The Daily Echo's Isle of Wight Festival blog

Sunday, June 10

8.45pm: It's the moment everyone has been waiting for. You can feel the anticipation in the air as 50,000 people count down the seconds until the world's greatest rock 'n' roll band take the stage.

The Rolling Stones are just minutes away from bringing the Isle of Wight Festival 2007 to a rip-roaring climax.

Just minutes ago we caught up with Mick Jagger's daughter Jade who told us what a fantastic time she was having while waiting to see her dad strut his stuff.

She said: "I'm really excited to see my dad at a festival and something to definitely something worth taking a ferry for. I think that he keeps getting better and better, doesn't he?

"I have always been very proud of my dad. I think that he is an incredible musician and I think that you only get better at your game if you are a true artist."

7.45pm: Bizarre sights - part two.

Bianca Jagger, Kate Moss and Pete Docherty being whisked out of the backstage VIP area on board a golf buggy being driven by festival site owner John Giddings. All three were spotted enjoying the fun fair rides and attractions before returning to see the Rolling Stones.

Meanwhile Siena Miller, former girlfriend of Hollywood A-lister Jude Law, was at the festival Virgin VIP lounge enjoying a drink as The Fratellis and Keane took to the stage.

And Sixties legend Donovan, who played on Saturday, had stayed on to see contemporaries The Rolling Stones. He warmed up for their headline performance in the Carling VIP tent.

6.45pm: There is standing room only in the Seaclose Park arena as 50,000 await the Rolling Stones.

The Fratellis have just finished their set with a fantastic rendition of their hit Chelsea Beret but Keane are still to come too.

5.45pm: We have finally had our first sighting of a Rolling Stone - albeit in a blacked out vehicle.

Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood and co have arrived amid tight security.

Their blacked out jeep rolled into the Isle of Wight Festival site just moments ago.

5.00pm: Bumped into Melanie C and she told us that the Spice Girls are as close as they have ever been to reforming.

Speaking backstage, she said some of the other girls were up for a reunion and added: "Who am I to spoil the party?"

Meanwhile backstage crews are obviously preparing for the arrival of the greatest rock and roll band in history.

Between the sets of singer songwriters James Morrison and Paolo Nutini, abseilers were putting the finishing touches to the Rolling Stones own set.

The festival arena is jam packed with music lovers of all ages counting down the minutes until the legendary rockers take to the stage at 8.45pm.

The other highlights of the evening will include sets from the Fratellis and Keane.

3.30pm: Back in the arena for what is set to be the most spectacular of shows in around six hours time.

That's when the Rolling Stones will rock the Isle of Wight Festival to a close for 2007.

Backstage every security measure possible is being taken to ensure that the greatest rock legends ever make a grand entrance into Seaclose Park.

We understand that the band have taken over an entire hotel in Freshwater and that yesterday one ferry from the mainland was completely booked out as all the band's helpers and their equipment was brought onto the island ready for tonight's show.

Already the arena is packed with people anticipating just what is to come tonight as we exclusively reveal the stage has been changed especially to include a catwalk style stage into the crowds where Mick Jagger is expected to strut his stuff later.

12.30pm: The final - and biggest - day of the festival has begun. Excitement has reached fever pitch among the hordes of Rolling Stones fans waiting with bated breath to see their idols take to the stage tonight.

Rumours has it that the celebrity count will be high today and could include Mick Jagger's model daughter Jade and Kate Moss.

Six giant trailers have arrived to house the legendary rockers and organisers have been asked to construct a tunnel direct from the on-site hotel to the stage to keep the Stones' arrival private.

Meanwhile campers are cooling down with a chilly wash under hose pipes.

The third day of the festival looks like it will be hottest yet.

Saturday, June 9

11.30pm: Recently voted Britain's best live act, it was no surprise headliners Muse went down a storm. Their live show is all about driving music, pyrotechnics and incredible lighting effects. Now it's off to sample some of the post-gig atmosphere at one of the numerous bars.

9.00pm: One of the more bizarre sights to been at this year's festival must have been indie rockers Kasabian warming up for their well-received set by playing "paper scissors stone" with journalists backstage and hanging out with Mighty Boosh comedian Noel Fielding.

6.30pm: It was like turning back the clocks to the Isle of Wight Festival circa 1970 when Sixties icon Donovan took the stage with his daughter Estrella Celeste.

He told the festival crowd they were still as vibrant today as they had been in the event's heyday when giants such as Jimi Hendrix bestrode the stage.

But even his set - including his big hit Mellow Yellow - was eclipsed by a spectacular low-level fly-past by the Red Arrows.

4.30pm: We're back inside the festival site where Amy Winehouse has just taken to the stage and literally thousands of people have packed the arena to see her.

As we walked through the guest area used by the media as well as VIPs, we stopped and watched as five large motorhomes with blacked out windows were rolled on to the site, which we understand to be the comfort zone for the one and only Rolling Stones.

Amy Winehouse is understood to be so taken with the festival, the crowd and the setting that she'll be furiously trying to find a hotel room for tonight because she desperately wants to stay to see the rock legends tomorrow night.

All this and we've still got Kasabian, Ash and headliners Muse to look forward to tonight.

But the people inside the festival aren't the only ones who will catch a glimpse of tonight's musical entertainment. Literally scores of boats and hundreds of people are sitting back and enjoying the spectacular gig from the Medina River which runs alongside the Seaclose Park site.

2.30pm: Sweaty festival-goers have taken over the Island and, like us, have chosen the Heights Leisure Centre in Sandown as the place to freshen up.

It's cost us just £1.60 to feel like new women - it's hard to describe what a hair wash can do.

Feeling invigorated, we're heading back to the campsite to prepare for day two: the biggest line up of the weekend, which will see Diva, Amy Winehouse, and top bands Kasabian and Ash warming up the stage for tonight's headline act Muse.

11.30am: Desperate for a shower we thought we had the bright idea by getting in the car in a bid to escape the campsite.

But it seems it's not as easy to escape as we first thought - maybe everyone else has had the same idea.

Bleary eyed but basking in glorious sunshine thousands of festival goers are walking in and out of Newport, stocking up on supplies or simply going to find somewhere to eat and drink and perhaps wash.

Our bright idea is leaving Newport altogether and we're heading for a leisure centre in Sandown with hopes of a refreshing swim on the horizon. Despite the hangovers people are clearly in a party mood as we prepare for the gates opening for day two of the Isle of Wight Festival.

10.00am: Suffering only slightly from last night's excesses, we are up bright and early to bring you the latest news.

This morning we won't be the only ones with sore heads. Hundreds of our fellow festival goers were left queuing for up to four hours because of ticketing problems.

We understand that there have been major problems with forged tickets and wristbands which meant delays in scanning people into the festival site.

Latest reports show that among the 48 arrests were three involving counterfeit tickets.

Back to last night's matters musical, The Feeling brought the crowd their brand of infectious pop singalongs, then Groove Armada really got the 50,000-plus crowd rocking, so that by the time Snow Patrol took to the stage at 10.15pm, the reception was rapturous.

The headliners belted out numbers including Light Up Light Up and Chasing Cars to the obvious glee of the audience which was crammed into the arena to a far greater extent than previous years.

Of course there were no shortage of celebrities off-stage as well as on it.

We spotted actress Anna Friel, singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor, comedian Frank Skinner and members of punk gods The Clash.

Friday, June 8

8.00pm: The cocktails are flowing in the Virgin Radio hospitality tent and our tongues feel a little looser.

The Daily Echo now has it confirmed that legendary rockers the Rolling Stones will getting a little more up close and personal with their fans than first thought.

The Stones, one of the greatest rock bands of all time, are headlining the festival finale on Sunday night and they have asked organisers to rebuild the stage to include a catwalk into the crowd.

Backstage crews will be transforming the arena after the last revellers leave the site in the early hours of Sunday.

7.00pm: It's the moment we've been waiting for - we're sitting on the couch in the Virgin hospitality VIP tent.

The room, with a fantastic bird's eye view of the stage where tonight's first band Koopa are currently playing, is adorned with guitars of all shapes and sizes and many a celebrity autograph.

Settling down with our first cocktails of the weekend, it's a privileged place to view just what's going on all around the arena.

Already we've caught our first slice of celebrity backstage gossip about the Rolling Stones appearance on Sunday night - keep logging on and with a few more cocktails we might reveal it later.

5.14pm: Hurrah! The highlight of the musical calander is under way.

Thousands of revellers streamed through the gates of an empty Seaclose Park as the gates opened for the Isle of Wight Festival 2007.

Many sprinted into the area in a bid to grab their spots at the front.

On the dot of 5pm the fairground rides started up at the first fans started to queue for the beer tent.

Just a few moments later the first act Koopa took the stage.

4.50pm: Here we are. We have found ourselves inside the arena that is the setting for this year's music extravaganza - and there is barely a soul in sight.

But that will all be different in about ten minutes time when the gates are finally opened to the 60,000-strong crowd who are descending for the Isle of Wight Festival 2007.

The bars adorning all corners of the huge site are empty, just dozens and dozens of staff waiting for the onslaught.

Ice cream vans and the many fast food outlets are just sitting waiting for the customers to arrive.

All around are large purple bins which are currently lying empty. There are just a handful of lucky people who have been allowed in early dotted around the grass.

On the massive stage where Snow Patrol will headline tonight, production staff and security workers are standing waiting.

Final preparations include a film crew being lifted high into the sky on a crane in readiness for the coming invasion.

3.30pm: Waking up at the crack of dawn, it already feels like Friday night to us. There is only so much lying around on the grass in anticipation of what is to come that you can do.

So as we count down the final hour and a half to the gates open it's time to warm ourselves up with a glass of something fizzy to get us in the mood.

We've managed to cobble together a picnic from the bits we picked up in Cowes this morning on route to the campsite.

Some of our neighbours on the campsite are catching 40 winks or having a barbecue while others are jamming on guitars.

Tens of thousands of music lovers are now just waiting for the fun to begin.

Most are sleeping and missing all the pre-concert fun. A badger, a rabbit and a field mouse spotted among the guy ropes are among the campsite festival favourites so far.

1.30pm: As the countdown continues thousands more festival goers are arriving on the site.

One group have turned up with a whole trolley laden with a cool box. piles of blankets and everything but the kitchen sink.

Three and a half hours from the start, traffic has now reached gridlock.

Residents along the Newport Road are opening up their gardens to additional cars and campers and setting up roadside stalls.

Crates of beer and cider are piled up the side of the road for festival goers to enjoy as they bask in the sun.

Fist up on the main stage at 5pm are Koopa followed Echo and the Bunnymen, the Feeling and Groove Armada.

But the band we are waiting for are tonight's biggest attraction headliners Snow Patrol playing hits of last year's biggest selling album Eyes Wide Open.

We have paid our first visit to the toilets and so far the experience is not too awful, but we cannot help wondering with 60,000 bums on seats what the rest of the weekend has in store for us.

11.30am: Less than six hours to go until we can finally rush through the gates for the start of the Isle of Wight Festival. And the excitement is already mounting.

The 6am ferry from Southampton to East Cowes was packed with bleary-eyed revellers making their way to Seaclose Park near Newport for what has become one of the most hotly-anticipated weekends of the year.

Thousands of cars and open top buses queued the few miles to the festival site, which is already adorned with a sea of colourful tents.

We've pitched our tent in the corner of a field and are whiling away the hours waiting for the sun to burn through the clouds.