Woodstock 1969 vs Isle of Wight 1970, which was bigger?
So many aspects of the modern music industry have their roots in the counterculture rebellion of the 1960s. Of all these innovations, one of the most endearing is the concept of music festivals. What began as hippie free-for-alls with homemade stages and PAs is now a multi-million dollar industry spanning the entire globe. The music festival industry would be virtually unrecognisable without the pioneering influence of two iconic events: Woodstock in 1969 and the 1970 Isle of Wight Festival, which helped to cement the rock scene of the 1960s as a legendary era.
The debate over which of these two events was bigger has raged on since they were first held. Understandably, Woodstock is afforded a reputation that the Isle of Wight Festival struggles to stand up against. It is often thought that this reputation is only given to the New York festival, given that it was among the very first rock festivals of such a large scale. In actuality, the origins of the Isle of Wight Festival predates Woodstock by a year.
In contrast to the Isle of Wight Festival, which had a few years of experience already under its belt by 1970, Woodstock was famously disorganised. Organised predominantly by Michael Lang – whose reputation was later tarnished by the disastrous nature of Woodstock 1994 and Woodstock 1999 – the festival grossly underestimated the number of attendees and struggled to enforce ticket prices, meaning that it eventually became a free concert.
Woodstock also experienced many technical difficulties and unexpected interferences, which meant the schedule for performances fell apart very quickly, leading to headliners like The Who performing in the early hours of the morning. There is no doubt, therefore, that the Isle of Wight Festival certainly won the battle for organisation.
The answer to the question ‘which festival was bigger?’ depends on your definition of ‘big’. If we are talking purely about attendance, then the Isle of Wight Festival wins hands-down. It is estimated that as many as 700,000 people made the pilgrimage to Afton Down in 1970, whereas Woodstock has a maximum estimated attendance of 500,000. Admittedly, the Isle of Wight Festival also boasted an arguably superior line-up to Woodstock. The five-day event featured iconic figures like Jimi Hendrix and The Who, in addition to many names who didn’t appear at Woodstock, such as The Doors, Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen and Joni Mitchell, among many others.
Despite the obvious superiority of the Isle of Wight as a music festival, the event certainly did not experience the same culture-defying reputation as Woodstock. For all its issues and problems, the New York festival signified the pinnacle of the counterculture movement and the rock scene, which went on to influence the subsequent history of music and culture. While the 1970 Isle of Wight Festival might have a legendary reputation among music obsessives, there is no doubt that Woodstock is much better known by the general public.
The battle between Woodstock and the Isle of Wight Festival entirely depends on your classifications. Either way, both events were vitally important in establishing the world of music festivals, and both festivals featured some of the greatest line-ups in the history of rock music. In terms of lasting legacy, Woodstock probably commands a greater status than the Isle of Wight, yet the Isle of Wight is still being held to this day, in stark contrast to Woodstock.
When did the Isle of Wight Festival first take place?
The 1970 Isle of Wight Festival was certainly the peak of the event’s existence, but it was not the first time a rock festival had come to the shores of the island. A precursor to the festival came in 1968, when Hayles Field hosted ‘The Great South Coast Bankholiday Pop Festivity’. This event featured an incredible line-up, with Jefferson Airplane and Arthur Brown headlining the event – though the former were advertised as ‘The Jefferson Airplane’.
After the intense success of the festival in 1968, 1969 and, of course, 1970, the festival did not take place for another three decades. In 2002, the festival was resurrected as ‘Rock Island’, featuring headliners The Charlatans and Robert Plant. Since then, the festival has taken place as The Isle of Wight Festival every year, with the exception of 2020 and 2021, when live music events were prevented by Covid-19 restrictions.
