red Funnel Isle of Wight Awards | Best Event to Lie Back & Soak Up the Sounds | — | Won | [34] | |
| 2018 | Red Funnel Isle of Wight Awards | Best Event to Lie Back & Soak Up the Sounds | — | Won | [35] |
| Audio Production Awards | Best New Producer | Nick Harris | Won | [36] | |
| Event Production Awards | Music Event of the Year | — | Won | [37] | |
| ILMC 30 Arthur Awards | Liggers' Favourite Festival | — | Nominated | [citation needed] | |
| Music Week Awards | Festival of the Year | — | Nominated | [38] | |
| Radio Academy Awards | Best Coverage of an Event | Absolute Radio | Nominated | [39] | |
| Best New Presenter | James Bay | Nominated | |||
| Best Factual Storytelling | — | Nominated | |||
| Q Awards | Best Festival/Event | — | Nominated | [40] | |
| UK Festival Awards | Best Festival Production | — | Nominated | [41] | |
| Best Major Festival | — | Nominated | |||
| Line-Up of the Year | — | Nominated | |||
| 2019 | Broadcast Awards | Best Music Programme | — | Nominated | [42] |
| Event Production Awards | Music Event of the Year | — | Nominated | [43] | |
| Live Music Business Awards | Best Festival Performance | Biffy Clyro | Nominated | [44] | |
| Music Week Awards | Festival of the Year | — | Nominated | [45] | |
| Q Awards | Q Best Festival/Event | — | Nominated | [46] | |
| 2020 | Pollstar Awards | International Music Festival of the Year | — | Nominated | [47] |
See also edit
References edit
- ^ . festivalessentials.net. Archived from the original on 15 July 2014. Retrieved 10 July 2014.
- ^ . Redfunnel.co.uk. 1 September 1970. Archived from the original on 28 November 2009. Retrieved 28 June 2014.
- ^ Perrone, Pierre (24 April 2013). "Richie Havens: Folk singer and songwriter who became a hero of the counter-culture". The Independent. London.
- ^ . Isleofwightfestival.com. Archived from the original on 1 July 2014. Retrieved 28 June 2014.
- ^ "BBC Hampshire History – Isle of Wight Festival history". BBC. Retrieved 12 June 2009.
- ^ Isle of Wight County Council Act 1971, c.lxxi, ss.5–6
- ^ "Message to Love: The Isle of Wight Festival". 21 February 1997 – via IMDb.
- ^ a b c "2010 audio interview with Ray Foulk". Onthewight.com. 2 September 2010. Retrieved 28 June 2014.
- ^ Hinton, Brian (1995). Message to Love: The Isle of Wight Festivals, 1968–70. Castle Communications. p. 21. ISBN 1-86074-147-9.
- ^ "Isle of Wight Festival History – 1968 to today". Isle of Wight Guru. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
- ^ "The original Isle of Wight festivals – in pictures". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
- ^ "David Bowie's agent says the musician has 'performed his last live show'". The Telegraph. Retrieved 27 June 2020.
- ^ . Isle of Wight Council. Archived from the original on 5 August 2009. Retrieved 12 June 2009.
- ^ . Isle of Wight Council. Archived from the original on 31 August 2009. Retrieved 12 June 2009.
- ^ . Isle of Wight Council. Archived from the original on 22 January 2009. Retrieved 12 June 2009.
- ^ a b [1] January 4, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers to headline UK festival". BBC News. 6 December 2011. Retrieved 6 December 2011.
- ^ Brandle, Lars (27 March 2020). "Isle of Wight Festival 2020 Is Canceled Due to Coronavirus". Billboard. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
- ^ "Absolute Radio to host virtual Isle of Wight Festival featuring classic performances". Absolute Radio. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
- ^ Peacock, Tim (11 June 2020). "Virtual Isle Of Wight Festival To Be Televised This Coming Weekend". uDiscover Music. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
- ^ Jones, Damian (30 March 2020). "Isle Of Wight Festival announces new dates and ticket details for 2021". NME Music News, Reviews, Videos, Galleries, Tickets and Blogs | NME.COM. from the original on 11 June 2020. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
- ^ "Covid: Isle of Wight Festival pushed back another three months". BBC News. 2 March 2021. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
- ^ a b c "Huge 2021 Line Up Announced". isleofwightfestival.com. Retrieved 12 June 2020.
- ^ Radio Times 11–17 September 2021 page 111
- ^ Radio Times 18–24 September 2021 pages 57 and 67
- ^ "TV Guide". Sky.com.
- ^ "And the Winners Were…". European Festival Awards. 16 January 2014. from the original on 16 January 2014.
- ^ "Arthurs Hall of Fame – ILMC". Ilmc.com. Retrieved 12 June 2020.
- ^ . Festivalawards.com. Archived from the original on 18 April 2016. Retrieved 11 April 2016.
- ^ Island Echo (23 March 2016). "ISLE OF WIGHT FESTIVAL WINS BEST EVENT IN VISITOR ATTRACTION AWARDS". Retrieved 12 June 2020.
- ^ "2016 Winners – Family Traveller". familytraveller.com. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
- ^ "All the winners from the Live Music Business Awards". Musicweek.com. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
- ^ "My Isle of Wight 2016 Award Winners". Redfunnel.co.uk. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
- ^ "Winners of 2017 My Isle of Wight Awards revealed | Media & PRl". Redfunnel.co.uk. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
- ^ "MyIsleofWight 2018 Award Winners". Redfunnel.co.uk. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
- ^ "2018 Audio Production Awards – shortlist". RadioToday. 23 October 2018. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
- ^ Media, Mash. "Event Production Awards 2020 – Winners 2018". eventproductionawards.com. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
- ^ "2018 Music Week Awards: And the nominees are..." Musicweek.com. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
- ^ "2018 ARIAS Nominees". Radio Academy. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
- ^ "Q Awards 2018 Shortlist Nominations Announced!". Q Magazine. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
- ^ . Archived from the original on 21 June 2019.
- ^ "Broadcast Awards shortlist 2019 revealed". Broadcast. 21 November 2018. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
- ^ Wood, Stuart (15 March 2019). "Winners announced for the 2019 Event Production Awards!". Access All Areas. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
- ^ "Make Your Vote Count". awards.livemusicawards.co.uk. from the original on 26 September 2019. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
- ^ "2019 Music Week Awards finalists revealed..." Musicweek.com. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
- ^ "Q Awards 2019 shortlist nominations announced". Recordoftheday.com. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
- ^ "31st Annual Pollstar Awards To Honor The Year's Best". Pollstar.com. 24 November 2019. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
External links edit
- Official website
- Ray Foulk on The History of the Isle of Wight Festival
- Information on the Original IOW Festivals
- 1970 Isle of Wight Festival Veterans
- Memorabilia from the Original Isle of Wight Festivals 1968-69-70