Isle of Wight Walking Festival - 6th to 21st May 2006
Walking is one of the best ways to admire the Isle of Wight's stunning scenery, and one of the best times to visit is during May for the UK's biggest walking festival. There are over 135 themed walks to suit those new to walking and seasoned ramblers. All you have to do is select a walk from the programme and turn up, lightly laden at the right place.
Experienced guides have worked out the routes and will gladly pass on information about local history, wildlife and culture. And with over 500 miles of footpaths and bridleways including four coastal trails and eight long-distance walks, there's always a good reason to return. Please call 01983 813818 to order a free copy of the walking programme (available from March 2005).
Website: www.isleofwightwalkingfestival.co.uk
Walk the Wight - 14th May 2006
Get fit and get walking for charity. Join one of the popular 'Walk the Wight', a long distance sponsored walk for the Earl Mountbatten Hospice which takes place during the UK's largest Walking Festival. Over £100,000 was received in sponsorships from the event in 2003! Walkers can enjoy some of the most beautiful scenery on the Island and have the choice of three distances. Bembridge to Carisbrooke Castle, 12 miles. Carisbrooke Castle to Alum Bay, 16 miles. Bembridge to Alum Bay via Carisbrooke Castle, 28 miles.
All money raised goes into the Earl Mountbatten Hospice £1 million Appeal towards financing the redevelopment of the Island's only hospice. The walk is organised by the Hospice, supported by a small committee and walkers are, therefore, asked to obtain sponsorship or make a donation. Registration is compulsory but application forms are available online or by calling 01983 528989. Website: www.walkthewight.org.uk .
Round the Island Yacht Race - 3rd June 2006
Round the Island Race © Martin Williams
www.island-photography.co.uk
The World's largest single yacht race is held annually, with boats of all shapes and sizes competing on handicap in this anti-clockwise race around the Isle of Wight.
In recent years, there have been over 1,500 boats and over 12,000 competitors.
The race around the Island's 60 miles of coastline offers many opportunities for spectators to view the yachts close at hand, especially around the Needles and the south coast. Website: www.roundtheisland.org.uk .
Yarmouth Old Gaffers Festival - 2nd to 4th June 2006
The seventh Yarmouth Old Gaffers Festival will feature three days of free entertainment, spectacle and classic boats. Yarmouth is a favourite stop for yachts making their way east or west along the popular waters of the Solent. You don't have to be (or to own) an “old gaffer” to join in. This popular location has a splendid Tudor castle, charming cottages, well-stocked chandlery, unique shops, fine pubs and good eating-houses. The harbour will be filled with gaff-rigged vessels and the town square and quayside busy with craft stalls and a farmers' market. Free entertainment and ample parking is provided for this splendid weekend of festivities. Make a date in your diaries for this now well-established, annual event. Website: www.yarmoutholdgaffersfestival.co.uk .
Isle of Wight Festival - 9th to 11th June 2006
Following the come back of the Isle of Wight Festival last year, the 2006 festival is expected to attract even more people keen to visit the home of the famous Isle of Wight pop festivals of the late 1960's and 1970. The two-week festival will incorporate a wide range of music from classical and jazz to rock and pop at venues across the Island. Dates for the rock concert are yet to be confirmed, but it's set to attract headline international rock acts as well as visitors from all corners of the globe.
Website: www.isleofwightfestival.org .
Redfunnel offer competitive ferry inclusive packages for the Festival. For more details or to book online, see: www.redfunnel.co.uk/iowfestival .
Beach Soccer - June to August 2006
Beach Soccer was inspired by the acrobatic football played on the beaches of Brazil. It is played on soft sand, and puts each player's physical and athletic skills to the test. The Isle of Wight is rapidly becoming a Mecca for beach soccer as Fake Tan Promotions takes us into its third beach soccer season. All events are free for spectators and will generally include music, cheerleaders, live commentary, fun competitions and a great day out by the sea.
Website: www.ftpbeachsoccer.com .
Westlife concert - 29th July 2006
Westlife, one of the most successful boybands of all time, are set to give a one-off preformance with an open air concert at Osborne House on Saturday July 29th. You can buy tickets from Isle Of Wight Tourist Information Centres or by phone Tel 01983 813818. All tickets are £34 which includes a booking fee. Website: www.westlife.com .
Redfunnel offer competitive ferry inclusive packages for the Westlife Concert. For more details or to book online, see: www.redfunnel.co.uk/westlife .
Skandia Cowes Week - 29th July to 5th August 2006
There's nothing quite like Cowes Week – the sailing is great for spectators and competitors alike as well as a fantastic line up of live entertainment day and night. And if you only come for a day, make sure it's when the Annual Grand Fireworks Display takes place (date tbc). Conducted from a pontoon moored in the Solent off Marine Esplanade (to the West of the Royal Yacht Squadron), hundreds of vessels from pleasure steamers to small power-boats lie at anchor, whilst the shore is packed with thousands of spectators watching the fireworks light up the sea and night sky with an amazing burst of colour. Website: www.cowesweek.co.uk .
Isle of Wight Garlic Festival - 19th August 2006
Now in it's 21st year, the Garlic Festival is a weekend to celebrate the Islanders' feat of selling garlic to the French! The event takes place at Newchurch (A3056 Newport - Sandown road) with over 250 stallholders selling such delights as garlic beer and garlic ice cream as well as a wealth of other locally produced delicacies. Further entertainment includes live music from local bands and displays from mountain bike daredevils. Website: www.wightonline.co.uk/iowgarlicfestival .
Isle of Wight Cycling Festival - 16th to 24th September 2006
A series of cycling events encompassing all aspects of sporting and recreational cycling. The Isle of Wight Cycling Festival serves both as a celebration of the sport and to reinforce the Island's position as a leading cycling destination. The event offers a range of on and off road cycling challenges for all ages and abilities as well as a varied programme of entertainment for spectators. Website: www.sunseaandcycling.com .
Bestival - 8th to 10th September 2006
Set in the Island's lovely green heart, Bestival is the best way to round off your festival summer. It boasts a music mix of bands and DJ's from the sixties through to the 21st century –previous years have seen local boys, The Bees, playing alongside Reggae legend Lee ‘Scratch' Perry, Fatboy Slim, a Kate Bush tribute act and the Basement Jaxx. To top it all off, its situated in one of the Islands most magical venues! (Robin Hill Country Park). Website: www.bestival.net .
Redfunnel offer competitive ferry inclusive packages for the Bestival. For more details or to book online, see: www.redfunnel.co.uk/bestival .
White Air Extreme Sports Festival - 26th to 30th October 2006
An adrenaline-filled event based at Yaverland in Sandown Bay, White Air attracts many top world-class competitors and high-profile sponsors, and is by far the biggest event of its kind in Britain and ranked as one of the most important events on the International circuits. Top-class surfers, kitesurfers and windsurfers take to the sea whilst on land there are live bands every night as well as party nights. Website: www.whiteair.co.uk
Carnival Island
Carnival © IW Tourist Board
Nowhere is the Island's friendly community spirit more evident than in its town carnivals that take place throughout the season. This season comprises approximately 17 Carnivals, 6 of which are illuminated, plus lantern processions throughout the year including the biggest, which takes place annually in Ryde on the last Sunday in November. The season kicks off with a spectacular a Mardi-Gras style ‘East and West Cowes Shrovetide Carnival' in February and runs right through to a Christmas Carnival in Newport in December. Ryde Arts Festival celebrates all aspects of the arts from street theatre to stand-up comedy. The event is also an opportunity for award-winning artists to express themselves in the Island's natural surroundings from Art on the Esplanade and Sand Sculpture to Poetry on the Pier. Website: www.rydedevelopmenttrust.org . |
