'Safer than your local supermarket': Isle of Wight Festival returns after covid pandemic
Festival fans descend on the Island for the first time in more than a year
Last updated 17th Sep 2021
The organiser of the Isle of Wight Festival says it's 'fantastic to be back' as this weekend's event at Seaclose Park in Newport gets underway.
John Giddings has also claimed that attending this year's event will be safer than going to your local supermarket.
Around 50,000 people are expected to head through the gates during the course of the four days, with acts including Duran Duran, Liam Gallagher and David Guetta headlining the main stage.
The event was cancelled last year due to the coronavirus pandemic. It then suffered another blow when the event was forced to be pushed back from its original date in June, due to the lockdown rules that were in force at the time.
Festival boss, John Giddings, says he's so glad they didn't cancel again this year:
'I'm really glad we moved it the event date as opposed to moving it to another year because it would have become stale by then. It gave us an opportunity to refresh the line-up.
'We've cut the capacity slightly just to make sure everyone is safe and secure and we can look after it the event properly.
"Obviously, the pandemic has created a lot of extra costs but we're making it safer than if you go to the local Tesco, to be honest.
'You've got to have had two jabs 14 days prior or a lateral flow test. It's simple and straightforward. It's the reality of the new world and making it safe for everyone. It's a collective responsibility.'
Last-minute preparations were being put in place on Thursday, with the main gates set to open at 2pm on Friday.
With more than 150 acts across 15 stages, there is music for all tastes.
Revellers will see performances from Tom Jones, Snow Patrol, while the Big Top host acts including Primal Scream, Kaiser Chiefs and Razorlight.
On Thursday, campers enjoyed performances from Scouting for Girls and Sophie Ellis-Bexter.
Coronavirus: What measures are in place?
Festival-goers are being asked by organisers and public health bosses to NOT attend the event if they have symptoms of coronavirus.
People are being asked to show that they are fully vaccinated, have had a recent negative Covid-19 test or that they have proof of immunity.
The Isle of Wight's director of public health, Simon Bryant is urging festival-goers to take precautions and minimise the spread of Covid-19, to reduce the impact on the Island’s already under-pressure NHS.
He said:
"If at any point you get Covid symptoms, do not go to the festival.
"Self-isolate and take a PCR test which you can order or book online.
"Once on site, consider wearing a face covering in crowded or enclosed spaces and keep using hand sanitiser to keep your hands clean."
368 people tested positive for coronavirus on the island in the seven days to 15 September, a 29% fall on the previous seven days.
Support and guidance on what to do if festival-goers fall ill during the festival has been posted on the Keep the Island Safe website
More advice on the covid procedures to gain entry to the site is available on the Isle of Wight Festival website.
We will be bringing you the latest information from the festival site throughout the weekend.
Main Stage
