LEGENDARY 1970 ISLE OF WIGHT FESTIVAL CELEBRATED WITH NEW BOOK AND LIVE EVENTS

The sights and sounds of the original Isle of Wight Festival will be brought back to life with a string of events over the August Bank Holiday. 

Ray Foulk, co-promoter of the legendary 1970 Afton show that saw rock icons The Doors, Jimi Hendrix and The Who take to the stage, will return to the Island to launch a new expanded edition of his book The Last Great Event.

An estimated 600,000 people descended on the West Wight for that record-breaking festival, which was immortalised on film and in numerous albums – including The Doors’ own live set, now regarded as one of the band’s most atmospheric late performances. Today, the Isle of Wight Festival lives on in Newport, drawing huge crowds each summer and attracting TV audiences around the globe.

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The updated edition of The Last Great Event, published by Medina Publishing, offers an insider’s account of the 1970 event and now includes new chapters reflecting on the modern-day revival under John Giddings and Solo. More than 50 new photographs from recent festivals, supplied by Giddings himself, feature in the paperback.

Ray commented:

“That the history of the Isle of Wight Festival endures is due in no small measure to the amazing run of 23 festivals organised by John Giddings and Solo.

“I’m proud to add a section on these events to this new paperback revision. May the IOW Festival go from strength to strength!”

The Bank Holiday programme of events includes:

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• Thursday 21st August, 18:00 – Meet the Author, Medina Bookshop, Cowes
  Official launch of Ray’s expanded paperback, with the author chatting and signing copies. Free entry, includes a complimentary drink.

• Friday 22nd August, 18:00 to 20:00 – The Last Great Event, Dimbola, Freshwater Bay
  Mermaid gin on arrival, 1970 festival-inspired music, and a talk by Ray Foulk moderated by Tom Stroud. Tickets £5 (£4 Friends of Dimbola) – call 01983 756814.

• Saturday 23rd August, 16:00 to 20:00 – The Wight Music Experience, Triple A Records, Newport
  Opening of a major exhibition on Island music history, plus live performances celebrating the 1968, 1969 and 1970 festivals. Free entry.

The weekend promises a nostalgic journey into the spirit of the Isle of Wight Festival – and a chance to step through the ‘Doors’ into music history once again.