Which festival drew an estimated 600,000 people to the Isle of Wight in 1970?

The 1970 Isle of Wight Festival drew an estimated 600,000 people to the Isle of Wight.

Held from August 26 to 30, 1970, the festival was staged at Afton Farm near Freshwater. Its lineup included major acts such as Jimi Hendrix, The Who, Miles Davis, Joni Mitchell, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, and Free.

The attendance estimate is widely cited, though precise counting was difficult because the crowd vastly exceeded the event’s ticketed capacity. The huge audience helped make the festival one of the largest gatherings in British music history.

This event is distinct from the modern Isle of Wight Festival, which returned in 2002 after a long break. The 1970 edition is often remembered as a landmark counterculture gathering and as one of Jimi Hendrix’s final major festival appearances before his death in September that year.