Events of the Year 2007

Review of the Year 2007 As another year slowly comes to an end, before looking ahead to the New Year, what better way to say goodbye to 2007 than to reflect upon some of the superb events that have helped shaped the Island’s calendar throughout the year

	Folk & Blues Festival There was one final treat in store for music lovers this September in the form of the very first IOW Folk & Blues Festival. Like the International Jazz Festival, this event was once again set against the backdrop of Ventnor's stunning coastline
	Isle of Wight Cycling Festival Thousands of enthusiastic cyclists limbered up for this year's Isle of Wight Cycling Festival, now renowned for being one of the UK's favourite cycling events, opened by professional cyclist Tony Doyle MBE
	International Charity Classic Car Show Extravaganza A unique and spectacular collection of hand-picked classic cars made their way across to the Island for two days of charity fundraising in Newport & Ryde for the benefit of our local community
	The Bestival *Includes Exclusive Flash Gallery* This mammoth musical extravaganza was bigger than ever for 2007, with over 300 musicians & DJ's performing to 30,000 people amidst a variety of 14 very individual & unique locations

	White Air Extreme Sports Festival White Air offers World Class action from 18 sports on the water, beach, urban & land plus has recently expanded into art, 'Have a Go' activities and a full live music stage with 50 groups playing on the beach
	International Scooter Rally Widely recognised as the largest scooter event in the world, the August Bank Holiday weekend welcomed thousands of fellow scooter enthusiasts to Ryde for a fun-filled line-up of ride-outs, rally events and parties
	Island Steam Show Four days of pure nostalgia were unveiled at the Isle of Wight Steam Railway in Havenstreet this August Bank Holiday weekend, where the weather was more than generous to the organisers of this, the 33rd annual steam event
	Garlic Festival This year's Garlic Festival was bigger and better than ever, with over 300 stalls, two enormous marquees housing Island arts and crafts, multiple stages & enough garlic to fend off even the most contagious of ailments
	County Show Following a brief period of uncertainty, the Island's annual County Show returned to the Northwood Showground near Newport this August - to the great relief of hundreds of traders, farmers, residents & visitors alike
	Skandia Cowes Week *Includes Flash Gallery* One of the best sailing spectacles in the entire world witnessed 8,500 competitors per day taking part in 35 races and an influx of over 1000 yachts formulating a slight to behold in Cowes Harbour
	Chale Show A topical mix of horticultural exhibits, arena events, static displays, community projects and helicopter rides combined together to ensure that the 81st Chale Show was triumphant in leading the way for a month of summer shows

	Meridian Sandcastle Competition Blue skies may have been in short supply so far this summer but with its return to our shores this July, the Meridian Sandcastle Competition presented families with a fantastic opportunity to finally step foot out onto the golden sands
	Ryde Arts Festival The largest mixed arts event to take place on the Island is now in its seventh year. This time around the week-long infusion of local artists, musicians & performers featured events staged at various locations throughout the town

	Etchells World Championships Forty-five teams from Italy, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Hong Kong, Sweden, the USA and UK qualified and made the trip to Cowes for what was to prove to be a spectacular event with six different winners in seven races
	National Veterans Day A church service, parade, series of military displays and presentations saw nearly 400 veterans packing into the centre of Newport to attend the afternoon of events scheduled in their honour
	Round the Island Race Nearly 1,800 boats and 14,500 competitors took part in the 55-mile course around the Isle of Wight in a race that saw some of the biggest names in the sailing world competing alongside weekend sailors and family crews
	Isle of Wight Festival It was the largest music festival since the reawakening of the event back in 2002. This June 60,000 made their way to Seaclose Park for the sixth consecutive year full of expectation at the range of entertainment on offer
	Old Gaffers Festival Yarmouth's picturesque harbour was filled with life and colour for the eleventh consecutive year thanks to the presence of more than 100 visiting traditional sailing, steam and motor vessels, including the cream of the Old Gaffers fleet

	Race for Life Over 1000 women and girls joined together to take part in the only race on the Island to raise vital money for Cancer Research UK which was one of nearly 300 similar events to take place across the country as a whole
	Walk the Wight Bravely facing up to just about every conceivable element of weather the day could throw at them, over 5000 steadfast walkers battled their way across the Island to raise money for the Earl Mountbatten Hospice
	Walking Festival Featuring over 200 walks to suit all ages and abilities and with over half the Island recognised as an area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, this years Walking Festival attracted walking enthusiasts from far and wide

	Mega Wheels Classic Car Show *Includes Flash Gallery* It was believed to have been the biggest & best car show ever to be seen on the Isle of Wight - the first ever Mega Wheels Classic Car Show roared into Newchurch treating onlookers to an insight to everything imaginable on wheels
	St. George's Day Celebrations For the third consecutive year Cowes Rotary Club welcomed Island Residents and visitors to their St. George's Day Celebration in Northwood Park, which included a fancy dress parade through the town
	International Jazz (Divas) Festival Growing in size, quality and reputation year on year, this wide-ranging musical event encompassed the entire Ventnor community in its showcasing of contemporary and traditional Jazz Diva's of international acclaim

	Celebrating 25 Years of Leisure in Sandown A weekend of events was staged to commemorate the 25th anniversary of The Heights; the focal point of the local community which boasts a fascinating history coupled with a stream of dedicated customers and employees
	The Play What I Wrote Following triumphant sell-out runs in the West End, this Olivier Award Winning production travelled to Medina Theatre and along with surprise guest star Christopher Biggins, it took audiences by storm

Want to Back-Track? Re-live the highlights of the previous year by accessing our Events of the Year 2006 Archive. Simply click on the image to the right to open the files!