Big BIG thanks to our sponsor Neil !

For information on today's festivals see eFestivals.co.uk

Updated Feb 2019, New pictures of the site and audience

Dec 2011 new photos of the Pye Recording crew and Miles Davis's engineer Stan Tonkel and producer Teo Macero

Best viewed at 1920 x 1024 res .

NB: MEDIA- If requesting contact details to use images for publication, please send the url, image file and name of Photographer to us so its easier to give you their contact details. Due to the impermanent nature of the web, people change addys frequently- so we don't have contact with all of our contributors.

The 1970 Isle of Wight Festival. 26th - 30th August 1970. 


 

"Straight press "

August 29th 1970.

Gatecrasher trouble at pop festival.

From David Wilsworth . Freshwater Isle Of Wight 29th Aug.

    An estimated 5.000 people have gatecrashed the Isle Of Wight pop festival near here by camping on the Afton Down overlooking the site. Their presence has caused concern to the promoters who see valauable revenue being lost. There have been clashes in which guard dogs were used when festival security officers attempted to move the campers on.

    The police have been watching both the security forces and the non paying audience but so far have not intervened directly. This afternoon the security men decided to go among the Afton Down campers and ask for donations towards the concert. If they do not get enough money this way the campers will probably be floodlit at night to reduce their enjoyment.

        Securiy men are blaming Frenchmen and Algerians who , they say, regularly attend pop festivals and attempt to disrupt the proceeding s in the interests of free music.

    The St John's ambulance brigade field hospital has dealt with a steady stream of minor casualties by day and night . More doctors are likely to be needed during the weekend.

    Police have continued to make arrests in connection with alleged drugs offences: the total so far is 73 . The festival promoters instructed commentators to be more cautious when talking about drugs after police complained that the comments from the stage might appear to favour their use.

    At Portsmouth some Hells Angels and skinheads have been deprived temporarily of potentially dangerous weapons by police before they were allowed to board the ferries to the island.

    A boy aged about 16 was rescued from Compton Beach , near the festival site, by an RAF helicopter this afternoon after he had fallen aboiut 200 ft from a cliff top. He was taken to a Southampton Hospital where his condition is said to be very critical . He had been seen by a police helicopter on patrol.




 

Big thanks to Wally Dean for the press articles.


Contents
Isle of Wight 1970 festival menu

updated March 2019


The Underground press- NB: opinions expressed in these articles do not represent our opinions of the organisers or any other people involved in the running of the festival, it is possible that they may be innaccurate in some details or facts.

 

International Times.

Reports from the "Straight "press

updated March 2019

External links

The White Panthers



Other IOW festivals.
  • 1968 Isle of Wight festival
  • 1969 Isle of Wight festival
  • If you have any info you can contribute to the site, especially regarding the 1968 and 1969 festivals, such as details of recordings. recollections, programmes, tickets, pix or articles don't just sit there , Contact us

    Back to the main Archive.