Isle of Wight Festival First

Barely six months have gone past since the last Isle of Wight festival and already tills are ringing with the sound of ticket sales for the 2008 festival.

This time however, the tickets on sale aren’t going to get you through the gate to the main stage. Instead, the £75 Festival First tickets will buy you priority booking for a pre-sale block of Isle of Wight festival 2008 weekend camping tickets.
At first glance, this screams of being a scam. Why pay an EXTRA £75 on top of what’s likely to be in excess of £125 a ticket anyway just so you can get to the front of the ticket sales queue?

Well firstly, the £75 gets you this priviledge for three years, which is fine if you plan on going for the next three years of course (and that John Giddings and the festival organisers plan to hold or are given permission for a festival for the next three years). This works out at just £25 for each year of priority booking, so £2.08 a month or 48p a week.
Considering the hassle I had last year getting a campervan ticket, Festival First for the price of a Big Mac less each month seems like a bargain to me.

Then there’s also talk of the Festival First turnstile entrance - no doubt staffed by toga-clad virgins gently beating their palm leaves and feeding you with peeled grapes on arrival. Can’t wait.

Finally, we have a promise of further to-be-announced offers. I’m holding out for a discounted ticket price!

Official Isle of Wight festival news

2007 saw record numbers at the Isle of Wight Festival turnstiles so it’s only right that the organisers do what they can to ensure diehard fans get their tickets, it’s just a shame there’s such a premium involved. Solo are also planning to revoke any tickets issued to those that then sell them on eBay or to touts so be warned!

If last years headliners the Rolling Stones are anything to go by, 2008 has got to be amazing to stand a chance of comparing.