This record-breaking festival may come as a surprise to many, but the largest attended UK festival was actually The Isle Of Wight Pop Festival in 1970! The festival took place from the 26th of August until the 31st and was a huge hit. Many people have mixed ideas after attending the festival whilst estimating the number of people that actually attended, some said there were over 600,000 and some attendees were saying that there was maybe even half of that. However, Guinness World Records actually guessed that it had been 600,000 to 700,000 people there.

The 1970 lineup for The Isle of Wight caught plenty of attention for the festival with people like Jimi Hendrix performing as well as, Sly and the Family Stone, Miles Davis, Lighthouse and many other brilliant artists of this time! The year before in 1969, which was also the second year since the festival had begun, was known for the line up including Bob Dylan and his band. This performance was truly iconic as it had been his first paying show since having been in his motorcycle accident during the summer 0f 1966 and fans were concerned he would never perform again!

The 1970 festival was definitely the biggest and most famous UK festival and was deemed to be perhaps one of the biggest human gatherings in the whole world, overtaking Woodstock! Isle of Wight Festival then became the Uk equivalent to Woodstock. The lineup in 1970 lasted over 5 whole days and an adult ticket cost £3 per person! Which is the equivalent of today’s £40.

The festival during 1970 is known to be Jimi Hendrix’s last UK performance before him passing away under three weeks after. The performance was truly incredible and memorable for people who were there or people who watched from home and even just for the people that had heard about it. Performing to 600,000 to 700,000 Jimi did not fail to impress. Jimi Hendrix’s setlist for this show included; God Save the Queen as a cover, Spanish Castle Magic, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band by The Beatles that he wanted to cover during his performance and many more including his last song In From the Storm.

This video was recorded as the festival took place, you can see the massive crowd and the 70s style of the event. It is remarkable how big the outcome was and has gone down in history!

Isle of Wight festival is still going strong, there is even one this year in September of 2021. Be sure to visit the website for any extra information and updates!