FOREWORD
Fri June 2nd, Sat June 3rd, Sun June 4th
20 THINGS YOU OUGHT TO KNOW ABOUT THE
Old Gaffers IW Pop Festival
1
ooh la-la?
2
1968 - the first festival
was held to raise money
for a swimming pool.
The historic and
picturesque town
and harbour of
Yarmouth will be
the venue once
again for the tenth
Old Gaffers
Festival.
Over the last nine
years this weekend
of festivities has
gradually become one of the major events on the Island’s busy
summer calendar.
It offers great family entertainment. ‘The Ghost of Napoleon’
will open the Festival at noon on Friday with the usual release
of red, white and blue balloons and noon day gun fired by the
Fort Cumberland Guard.
Several French gaff-rigged vessels are expected this year along
with the many others that will create a colourful spectacle in
the harbour. Some of these will take part in the racing in the
Solent on Friday afternoon.
The usual attractions on land will also be present including,
craft and beer tents; food stalls; church flower festival; dog
show; Big Boy’s Toys field; children’s fun fair; Air Sea Rescue
and lots of musical entertainment throughout the three days.
This year there will be French flavour to the event, with a
French style café street scene in the Square on Friday with
typical French entertainers and pavement artists. On Saturday
and Sunday there will a French market with around thirty stalls.
There will be a chance to dance the night away on Friday and
Saturday evenings with live music from The Dance Preachers,
The Accelerators, Dorsal Fin and The Enormous Small Band.
Tickets are £5 each.
Car Park available and Park & Ride on Saturday and Sunday.
It takes a whole 10 days
to put up the stage.. and
1/2 a day to take it down..
3
On average, every person
drinks 3 pints of lager a
day
4
In 2003 we sold more
beer per person than
Ozzfest...
5
The Isle of Wight festival
in the 60's and 1970 was
Europe's answer to
Woodstock.. it was the
UK's first large festival..
before Glastonbury even
started
In 1968 the site
boundary was marked
out with straw bales
and the toilets were a
ditch with plastic
lining.
14
Only a quarter of the
audience are island
residents
15
REM's equipment plane
was damaged before it
took off to fly to the
Island.. it was fixed
with only an hour to
spare..
6
The Who have played the
festival 3 times now,
1969, 1970 & 2004
7
In 1970 the IOW act was
passed in Parliament that
banned large over night
gatherings of 5000.... until
2002
16
8
The Beatles came to
watch Bob Dylan in 1969
and stayed on a farm in
Bembridge
Travis sang a
Morrissey song in 2005
in tribute to the man
who pulled out!
17
9
We only narrowly got
permission to hold the
festival in 2002.. it was a
6-5 council vote
Kate Moss loved the
Island so much she
came back the
following weekend...
18
It takes 2.5 hours from
London to the festival
It brings 10 milli