Isle of Wight Music Festival
This
is the festival which true music fans know is the one to go to;
forget Glastonbury, or Reading or Leeds- the Isle of Wight
festival is attracting the best performers and the best audiences
around! Many people think that the Isle of Wight is a new
pretender to the throne, but they are only taking into account the
most recent incarnation of the festival which has been running
since 2002. There was a previous run of the festival which lasted from 1968-1970 which saw Bob Dylan headline and it is that sort of star power and dedication to great music which has kept the base of the Isle of Wight festival strumming through the last decade. More recent headliners have included The Strokes, Jay-Z, Blondie and Pink who have carried on the tradition of the old headliners of the 1960’s such as the aforementioned Dylan, Jimi Hendrix and The Doors. Clearly this is a serious festival for serious fans of music. Other festivals might cater to the mainstream, to the posers and the celebrities; this festival has a simple aim, music, good music, lots of it, and beautiful surroundings.
The Isle of Wight festival really was a big deal back in the 1970’s but, for an island which normally only has a population of around 100,000, the reported 700,000 people which descended on the island to party away the weekend obviously caused somewhat of a logistical problem and this is why the festival fell off the radar for so long. In 2002, however, the problems were worked out and, under the name of Rock Island, The Rolling Stones and The Who gave the festival a welcome return and it’s been a must go to event ever since.
For the calibre of the acts which are booked, you'll have to be quick to get the tickets whether you get them through the official site or dozens of other ticket sites such as boxoffice.co.uk. As with any festival, you will need to consider additional costs on top of the tickets as well. For instance, how are you going to get down to the Isle of Wight (unless you’re fortunate enough to already live there) and do you have all the necessary camping equipment already? Such things can add to the cost of a festival weekend dramatically and thus you do need to consider them. Once all the boring stuff is out the way you can enjoy legendary and acclaimed music in beautiful surroundings.