The Isle of Wight has been known as a holiday destination since the Victorian era. It is the second-most populous and largest island in England. It is known for its beautiful scenery, especially on the coast, and mild climate. The needles shown above has to be the most famous geographical aspect of the Isle of Wight. However there are plenty of famous activities that happen on the island, so let’s take a look at five things that the Isle of Wight is famous for.
Isle of Wight Festival
There is only one place to start when it comes to the Isle of Wight, and this is with the Isle of Wight Festival. This is an annual music festival, which was the biggest rock music event ever held in 1970. Because of this, the Isle of Wight County Council Act 1971 was put into place. This prevented open-air, overnight gatherings of over 5,000 people from taking place on the island without a special council licence. The festival was then revived in 2002, and it has been going on ever since. In 2019, the attendance for the event was 59,000. Headliners included Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, George Ezra, and Biffy Clyro. Other headliners over the years have included Rod Stewart, Queen and Adam Lambert, The Prodigy, Pharrell Williams, Calvin Harris, and Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Cowes Week
Cowes Week is one of the world’s longest-running regular regattas. It features 8,000 competitors, ranging from weekend sailors to world-class and Olympic professionals, as well as up to 1,000 boats, and 40 daily sailing races. The event first begun in 1826. It is held every year in August on the Solent, which is a part of water between the Isle of Wight and southern England. You don’t need to be a sailor in order to enjoy all of the fun that is going on. You can watch ashore. Cowes Radio will also provide continual, live commentary, so that you can stay up-to-date with everything that is going on. Plus, there are spectator boats as well, giving you the ability to get up, close and personal with everything that is going on.
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Carnivals
It is hard to walk down the high street of the Isle of Wight in the summer without finding that you are being followed by a marching band, a dozen majorettes, and a beauty queen on the back of a tractor. One carnival that gains a lot of attention is the Isle of Wight Mardi Gras. It used to be known as The Arts Parade. The Ryde Carnival, which also takes place on the Isle of Wight, is believed to be the oldest carnival in the United Kingdom. It dates back to the 1887 Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria. The event itself is a series of three different all-inclusive parades of light and colour that are designed to mark the end of summer. This begins with the Children’s Carnival, which is then followed by the Main Carnival, and finally, the Illuminated Carnival.
Blackgang Chine
The Isle of Wight is also known for having the United Kingdom’s oldest theme park. This park opened in the 1840s. You will find a number of different lands that are imaginatively themed at this park. This includes a Cowboy Town, a Fairy Village, an Underwater Kingdom, a realm of Dinosaurs, and a pirate Cove. There are a number of significant rides at the attraction. This includes the Water Force, which opened in 1998 and is a 100-foot long water slide with three chutes, as well as a roller coaster known as the Cliffhanger, which opened in 2005. There are also award-winning heritage exhibitions going on here.
Dinosaur Isle
Another famous attraction on the Isle of Wight is Dinosaur Isle. Located in Sandown, it is a dinosaur museum that was purpose-built. Rainey Petrie Johns, architects from the Isle of Wight, designed the museum into the shape of a massive pterosaur. It is thought to be Europe’s first dinosaur museum that was custom-built. There are a lot of exciting museums and exhibits that can be found at Dinosaur Isle. This includes a large central room that is dedicated to dinosaurs. Here, you are going to see a lot of life-size models and replicas. One of the most interesting exhibitions is the skeleton of the Iguanodon Pink Iggy. This was discovered by Steve Hunt in 1976 and it is in an almost anatomical position.
All in all, there is no denying that there is a lot to love about the Isle of Wight. This is a part of the UK that is famous for many reasons and a great place to visit.
