Isle of Wight Festival 2026 gets underway with high-energy opening night as Joel Corry, Maximo Park and Elvana kick off the weekend

The Isle of Wight Festival has officially begun, with thousands of music fans descending on Seaclose Park for an opening night packed with singalongs, indie anthems and dancefloor favourites. Coverage of the festival is available to watch free on Sky Arts.

Isle of Wight Festival opened on Thursday with performances from Joel Corry, Maximo Park, Hot Dub Time Machine and Elvana.

• Thousands of festivalgoers arrived on site for the first day of the four-day event.
• Elvana, Hot Dub Time Machine and Maximo Park delivered crowd-pleasing sets across the evening.
• Joel Corry topped the Big Top stage with a hit-filled performance.
• Coverage of the festival is available free to watch on Sky Arts.
• Lewis Capaldi, Calvin Harris and The Cure are among the headline acts still to come.

The Isle of Wight Festival launched in style on Thursday night as crowds flocked to the famous event for the start of a weekend featuring some of music’s biggest names.

The four-day festival, running from 18-21 June, opened with performances from Joel Corry, Maximo Park, Hot Dub Time Machine and Elvana, setting the tone for what organisers hope will be one of the biggest music weekends of the summer.

Among the early highlights was Elvana, the Elvis-fronted Nirvana tribute act, who had festivalgoers singing along from the outset as they tore through a set featuring some of the most recognisable rock songs of the 1990s.

Elvis said: “Ladies and gentlemen we are Elvana – from the ‘disgraceland’.”

The atmosphere remained upbeat as Hot Dub Time Machine took fans on a journey through decades of chart favourites, sparking mass singalongs to classics including A-ha’s ‘Take On Me’, Vanilla Ice’s ‘Ice Ice Baby’ and Madonna’s ‘Like a Prayer’.

Tom Lowndes told the crowd: “I’m so happy to be here! 24 hours ago I got to Newport and it feels so good. What a beautiful weekend and it’s just getting started.”

Indie favourites Maximo Park also drew a strong reception, delivering a set packed with fan favourites including ‘Apply Some Pressure’ and ‘Books from Boxes’. The band opened with ‘The Coast Is Always Changing’, a fitting choice for the island setting.

Singer Paul Smith said: “We had to play our coastal song for you first, just because we’re here on an island. More island references later on! In the meantime are you ready to rock? Are you ready to rock on a Thursday night?!”

Later in the evening, Joel Corry brought his trademark high-energy dance set to the Big Top stage. The DJ and producer, whose catalogue has amassed more than four billion streams, performed tracks including ‘Head & Heart’, ‘OUT OUT (feat Charli XCX & Saweetie)’ and ‘BED’.

Ahead of taking to the stage, Corry said: “Absolutely buzzing to be back at the Isle of Wight Festival. I can’t wait for my set in the Big Top. It’s going to be full-on bangers, full-on energy. The vibe is already amazing. The sun is shining – Let’s go!”

While Thursday marked the start of the festivities, some of the weekend’s biggest attractions are still to come. Headline performances from Lewis Capaldi, Calvin Harris and The Cure are set to draw huge crowds, while Teddy Swims, The Kooks, Tom Grennan and Sex Pistols featuring Frank Carter are also among the major acts appearing across the festival.

Fans unable to attend in person can follow the action throughout the weekend, with coverage available free to watch on Sky Arts.