A new festival bringing together sport, games and community activity launches on the Isle of Wight this summer, raising money for three local charities in the process.
Running from June to August at venues across the Island, the Wight Games Festival promises an unusually broad programme – one that sits comfortably alongside sailing and cricket but also makes room for chess, a colouring competition and an event organisers are calling ‘welly wanging’.
Broad appeal by design
The festival sets out to attract participants of all abilities and backgrounds, from committed club members to people who have never tried a particular activity before.
Venues already confirmed include Brading Roman Villa, where visitors can try Roman-era board games, while Mountbatten Isle of Wight will host Quizzy Bingo and the WI will run indoor Kurling and Darts sessions.
Organisers describe the programme as covering “minds to muscles”, with the aim of making sport and games relevant to all kinds of wellbeing.
Christie’s latest Island project
The festival is the work of Mike Christie, a Cowes resident who launched the Wight Proms Festival in 2018, which continues to run successfully.
Mike also maintains a career as an actor, composer and member of multi-platinum selling group G4, and recently announced plans to open a sushi cafe, The Bath House, on Park Road in Cowes this summer.
He said the new festival grew from a desire to highlight the breadth of what Island clubs and community groups already do,
“The Isle of Wight is packed with extraordinary clubs, groups and individuals doing brilliant things and this Festival is our chance to showcase that incredible variety.”
Mike added that he wanted to challenge conventional ideas about what counts as sport,
“It’s about rethinking what we see as a ‘sport’, making the Festival fully accessible, bringing people together and, at the same time, raising money for three extremely important local charities who do amazing work on our Island.”
Free entry with charity fundraising
All events are free to enter, with donations encouraged throughout.
Money raised will be divided equally between Mountbatten Isle of Wight, Independent Arts and the Isle of Wight NHS Trust charity.
Mike said,
“It gives me enormous joy to give something back to the Island community.”
How to find out more
The full programme is still taking shape, with participating clubs and events to be announced ahead of the summer.
People can register their interest in specific activities on the website.
Organisers hope the festival will return each year, becoming a regular fixture in the Island calendar.
