A large crowd faces the Isle of Wight Festival main stage at dusk during The Cure's headline performance. The stage is filled with dramatic white haze and beams of light. The two flanking LED screens display close-ups of a red electric guitar being played, alongside text referencing the band. Trees are visible on the horizon against a pale evening sky. A pink inflatable flamingo can be seen rising above the crowd on the left.
A country band performs on the Last Chance Saloon stage inside a marquee tent at the Isle of Wight Festival. A large wooden sign reading "Last Chance Saloon" with a mounted skull hangs prominently above the stage. The band includes a male vocalist in a black cowboy hat and embroidered western shirt, a female vocalist in a white dress and cowboy hat, a guitarist in a checked shirt, and a further guitarist on the left. The audience in the foreground is densely packed, with many wearing cowboy and wide-brimmed hats. Warm amber stage lights illuminate the scene against an early evening sky visible through the open sides of the tent.
A festival stage bathed in deep purple lighting, with a large LED screen displaying "Rose Gray" in bold white block lettering over a backdrop of a blurred fast-moving road. Stage lights beam outward in vivid purple rays above the screen. A gathering crowd stands in the foreground facing the stage, with guitars on stands visible to the right awaiting the performance.
Level 42 perform on a large outdoor festival stage, with the band's name displayed on the LED backdrop in multicoloured neon-style lettering outlined in rainbow hues. Several band members dressed in black are spread across the stage — a bassist prominent at the front, with horn players, a drummer behind a large kit with gold cymbals, and other musicians visible. Camera operators are positioned at the front and side of the stage. A warm orange light glows from stage left.
A wide shot of the Sky-sponsored Isle of Wight Festival main stage during Suzanne Vega's performance on a sunny afternoon. A central LED screen displays her name in bold red lettering. A side screen shows a close-up of Suzanne performing, wearing a black top hat, black sleeveless top, and gold layered necklaces whilst playing an acoustic guitar. The large crowd in the foreground wear hats and summer clothing, many holding up phones to capture the moment. The festival's colourful branded canopy is visible above the stage.

This morning was almost a carbon copy of yesterday, although our seat on the open-top bus was considerably less breezy, and the choice we had for breakfast, “French toast”, was not as good as yesterday’s fare: no match for hash browns in flavour or portion. Corinne Atkins delivered another country-music morning, including some well-known songs and a Carrie Underwood cover that got me singing along, before we started the main-stage walk.

As with Wet Leg, Fugo Kid is a Platform One alumnus, and he was opening the main stage today. Wonderful to see more local talent on the main stage. I hope his hip-hop-infused music takes him places. There was definitely a group of supportive locals at the front, and it was nice to see a festival like this supporting local talent.

Next up, I’d expected Suzanne Vega to be one of my highlights. I love her music, and she was brilliant at the Royal Albert Hall last year. But, as with Alison Moyet last year, I think she packed her set with the wrong songs, in spite of opening with Marlene on the Wall. And then, in the end, she ended with Luka because she ran out of time for the song the crowd really wanted, Tom’s Diner. There was very obvious disappointment and confusion in the crowd as she left the stage. Obviously, I don’t know how they ended up in that position, but I would have hoped an artist of her stature and experience would have understood how to programme and time a festival set. I assume something that wasn’t obvious had gone wrong. Shame, but we did not let it get us down.

If that was the biggest disappointment of my 2026 festival, next up was, perhaps, the biggest surprise. Level 42 arrived on stage and commenced a forty-five-minute jazz, funk and pop set that was almost without a gap, and precisely to time. The Sun Goes Down (Living It Up) and Lessons in Love were highlights, and once again, they received local support, with the King brothers being originally islanders. I’ll be looking to see when they’re next playing nearby because it was a joyous set. What better way to spend an afternoon dancing, or trying to, in the sunshine?

Next, David Gray opened his set with Babylon, which caught the crowd’s interest from the very start. He surprised us with a Depeche Mode cover, Just Can’t Get Enough, before Sail Away. A solid, chilled set that was well appreciated in the blazing Sunday sun at Seaclose Park, but didn’t allow us to continue our Level 42-inspired grooving. Perhaps we needed to relax a bit as it was turning into a blazing hot afternoon.

By now, we were cooking and sought shade down by the River Stage, where, after a refreshing half-hour sitting down with a cold 7-Up, we watched Fever Dream Kills. Up front, a singer named Stars Walker was all tough vibes during the tunes and a softie when telling us the stories. Apparently, it was only the band’s 10th-ever gig, and the genuine excitement emanating from the stage was a bit infectious. Their cover of Spice Up Your Life is definitely another highlight, but shouldn’t overshadow their own powerful original compositions. Another new band found to follow.

That, to me, is perhaps one of the most important points of the festival. While all the headliners we’ve seen over the years have been good, the magic is in the other acts — some I’ve heard of, some I haven’t. We keep telling ourselves that one year, we will intentionally skip most of the main stage and spend time with all the other talent across the site. Maybe next year?

Next, to the Big Top. At the point we arrived, empty and technically in the shade, the heat was building. We were there for Rose Gray, another new British artist, part house music, part indie vibes. When it started, I was expecting more performance art than pure pop songstress. A story with a clothes rack full of outfits looked like it was about to unfold; there was a costume and shoe change, but then the idea fizzled out. That bit was bizarre. She is developing a following, many of whom were at the front singing along. I think it was a shame there weren’t more people to see it. Club To Your Arms is another track I discovered at my festival, but by the time it finished, I was glad to be out of the heat under the Big Top, where there was no breeze, and into the glare of the late-afternoon sun, where there was some air movement.

We were back at the country music venue for the Charnwood Country Collective, who did a set of country tunes that got a lot of us singing along, and again, a big turnout for the line dancers. We found a table and had dinner from Oink BBQ and allowed ourselves to relax for a while before the pilgrimage back to the main stage for The Cure, who were the last-night headliners.

We found a decent spot where we could see the band, hear the music and have a little bit of space away from the front. There seemed to be fewer people than had been around for Friday’s closing. It seems a number of people had headed out after The Kooks had finished their set. We hung around for about an hour, with Pictures of You being the only song vaguely recognised. The Cure were more my brother’s type of band when we were younger, and he is off to see them in Dublin shortly. It didn’t quite have the energy I wanted at that point in the evening, but I am glad I got to see a bit.

As we headed out, we stopped off at Hipshaker Lounge, where a Guilty Pleasures-style disco was just getting underway, and that was much more of an upbeat way to end our festival. As with every time we’ve been here, the bus back to Ryde is easy to get and runs frequently, even late at night.

I think this was my favourite year at the festival. Early-bird tickets for 2027 go on sale next week, and we’re already considering purchasing them. There’s something about music, familiar or not, even music I wouldn’t normally listen to, that’s captivating live. I wish I could do more of it.