Book your Tickets to the Isle of Wight Festival

Music lovers from across the globe will remember the Woodstock event of the 1960s with some fondness. While Woodstock was famous for its size and legendary music, few people are aware that there was another festival held around the same time which ultimately became the largest music festival in the world. The Isle of Wight Festival was, and still is, one of the world’s greatest music extravaganzas.

The very first Isle of Wight Festival took place in 1968 – just one year before the famous Woodstock Festival. It was held at Ford Farm near Godshill on the Isle of Wight in England and it was a massive success. The following year it was held again at Wootton and then in 1970 it took place at Afton Down near Freshwater. The 1970 event was unexpectedly large with attendance figures topping those at Woodstock the previous year. Local authorities were not prepared to handle the event and so were unable to supply the needed amenities or to guarantee public safety for those in attendance. This lead to Parliament passing the ‘Isle of Wight Act’, which prevented gatherings larger than 5 000 people from taking place on the island without a special license. As a result the festival came to an abrupt end shortly afterwards.

The 1970 Isle of Wight Festival was a rip-roaring success with a line-up of more than fifty performers which included the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Miles Davis, The Who, The Doors, The Moody Blues, Joni Mitchell and Tiny Tim. It took quite some time before efforts were made to revive the festival. Eventually the Isle of Wight Festival recommenced in 2002 at Seaclose Park on the outskirts of Newport. It has been steadily growing ever since with many noteworthy artists such as The Who, REM, Coldplay, The Proclaimers, Manic Street Preachers, Robert Plant, David Bowie, The Rolling Stones, Bryan Adams and The Police performing at the event over the years.

This year’s line-up will include The Prodigy, Basement Jaxx, The Ting Tings, Stereophonics, The Charlatans and others. If this sounds like your particular brand of fun and entertainment, you will be excited to learn that the 10th annual Isle of Wight Festival is scheduled to take place on June 12-14th, 2009. Tickets are already on sale from the official website and camping is encouraged. So make sure you’re a part of this great event by booking your tickets now!