The Isle of Wight Festival has had two lives. The original festivals ran for three years, 1968 to 1970, growing from about 10,000 people at Ford Farm near Godshill to a crowd at Afton Down in 1970 that some estimates put at 600,000. That crowd prompted a law limiting large gatherings on the island, and the festival stopped. It was revived in 2002 at Seaclose Park in Newport and has run every June since, apart from 2020. The 2027 festival is on 17 to 20 June 2027.
The original festivals, 1968 to 1970Section titled The original festivals, 1968 to 1970
The first three festivals were promoted by the brothers Ray, Ron and Bill Foulk under the name Fiery Creations.
| Year | Site | Dates | Crowd (estimate) | Headline acts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | Hell Field, Ford Farm, near Godshill | 31 Aug to 1 Sep | about 10,000 | Jefferson Airplane, Arthur Brown, The Move, Tyrannosaurus Rex, Fairport Convention, The Pretty Things |
| 1969 | Wootton | 29 to 31 Aug | about 150,000 | Bob Dylan and The Band, The Who, The Moody Blues, Joe Cocker, The Nice |
| 1970 | Afton Down, near Freshwater | 26 to 30 Aug | 250,000 to 700,000 (disputed) | Jimi Hendrix, The Doors, The Who, Miles Davis, Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen, Emerson, Lake & Palmer |
1968: Ford FarmSection titled 1968: Ford Farm
The first festival was a two-day event on farmland near Godshill, organised partly to raise money for a swimming pool. Around 10,000 people came to see Jefferson Airplane, alongside Arthur Brown, The Move, Tyrannosaurus Rex and Fairport Convention.
1969: Bob Dylan at WoottonSection titled 1969: Bob Dylan at Wootton
In 1969 the Foulks persuaded Bob Dylan to play, with The Band. It was his first paid concert since his motorcycle accident about three years earlier, and the publicity drew a crowd of around 150,000. The Who, The Moody Blues and Joe Cocker were also on the bill.
1970: Afton Down and Jimi HendrixSection titled 1970: Afton Down and Jimi Hendrix
The 1970 festival on Afton Down, below the downs between Freshwater and Brook, became one of the largest gatherings in British history. How large is still argued over. The Guinness Book of Records gave 600,000 to 700,000, news agencies at the time reported about 250,000, and Ray Foulk has said the real number was nearer half the Guinness figure. Many people watched for free from the hillside above the arena.
The line-up included The Doors, The Who, Miles Davis, Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen, Emerson, Lake & Palmer and Jimi Hendrix, whose set was one of his last before his death that September.
Why it stoppedSection titled Why it stopped
The scale of 1970 alarmed island residents and the authorities. In 1971 Parliament added a section to the Isle of Wight County Council Act 1971 that bans overnight open-air gatherings of more than 5,000 people on the island without a special licence from the council. No promoter attempted another festival for three decades.
The revival, 2002 to todaySection titled The revival, 2002 to today
The festival returned on 3 June 2002 as a one-day event, billed as Rock Island 2002, at Seaclose Park in Newport. About 8,000 people saw The Charlatans and Robert Plant. The current promoter is Solo, led by John Giddings.
It grew quickly into a four-day June festival, usually drawing 50,000 to 60,000 people and peaking at a recorded 72,000 in 2018. Headliners have included David Bowie (2004), The Rolling Stones (2007), Paul McCartney (2010) and Queen + Adam Lambert (2016).
The 2020 festival was cancelled because of COVID-19, and the 2021 event moved to September (16 to 19 September), the only autumn edition.
Recent headliners:
- 2022: Muse, Lewis Capaldi, Madness
- 2023: The Chemical Brothers, Robbie Williams, Pulp
- 2024: The Prodigy, Pet Shop Boys, Green Day
- 2025: Justin Timberlake, Sting, Stereophonics
- 2026: Lewis Capaldi, Calvin Harris, The Cure
Isle of Wight Festival 2027Section titled Isle of Wight Festival 2027
Dates: Thursday 17 to Sunday 20 June 2027, at Seaclose Park, Newport. It is billed as the 25th festival since the 2002 revival.
Tickets: Early bird tickets went on sale at 8am on 25 June 2026 and sold out. Day tickets have since been released. Check isleofwightfestival.com for what is still available and current prices.
Line-up: Not yet announced as of October 2026.
Getting there: Most festival-goers cross from the mainland by ferry, and crossings around the festival weekend sell out early, so book as soon as you have tickets.
- Wightlink runs Portsmouth to Fishbourne (car ferry), Portsmouth to Ryde (FastCat, foot passengers) and Lymington to Yarmouth.
- Red Funnel runs Southampton to East Cowes (car ferry) and the Red Jet to West Cowes (foot passengers).
- Hovertravel runs the hovercraft from Southsea to Ryde.
Seaclose Park is on the edge of Newport, so from East Cowes or Cowes it is a short bus or taxi ride. For the crossings in more detail, see can you drive to the Isle of Wight and can you fly to the Isle of Wight.
Camping: Weekend camping tickets are sold with the main festival ticket, and VIP camping is also offered. If you'd rather not camp, Newport is the closest town to stay in. Rooms and island campsites book up a long way ahead of festival weekend.
Where to see the festival's history todaySection titled Where to see the festival's history today
Dimbola Museum & Galleries at Freshwater Bay, Julia Margaret Cameron's former home, has a long-running display on the 1970 festival. In May 2026 it opened a new exhibition, Experience Hendrix: Isle of Wight Festival 1970. A bronze statue of Jimi Hendrix by John Swindells has stood in Dimbola's garden since 2006. Afton Down itself is a short walk away.
For more of the island's past, see our museums and history guide and the East Cowes Heritage Centre.
