This in from Visit Isle of Wight, in their own words. Ed
The Isle of Wight Festival got the summer off to a Red Hot Chilli Pepper style start with fabulous music and great vibes. It was a fantastic opening to the Isle of Wight’s festival season as now a whole range of smaller music and arts events are gearing up to welcome you to ‘Festival Island’.
Ryde Arts Festival
The next big arts event on the horizon is Ryde Arts Festival and this year the eclectic collection of talented artists have taken the commemoration of the outbreak of WWI as their inspiration for art, music and poetry under the title ‘Ryde on the Brink of War’.
Events run from June 27th to July 6th with most being held in their converted church ‘The Depozitory’ and free entry for many exhibitions and activities.
Newport Jazz Weekend
Kicking off on Thursday July 17th with the Derek Nash Acoustic Quartet, Newport Jazz Festival runs from July 17th to 20th. Friday features an appearance from the Simon Allen Quintet with top UK trumpeter Martin Shaw, Tom Cawleyo on piano and David Newton.
One of the highlights of the weekend will be a Tribute to Louis Armstrong featuring the Bateman Brothers and vocalist Maggie Reeday, followed by a Tribute to Oscar Peterson led by pianist Craig Milverton.
Rhythmtree
Rhythmtree is the Island’s world music festival and this year it will, as usual, feature a fantastic line up of world-class musicians playing everything from guitars and keyboards to full brass sections, hang drums and didgeridoos at this family-friendly festival from July 18th to 20th.
Rhythmtree has a great reputation for bringing together an extraordinarily diverse rich mix of high quality music and will introduce visitors to some of the most exciting, dynamic and innovative bands that exist and thrive below the radar of today’s mainstream music scene.
Postfest
For a small but perfectly formed festival make your way to Postfest over the weekend of July 25th to 27th at the Island’s only museum to all things postal – including a field full of post boxes.
The cream of local bands can be seen and heard at this boutique festival that runs from 10am till 9pm daily. There’s free entertainment for kids and a plethora of local crafts and this year there’s even an indoor arena.
Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week
Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week, the biggest sailing festival in the UK, descends upon Cowes for the first week of August and on Sunday August 3rd there is a fantastic Family Day. UKSA at Cowes Yacht Haven has children’s flag-making, colouring and painting and on-the-water spot prizes are awarded for families racing together.
Wight Stars produce Wind in the Willows at Northwood House at 14:30 and there’s an open-air cinema here in the evening. JackFM feature on Cowes Parade throughout the day and adventurous families can enjoy an exhilarating RIB ride with Solent RIB Charters or the spectator boat service with both providing a significantly discounted family ticket price for the day.
V Dub Island
V Dub Island Festival from August 10th to 14th celebrates the Volkswagen car and camper van, and the culture surrounding them – not just for owners, the festival is also for ‘like-minded people’.
This year think ’Flower Power’ as the festival moves to the old 1970 pop festival site at Afton and Sunday night headliner is Bestival curator and Radio 1 DJ Rob Da Bank and the Cuban Brothers.
Ventnor Fringe
Transforming the Island’s southern-most town for a week in August (12th to 17th), the Ventnor Fringe is a unique gathering of artists from across the world who come together to showcase new work.
Inspired by the famous Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the event will be celebrating its fifth year in 2014 and will encompass midnight ‘lock ins’ at the local library, intimate church concerts, ‘pop up’ cinemas, gigs in locals’ houses, mystery tours, woodland sing-alongs and parties on the harbour with 360-degree views over the bay. There is also an extensive programme of family entertainment and the Free Fringe, with busking and street theatre around the town.
Carnival Island
Before any of the more recent festivals, the Isle of Wight had the festivities of carnival every summer and this year is no exception with parades in Newport, Cowes, Ryde, St Helen’s, Sandown, Shanklin, Ventnor and Yarmouth on ‘Carnival Island’.
This year Sandown Carnival is celebrating 125 years (main carnival Saturday July 26th and illuminated carnival and fireworks on Wednesday August 27th).
Ryde Carnival – reputedly the oldest carnival in the UK at 126 years has its main procession on Saturday July 2nd and a glorious illuminated carnival bringing the season to a close on Saturday August 30th.
Apps for all – plan your holiday
The Isle of Wight Official Tourism app is a great way for visitors to start planning their holiday prior to arriving on the Island.
Developed by Visit Isle of Wight, the app contains all the essential information to make the most of a trip to the Isle of Wight; it’s like having a mini-guidebook in your phone. Select a period of history on the Island such as Dinosaurs, Ancient Britain and Romans, Medieval Worlds, Tudors and Stuarts, Victorians and Modern times and Dinobot Hunt and see attractions, monuments and heritage sites.
Now in its second great year, the Dinosaur Island app meanwhile, brings the incredible story of these creatures from the cretaceous period to life, giving visitors to the Isle of Wight the chance to see the dinosaurs roaming the sites where they were discovered and to take photographs of family and friends actually walking on the Isle of Wight with dinosaurs.
Image: © Used with the kind permission of Lucy Boynton
