2022 - 2023 Isle of Wight Festival Stats & Facts

The shores of Newport were braced with one of the UK’s most iconic music events once more in 2022. With its bustling crowds and blasting sounds, the Isle of Wight Festival left attendees with memories that’ll last a lifetime and a desire for more music in 2023.

50, 000 people attended the festival in 2022.
Comedic performances were featured for the first time at the festival in 2022.
100, 000 cups of water were handed out to attendees amid level two high-temperature alerts in 2022.
In 2022, 73% of the festival’s lineup were male artists, compared to 27% of female artists.
38% of people who reported liking the festival were Millennials, 48% were Gen X and 45% were Baby Boomers in 2022.
‘The Washroom’ and a mobile locker will be new additions to the festival in 2023.

Who Went To The Isle Of Wight Festival In 2022?

The first Isle of Wight Festival was held near the English Village of Godshill in 1968 and saw around 15, 000 attendees. 54 years on, the festival remains, and 50, 000 attendees came together at Seaclose Park in Newport to listen to world-class music for four days straight between the 16^th and 19^th of June in 2022.

Amongst the thousands of attendees were the many stars. Headliners for the festival in 2022 included:

Lewis Capaldi: Headlined the main stage on Friday the 17^th of June. It was his first time performing after he had taken two years off to finish his second album. It also marked his first time at the festival- he was meant to perform in 2020 and 2021 but Covid-19 and album-related delays meant that he was unable to.

Kasabian: Headlined the main stage on Saturday the 18^th of June. Their performance marked their third time at the festival.

Muse: Headlined the main stage on Sunday the 19^th of June for their second time at the festival. They arrived by hovercraft.

There was more laughter than ever before at the Isle of Wight Festival in 2022, as comedic performances were featured for the first time.

The lineup was created by The Comedy Store and featured stand-up comedians in the Hunky Dory area of the festival on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at 1 pm.

The comics included Tom Ward, Jake Lambert and Sophie Dunker.

All performances at the festival could be enjoyed from 13 different areas, which included the Hunky Dory area, ElectroLove, River Stage, The Intoxicated Test Rooms and more.

Representation In The 2022 Lineup

73% of the festival’s lineup was male, compared to 27% female. The low level of representation for women and non-binary artists is on trend with other festivals in the U.K.

This is concerning given the Musician’s Union’s research which found that one-third of British musicians were thinking of quitting their careers because of a lack of work and financial support- needed now more than ever as the effects of the pandemic are being felt.

The Isle of Wight Festival has also been criticized for not booking enough new talent.

The Popularity of the Isle of Wight Festival in 2022

YouGov is a statistics site that measures nationally representative popularity scores for things like brands, companies, people, and more. Using 1291 nationally representative interviews of the Great Britain population, this is what they found out about the Isle of Wight Festival in 2022:

The festival ranked third in popularity in the country, below Glastonbury Festival and The Proms.
79% had heard of the festival, 42% said that they liked it, 7% disliked it, and 30% felt neutral towards it.
38% of people who reported liking the festival were Millennials, 48% were Gen X and 45% were Baby Boomers.
41% of men said that they liked the festival, compared to 44% of women.
The political views held by those who liked the festival included conservative (46%), labour (48%), and liberal democrats (44%).

The 2022 Theme

The theme for the 2022 festival was ‘Sirens & Sailors: The Life Aquatic’. The aim of the theme was to turn the festival into what the organizers termed a ‘marine paradise’.

The best-dressed winners were announced at Strawberry Fields at 2 pm on Saturday the 18^th of June. Winners received a backstage champagne picnic.

Too Hot To Handle in 2022

The festival was cancelled in 2020 and had been delayed to September 2021. 2022 marked the first time in two years that it was held in summer- and it was hotter than ever!

Temperatures as high as 30 degrees Celsius were expected for the festival, and the UK Health Security Agency subsequently sent out a level two alert about the high temperatures from Friday to Sunday.

The festival said that they had 100, 000 cups to hand out to attendees with water in them as a way of ensuring that everyone remained hydrated. The festival also consulted a doctor beforehand to learn how to treat someone with heatstroke.

Ticket Prices

The ticket prices for 2022 were £195 but were £145 for residents of the Isle of Wight. The prices increased to £215 for 2023.

For The Children In 2023

The Isle of Wight Festival is a family-friendly affair! There will be a Kids Zone in 2023 where a variety of events and arts and crafts activities will take place as well as performances from musicians, circus acts, and magicians.

New Areas In 2023

2023 will see a few new additions to the facilities at the festival.

‘The Washroom’ is one of them and will offer a flushing toilet, a pamper zone, and shower facilities. You can buy a pass for the whole weekend for £60.

‘Mobile Locker UK’ has smart lockers and is also new to the festival. The lockers come in two different sizes and are complete with a universal plug and two USB ports. They will be positioned in the General Campsite, the Main Arena, Strawberry Fields, and the Accessible Campsite.

Looking Forward To 2023 Talent At The Festival

The Isle of Wight Festival will take place once more between the 15^th and 18^th of June in 2023 and the first batch of performers has already been announced.

Pulp will headline the event on Friday the 16^th of June. Their performance will mark 12 years since they last played at the festival. The Human League, OneRepublic and Sophie Ellis-Baxter will also be included in their lineup.

George Ezra will headline on Saturday the 17^th of June with The Chemical Brothers, Scouting for Girls, and The Reytons also playing

Robbie Williams will headline on Sunday the 18^th of June followed by Nial Horan, Manic Street Preachers, and Echo & the Bunnymen.

One thing is for sure, the festival just keeps on getting better.

Sources