Catch the Ferry across the Solent
To my knowledge there isn’t a song about crossing the Solent on the ferry, as it may not have the quite the same aura as crossing the Mersey. It is however closely linked to popular musical culture, and is not far across the water to the wealth of musical entertainment on offer.
I am, of course, referring to the festivals that are hosted on the Isle of Wight, notably Bestival and the official Isle of Wight festival. The Isle of Wight Festival is the ‘daddy’ of the two, having been around since the heady days of ‘flower power’ in the late sixties. Previous performers to the festival are legendary, and include some of the most famous names ever to have graced the pop music scene. In this day and age, the festival gives more opportunities to unknown artists to experience the ‘big time’ in front of audiences larger than 50,000 festival goers.
The newest of the festivals is Bestival, which has only had a regular spot for less than ten years. Possibly its reputation is more concerned with the carnival atmosphere that is generated, with its importance attached to the sounds of the radio djs. Each year at Bestival, a new theme is created by the organisers, which allows people to dress in their fancy dress costume creations. If you are the lucky winner of the fancy dress costume, you could win a life-time free access to Bestival. It’s a pretty good outcome for a little time spent making a costume from sticky back plastic and some old glue!
If you are intending travelling to one of the festivals next year, then you will have to make the trip via one of the available Isle of Wight ferry in operation. At Portsmouth there are two terminals: one to accommodate passengers travelling on foot, and the other for owners of vehicles.