Festival blues? Us too!

We’ve had a blast at this years Isle of Wight festival; the underwater theme encouraged an abundance of pirates and sea creatures to our Island shores, and despite the Island’s festival fun being over already for another year, a little mermaid tells us tickets for next year are already available! But we’ve still got a while to wait before it’s time to get the wellies and costumes out again, so for now, here’s a roundup of our 2022 festival favourites.

After a 15 year gap Muse returned to the Isle of Wight, (that’s right, 15 years!). It’s hard to imagine that their headline performance back in 2007 could be topped – but anyone who witnessed their Sunday night performance couldn’t describe it as anything less than iconic. They closed the main stage in style; hiring a hovercraft for nearly 100 team members to ensure their performance was a must see. Our very own Director, Michael, was videoing their arrival and performance. We’re big fans – hopefully they’ll grace us with their presence again? Let’s not leave it so long next time, 15 years felt like a long wait!

In addition to the headline acts giving us a spectacular experience and an emotional weekend, (anybody else end up with mascara down their cheeks with Lewis Capaldi’s Friday night singalong? No? Just me then…), there was also a variety of local talent displayed. One of my personal favourites being Beth Brookfield, a 19 year old singer songwriter from the Island. Beth blew us away with relatable lyrics and a beautiful tone to her voice. Beth performed on the main stage and Kashmir Cafe, giving elegant performances on both stages. This wasn’t Beth’s first time taking to the stage at Isle of Wight fest and we’re betting it won’t be her last either!

The Red Arrows joined us again this year with another stunning performance; gliding over the Big Top, past the ferris wheel and over main stage. Every year we are thrilled with their team of nine, taking to the skies to show us their best stunts. My toes curl a little when they go into a free fall, but they never fail to amaze with a soaring comeback to the blue skies above.

One of our best moments from this years festival had to be the silent disco; we visited on Sunday night after the main arenas had closed and it was the best way to finish the weekend. DJ Trevor Cook supplied the tunes – ABBA vs Ibiza Classics. It wasn’t a tough choice for me – Gimme Gimme Gimme those ABBA classics and I’ll be a Dancing Queen until the early hours of Monday morning! My favourite thing about the Silent Disco is that it was easily one of the loudest tents on site! My throat is still recovering a week later… lemon water for one please!

It’s also worth a mention, the team running Isle of Wight festival did an amazing job of taking care of us this weekend. With stacks of stalls, bars, acts and visitors, it can’t be easy to contain a crowd and keep thousands of us entertained whilst being safe. The windy weather nearly gave us a much less exciting Saturday night, but the organisers jumped into action to ensure our headline acts at the main stage could still go ahead – the show must go on!

Even though I’m still peeling glitter and gems out of my hair, bag, socks and tent, we’re already clicking that checkout button for next years tickets. Hope to see you all under the festival flags again next year!