55,000 festival revellers enjoyed the glorious Summer sunshine that shone down on Seaclose Park this weekend for what was an epic Isle of Wight Festival 2024. The 4-day extravaganza drew to a close last night (Sunday) when iconic American rockers Green Day took to the main stage, bringing a weekend of amazing music married with the best weather anyone could hope for – after many months of miserable conditions. As festivalgoers pack up their tents for another year they will no doubt be reflecting on an awesome event, with headline performances from the likes of The Prodigy, Pet Shop Boys, The Pretenders, Suede, and Green Day – none of which are to be forgotten. Celebrities including David Walliams and Katie Price were among those spotted enjoying the festival. But for Katie there were no special privileges; she bought a ticket like every other punter! Scouting for Girls, RPJ Band and Dagny got proceedings underway in The Big Top on Thursday night, although many may say the highlight of the opening day was watching England draw with Denmark in the Euros. Peter Crouch hosted a live recording of That Peter Crouch Podcast on the Big Top stage ahead of England’s match, kicking off with football banter, insightful discussions and of course some signature dance moves from Peter himself. 
On Friday, the legendary electronic band The Prodigy headlined with an electrifying set, which saw them play iconic tunes such as Breathe, Out Of Space and Firestarter, during which a special laser projection of bandmate Keith Flint was beamed across the crowd. Ahead of their arrival on the Island, the band had the chance to take to the bridge of Wightlink’s Victoria of Wight. They were invited up by Captain Dave Booker, with Maxim and Liam taking seats at the helm. Liam took control of the wheel for a short while and blew the ship’s whistle as he explained his fond memories of going to the Isle of Wight on holiday as a child. 
Classic rock’n’rollers The Darkness didn’t disappoint – although disappointingly they didn’t bring festive cheer to the festival with their hit ‘Christmas Time’. Soon after, as the sun began to set, Australian rock band Crowded House performed much-loved tracks such as Don’t Dream It’s Over and Weather With You. For the first time ever, S Club performed on the Isle of Wight on Saturday afternoon, delivering hit after hit for the bumper crowds – a real highlight of the weekend for many. Revellers were singing along to every word of infectious pop tunes such as Reach, S Club Party and Don’t Stop Movin’. 
Chart-topper Jessie J followed, captivating the audience with hits including Price Tag, Laserlight and closing her set with pop anthem Domino. Backstage, she met with fans including Nathan from Isle of Wight Distillery, who taught her a few words of Romanian for her forthcoming tour. 
In true festival tradition, the revellers in fancy dress were judged in Strawberry Fields on Saturday afternoon with a pair of mushrooms declared the best-dressed following the theme of ‘Summer Solstice’. Pet Shop Boys headlined Saturday night and delivered a spectacular set, filled with iconic hits including West End Girls, It’s A Sin and Being Boring. 
The most anticipated act of the whole show was, of course, Sunday night headliners Green Day – who didn’t disappoint. Their high-octane, action-packed set brought the house down. The band played classic tunes from albums Dookie and American Idiot, with highlights including ‘Basket Case’, ‘Wake Me Up When September Ends’, ‘Boulevard of Broken Dreams’ and ‘American Idiot’. Frontman Billie Joe Armstrong handpicked young fan Molly, inviting her on stage to sing ‘Know Your Enemy’. 
Green Day travelled to the Island via hovercraft from Southsea, returning straight back to the mainland on Sunday night. Zara Larsson’s feel-good pop anthems ‘Lush Life’ and ‘Symphony’ were perfect for the late afternoon crowd, followed by Scottish rock band Simple Minds who thrilled fans with tunes like ‘Don’t You Forget About Me’ and ‘Someone Somewhere’. 
McFly smashed their Sunday set, playing hit after hit including ‘Obviously’, ‘Star Girl’ and ‘It’s All About You’. The pop hits were certainly well received, following on from the success of S Club on Saturday. Danny and Tom then performed a stripped back acoustic version of ‘All About you’ backstage to a small crowd – and the Sky Arts cameras. 
Away from the big stages, the all-inclusive Island dance group, La Tease, added sparkle, shimmers and a whole lot of fun when they made their debut performances at this year’s festival, in a Secret Burlesque club in Penny Lane. A spokesperson for the group said:
“This is an amazing opportunity for us, and a chance to show people what’s available on the Isle of Wight. We’re very proud of our girls, and look forward to performing again”.
