ISLE of Wight Festival 2021 will get under way later today.

Scouting For Girls and Sophie Ellis Bextor perform in The Big Top as a Thursday night warm up to the main event.

Last year's Covid cancelled festival should have been a 50th anniversary celebration of the iconic Jimi Hendrix performance at the festival, so tribute band Are You Experienced? open the proceedings.

Southampton's own FooR have a DJ set as a pre-cursor to the live music.

Daily Echo:

Curator John Giddings is also encouraging festival-goers to look to the skies at 5pm this afternoon for a welcome treat!

The 19th edition of the festival in the new millennium will feature sets from Liam Gallagher, Tom Jones and James on the main stage tomorrow night.

Daily Echo:

Saturday night headliners on the main stage are Snow Patrol, while the event will close on Sunday to the sounds of Duran Duran.

Also on Sunday, Martin Kemp and Lady Leshurr are going head to head on Sunday afternoon with two bands of incredible musicians - who just happen to be over 64.

Filmed for the BBC, the two stars have each formed and mentored a band over the summer for this one-off event Rock of All Ages. The crowd will be asked to vote for their favourite.

The Big Top has a particularly impressive line up this year with performances from Razorlight, Primal Scream and Kaiser Chiefs over the course of the weekend at Seaclose Park in Newport.

Organisers were not prepared to miss a second shindig, so moved their usual June date to September to allow Covid restrictions to ease. It gave them the opportunity to refresh the almost entirely British line-up and create a few more amusements for music lovers.

Daily Echo:

The Hipshaker Lounge and Intoxicated Tea Rooms make a welcome return with the famous WWII bunker to be discovered.

There is a new tent in Electric Ladyland called Hunky Dory, where you can find The Circus of Horrors, Club de Fromage and the Silent Disco amongst other fun. Electro Love is still there, of course, rocking the 80s and 90s.

Hot tips among the wealth of new talent on display around the site include The Snuts, Megan McKenna, The K’s, Maisie Peters, Apollo Junction, Lyra, Currls on the River Stage, as well as Wet Leg.

With the Southampton International Boat Show still in full swing, ferries are expected to be very busy.

Tickets are available from isleofwightfestival.com