Isle of Wight Festival 1970

The third Isle of Wight Festival was held on August 26th, 27th, 28th, 29th, and 30th 1970. The last of three consecutive annual music festivals held on the Isle of Wight and is still the largest music festival ever held in the United Kingdom. The Guinness Book of Records published an attendance figure of 600,000, which was supported by British Rail, who operated the only ferries to the island and who reported carrying that number more visitors than would have been normal during that period.

Related Topics:
August - 26th - 27th - 28th - 29th - 30th - 1970 - Isle of Wight - United Kingdom - Guinness Book of Records - British Rail - Ferries

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The festival was promoted by Fiery Creations Ltd, a company owned and operated by the Foulk brothers, Ron, Ray, and Bill, and promoter Rikki Farr. Their two previous festivals on the Isle of Wight in 1968 and 1969 had been both successful and commercially profitable events. The headline acts in 1968 were Jefferson Airplane and T. Rex. The 1969 festival, starring Bob Dylan (in his first public performance in several years following a supposed motorcycle accident), was held only one week after the original Woodstock Festival and attracted approximately 250,000 people. The third festival was intended to be bigger and better organized than either of the previous two events, because the promoters had learned many valuable lessons from the preceding events, and did not intend to repeat any of their previous mistakes.

Related Topics:
Isle of Wight - 1968 - 1969 - 1968 - Jefferson Airplane - T. Rex - 1969 - Bob Dylan - Woodstock

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Unfortunately, the world had changed by late summer 1970, and several forces conspired against the promoters, and the event was a commercial disaster, ensuring that it would be the last event of its kind in the UK for many years - even though for most of the audience it was an unforgettable experience.

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