HERE AT THE SWISS COTTAGE, WE HAVE MADE A SMALL SELECTION OF ‘THE MAIN EVENTS’ AND ‘WHATS ON’ THE ISLAND FOR YOU.
A FULL LIST CAN BE FOUND ON OUR TOURISM WEBSITE www.visitisleofwight.co.uk
Note:
All photos are obtained from the Tourism Companies for the use by us the Accommodation Provider on our own website and not for any other third party.
The Photographers rights have not violated and all image credits goes to the respective photographer.
JANUARY TO DECEMBER |
DUE TO COVID ALOT OF EVENTS HAVE CHANGED THEIR DATES BUT THIS GIVES YOU AN IDEA WHEN THEY NORMALLY ARE. |
JACK UP THE WEEKENDs – TICKET TO RYDE25TH TO 26TH MAY 24TH TO 25TH AUGUST Jack Up Events are bringing you two nights of entertainment with From The Jam & Big Country both performing live. A strictly limited number of tickets are available for each night both online & over the counter at 1Leisure sites – on sale NOW! Both concerts will be staged in the intimate setting & central location of Medina Leisure Centre just outside of Newport on the Isle of Wight Discover everything you need to know about the weekend’s proceedings & plan your attendance using our website |
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WALKING FESTIVALSaturday 11th – Sunday 19th May With over 100 different walks for all fitness levels, this festival is now the largest in the UK. It includes the famous, fundraising “Walk the Wight” www.isleofwightwalkingfestival.co.uk
Sunday 12th May – Walk The Wight Raising money for The Earl Mountbatten Hospice, the only hospice on the Isle of Wight and lead provider of palliative care to the Island community. We care for patients suffering from or affected by life-shortening illnesses and provide vital help and advice for their families, friends and carers. We are here to help Island people live well and die at peace in the place they choose. |
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WOLVERTON FOLK & BLUES FESTIVALSaturday 11th May – Wolverton Manor A one-day festival of folk & blues music set in the scenic grounds of Wolverton Manor with numerous bands, tented beverage stands, real ale tent, BBQ and much more. Open 12:00pm to 8:00pm tickets £6.00 (£9 on the day) children under 12 free entry. In aid of Leukaemia Research and Brighstone School. http://www.folkandblues.org.uk WOLVERTON MANOR GARDEN FAIRSaturday 31st & Sunday 1st September – Wolverton Manor The original idea of a Garden Fair has now been expanded to include an emphasis on wildlife with a conservation tent showing bats and red squirrels, poultry from the Poultry Club and a variety of animals from alpacas, falcons and dogs. We continue to enjoy the event every year & hope to keep it as originally intended, as a good day out for all ages with interesting things for everyone to do. It is satisfactory that we have been able to raise significant sums of money for Age UK on the Isle of Wight and we hope this year will be even better, good weather would help! |
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YARMOUTH OLD GAFFERS FESTIVALThis event is now bi-annual now 13th to 16th June 2024 – Yarmouth Yarmouth Harbour will be filled with life and colour with more than 100 visiting traditional sailing, steam and motor vessels, including the Cream of Old Gaffers Fleet. On shore plenty of attractions, live music, craft fair, flower festival and so much more, morning till night all weekend. Car Parking Cost £5 www.OGA – Yarmouth Gaffers Fest 24ival
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ISLE OF WIGHT FESTIVALThursday 16th to Sunday 19th June Full list of Acts and performance dates can be found the official website: Along with ticket prices, camping details, transport etc
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FESTIVAL OF THE SEAJune and July – Around the Island The Isle of Wight Festival of the Sea will take place across the Island between June and July. During that period there will be a wide range of activities, events and promotions taking place – all revolving around the theme of the sea. These events will include musical events, art displays, fishing, cookery displays and food-tasting, opportunities to charter boats, open days and talks. SHIPWRECK ISLE To Be Confirmed?A two-day spectacular ‘Shipwreck Isle’ is coming…. Get dressed up in your best pirate gear and help defend our Island. Located in Ryde and Appley Beach over this fantastic weekend, it is an event NOT TO BE MISSED and free to attend. SATURDAY in JULY 11am: Governors Garden Party at Western Gardens (St. Thomas Street, Esplanade) SATURDAY in JULY – APPLEY BEACH Call:07739373567 for more info
JP MORGAN ROUND THE ISLAND RACESaturday 15th June – Cowes A one-day round the island yacht race, over 1,700 boats make it one of the largest yachts race in the world, with competitors from UK, Europe and the USA follow the 50 nautical miles around the Island. |
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1960S WEEKENDSaturday 1st & Sunday 2nd June – Havenstreet THE MUSIC! THE FASHION! THE TRAINS! We’ve transported the railway back to 1967 to celebrate all things Sixties. The Beatles and Rolling Stones are in the charts, Carnaby Street is ‘swinging’, the pound has been devalued, and Sandie Shaw has just won the Eurovision Song Contest. Spend your day enjoying the music of the Sixties with live entertainment around the station. Dressing up in clothes of the era is positively encouraged (Don’t worry if you don’t want to, all are welcome). Our Barn Café will be open, get a drink from our lovely selection of hot drinks and alcoholic drinks, sit back and soak up the atmosphere. |
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THE ROYAL ISLE OF WIGHT COUNTY SHOWSaturday 13th & Sunday 14th July – Northwood This is the show where cattle, sheep and poultry come first. It’s a fantastic day out for all the family, combining entertainment and fun with the opportunity to enjoy many aspects of Island country life and farming. The Main Ring is the focus of the Royal Isle of Wight County Show. The action lasts all day. We are currently putting together a package of non-stop entertainment and will publish a full timetable of the competitions and attractions taking place. This year these will include: Annual Poultry Show, Falconry displays, Livestock champions parade, Show jumping, Gun dog displays, Horticulture and craft tent, Gold-leaf Tree Climbing, Local Celebrity Pole Climbing… and lots more Ticket Cost Adults £7 Children Under 16 Free The Royal Isle of Wight County Show – A right rural day out! |
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CARNIVAL TIME!!Main Parade ALL TO BE AMENDED!! Newport on Thursday 25th July: 6:00-7:30pm Cowes on Thursday 8th August 6:00-7:30pm Sandown on Saturday 27th July: 6:00-7:00pm Shanklin on Wednesday 7th August: 7:45 – 9:00pm Ventnor on Wednesday 14th August: 6:00-7:00pm Ryde on Thursday 29th August: 6:00-7:00pm A fun packed day of activities for all ages, colourful floats and costumes. Come join the thousands of people who line the streets to watch the floats and street performers. An absolute riot of colour and pumping music plus Children’s Carnivals at selected Towns. Illuminated Parades Newport time tbc Cowes on Saturday 24th August time tbc Shanklin on Saturday 10th August: 8:00 – 9:15pm. Sandown on Wednesday 28th August: 8:00-9:00pm Ventnor on Saturday 17th August time tbc Ryde on Saturday 31st August: 7:30-8:30pm An evening of activity & colourful floats Dusk brings the floats to life in full Illumination. Not to be missed. |
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THE 1940s EXPERIENCESaturday 6th & Sunday 7th July – HavenstreetExtraordinary Times … Extraordinary People! Inspired music and dance … Silk stockings and military machines … Men in uniforms and spivs doing deals – pure nostalgia! Jitterbug your way back to the 1940s, experience travel by steam train, and relive the hustle and bustle of a country railway station where war time activities collide with every day rural life. Be ‘wowed’ by the stunning female trio ‘The Three Belles’ singing spankingly good songs from the swing era, and jitterbug along with the Cinque Port Lindy Hoppers. Try the hairstyles and fashions of the day, tuck into corned beef hash and spam fritters in The Refreshment Rooms, and sample an ale from The Spitfire Bar! |
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NEWPORT JAZZ WEEKENDThursday 19th to Sunday 22nd September – Newport The programme for the Newport Jazz Weekend has been finalised and discounted “early bird” tickets are now available on line. Newport Jazz Weekend is sponsored by the Isle of Wight County Press and Red Funnel and is supported by Visit Isle of Wight. Wow! Our 2023 Jazz Weekend was probably the best one yet, judging from the feedback from audience, musicians and venues. Every gig was well supported, and once again we heard very good things about the overall atmosphere, value for money, wide and diverse range of acts, and the friendly nature of the event. It was a privilege to hear from many “mainland” based festival attendees, that our jazz festival is their favourite one in the UK. Clearly we have a lot to live up to in 2024, and we will do our best to make it even better. Our successful and friendly jazz festival is organised and run by volunteers, with all income from ticket sales and sponsors, going to pay musicians and venues. We have reserved our dates and venues for 2024, and have started making bookings for headline and fringe acts. More news will appear here very soon, and we plan to start selling tickets in February/March. Cost between £4 to £24. |
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RHYTHM TREE WORLD MUSIC FESTIVALFriday 8th to Sunday 10th July – Sticelett Farm, Thorness Bay Welcome to the Rhythmtree. If you didn’t already know the Rhythmtree has a great reputation for bringing together an extraordinarily diverse rich mix of high quality music. Yes! You probably don’t recognise many of the bands on our line-up…. BUT THAT’S THE POINT! Buy a ticket, come along and we will introduce you to some of the most exciting, dynamic and innovative bands that exist and thrive below the radar of today’s mainstream music scene. Situated on beautiful tree surrounded farmland close to the famous West Wight Heritage Coast free camping and parking is included in our week-end ticket price and of course children 12yrs and under come for free! Kids under 12 are free, Adult weekend £75 teen weekend £40, Adult day £30 teen day £15 MONDOMIX FESTIVALJuly – TBC Joining the dots between Afrobeat Ska Reggae Jazz Folk Gospel and Blues the World Village Project brings you the second Mondo Mix music festival. |
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AUGUST: |
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COWES WEEKSaturday 30th July to 5th August – Cowes Sponsored by Lendy Asset Management the event is a mix of competitive sailing and a vibrant social scene, attracting over 8500 boats & 100,000 visitors. On Friday 16th is the spectacular Fireworks Extravaganza. Yarmouth Carnival & Regatta Week – TBC We are a non-profit organisation that, with the help of our members, brings people together in Yarmouth, Isle of Wight. We organise a number of events for our community throughout the year. www.yarmouthcarnival.org.uk
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GARLIC FESTIVALSaturday 20th & Sunday 21st August – Arreton The Islands biggest summer show packed with stage & arena Events, over 300 commercial stalls, funfair, vintage vehicle show and edible treats. The Island’s garlic flavours everything from hot crusty bread to moules, prawns, lamb, beer the list is endless. An all day eating experience. Open 10am to 6pm – Tickets Cost £7.50 to £8.50, Children £5 |
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CHALE SHOWSaturday 6th & Sunday 7th August – Chale The most traditional & distinguished family show on the Island. A display of horticultural exhibits, crafts, antiques, farmers market, entertainers & stunt shows. Open 11am to 5pm – Tickets Cost £6-8 Children are free |
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JACK UP THE 80sSaturday 10th & Sunday 11th August – Retro Vacation, Ryde Owing to the warm reception received last August, we have decided to throw another family friendly festival. The purpose of Jack Up The 80′s remains the same, we aim to raise valuable funds and awareness for two important Island charities; Wight Crystal and the Way Forward Programme. Wight Crystal are the widely recognised supplier of spring water and water coolers on the Isle of Wight. As a registered charity Wight Crystal work alongside The Way Forward Programme, which provides a programme of activities supporting people with physical and learning disabilities, autism and long term conditions. We think you’ll all agree, the ticket price is amazing value! We’ve done our upmost to keep ticket costs as low as possible to ensure families have a first class weekend. Acts include ABC, Go West, The Christians, Bruce Foxton from the Jam, Sonia and many more tribute bands. Ticket Cost Adults £30-£54 Teens £15-27 Children Under 12 £1-£2 |
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VENTNOR FRINGE FESTIVALIn Ventnor TBC Although no two fringe festivals are run in exactly the same way the term originates from the now world famous Edinburgh Festival Fringe. It’s name was coined by the journalist Robert Kemp, who described the unofficial companies performing at the same time as the second Edinburgh International Festival (1948) as a “fringe”, writing: “Round the fringe of official Festival drama, there seems to be more private enterprise than before”. The term stuck and has since been adopted by many other festivals who follow the same principles as the Edinburgh event. The most important difference between a curated art or music festival and a ‘Fringe’ is that there are no programmers at the Fringe. Any artist of any creative discipline and at any stage in their career can take part, providing a suitable venue can be found. In Ventnor, the vast majority of events are run in this way, with 100% of ticket sales going back to the artists and organisers of each event. The Fringe itself only applies a selection process to the Festival Bars, although the self contained Isle of Wight Film Festival and Lounge Around Town and Sunday School events also run semi-curated or curated programmes. |
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ISLE OF WIGHT SCOOTER WEEKENDFriday 23rd to Monday 26th August – Ryde Widely recognised as the biggest scooter event in the world, this is a fun-packed weekend for the scooter enthusiast culminating with the awesome spectacle of the Island ride-out on the Sunday afternoon. Other highlights incl a spectacular custom scooter show, said to be the best display of custom scooters in Europe & various forms of live entertainment. |
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V-DUB ISLANDSaturday 6th t0 Sunday 14th August – NewportV- See their own site for Ticket costs and camping details etc |
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ISLAND STEAM SHOWFriday 23rd to Monday 26th August – Havenstreet The stunning shows in the main arena will make you gasp, cheer and laugh, keeping the kids entertained is all important, so as well as the traditional fairground and the arena events, there are trampolines, ‘Red Indian’ face painting and our children’s play area. Central to the Island Steam Show is the delight of the ‘living engineering’ of our vintage steam vehicles, many of which date from the early years of the last century. Revel in the colour and atmosphere, as you climb aboard a traditional fairground ride, and relish the spectacle of the beautifully maintained traction engines, vintage cars, motorcycles, trucks and old wagons.
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SEPTEMBER: |
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Saturday 3rd & Sunday 4th September – Newport & Ryde The famous Isle of Wight, Charity Classic Car event promises to be the biggest and best ever. Vehicles from all over the UK and mainland Europe will be attending this unique two-day show. Saturday 14th the show will be located at the characterful Newport Quay and all the funds raised will be donated directly to the Isle of Wight Round Table to support children in need on the Island. Sunday 15th the show will be held on the beautiful and exotic Ryde Esplanade and all monies on this day will be donated directly to the Earl Mountbatten Hospice in Newport. Both shows will be FREE to attend and access will be from 11am to 5.30pm. |
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MORRIS MINOR RALLY
1st September – HavenstreetA day dedicated to the first British car to sell a million! The ‘Moggy Minor’ is fondly remembered and is still a much-loved car. Visit Havenstreet and see a whole host of Morris Travellers, Saloons, convertibles, vans, pick-ups and custom classics on display at the annual Morris Minor Rally. All have been lovingly cared for by their owners who take great pride in exhibiting their pride and joy. Explore the show field and choose your favourite. There’s also an auto-jumble, refreshments and a full service of trains running throughout the day. FREE ADMISSION to this Event |
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CYCLING FESTIVALAugust TimeThe Isle of Wight Cycling Festival provides the perfect opportunity to get off the beaten track and enjoy some of the Island’s most beautiful, unspoilt countryside. Rides vary from pleasant meanders through pretty villages to Cycle the Wight, a 65-mile road route around the Island’s spectacular coastline. Our Round the Island cycle route covers 65 miles and is particularly popular with experienced cyclists. If you’d like a long ride with beautiful sea views, hill starts and country meanders, this route won’t disappoint. |
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OCTOBER: |
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AUTUMN WALKING WEEKENDSaturday 5th to Sunday 13th October A special extra event to follow on from the May Walking Festival. The walks include treasure hunts, wild food walks, ghost walks, twilight walks, friendship walks as part of the Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Nordic walking & down land & forest walks. |
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NOVEMBER: |
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A VICTORIAN CHRISTMASPlus various Events through out the Year – Osborne House, East Cowes Experience the spirit of a Victorian Christmas. Enjoy traditional side show games and take a ride on an original Victorian carousel. Delight in jovial entertainers including the Singing Chimney Sweeps. Meet Father Christmas and even Queen Victoria as you tour some of the festively dressed ground floor rooms of Osborne House. www.english-heritage.org.uk/daysout/properties/osborne-house |
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DECEMBER:SANTA AND MINCE PIE SPECIALSPlus various Events in December – Havenstreet Soak up the festive atmosphere at Havenstreet station with a visit to Santa. Stroll through our sparkling Winter Wonderland before meeting Santa who’ll have a quality gift for every child. Settle back and relax with a cosy 10-mile round trip on our steam trains through the Island’s winter countryside and enjoy FREE entertainment for the children. |
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