I don’t think that there has been a song about crossing the Solent on the ferry, unlike the famous Gerry and the Pacemaker’s song. It is however closely linked to popular musical culture, and is not far across the water to the wealth of musical entertainment on offer.
I am, of course, referring to the festivals that are hosted on the Isle of Wight, notably Bestival and the official Isle of Wight festival. The Isle of Wight festival is the biggest of the two festivals, and stretches back to the late sixties when ‘flower power’ was all the rage. The past performers list is vast, and includes some to the most famous artists to have ever played popular music. Nowadays the festival is a good starting point for up-and-coming bands, which are able to taste the atmosphere of playing in front of a crowd that regularly exceeds 50,000 people.
Bestival is the freshest of the Island festival attractions, having only been established for 8 or 9 years. It has a reputation for more of a carnival atmosphere, and has a large section devoted to sounds created by top radio djs. Each year at Bestival, a new theme is created by the organisers, which allows people to dress in their fancy dress costume creations. The ultimate accolade for the best fancy dress costume is a lifetime free entry to Bestival. Not bad really for a little bit of extra creative time spent with the lycra and sticky back plastic!
If you are intending travelling to one of the festivals next year, then you will have to make the trip via one of the available IOW ferry in operation. Portsmouth has two ferry terminals, one for foot passengers, and the other to transport cars to and from the island.
Tags: Bestival, IOW ferries, IOW ferry, Isle of Wight, Isle of Wight ferries, Isle of Wight ferry