Sunday at the Sky Presents Isle of Wight Festival 2026

Shady spots were popular on Sunday at the Isle of Wight Festival

Sunday is inevitably the day at the Isle of Wight Festival when everyone is feeling a little worse for wear after a few excesses on Saturday night. Those who arrived in time for Thursday night (which has grown into a pretty decent night over the years) will by this point be on their fourth day of live music, canned wine and dancing.

To test the stamina a little further, the weather was exceedingly hot on Sunday. On the plus side, the Mountbatten hospice did a roaring trade in umbrellas as shade is hard to find at a festival.

The parasol was the must-have accessory this year

I am hatching a plan for next year to set up a stall selling an Official Keep Cool Merch Pack, which includes an umbrella shaped hat with built in fan and a block of ice sculpted into the shape of a camping chair, all for a bargain price of £99.

Local connections and returning guests

In the afternoon heat, the main stage was treated to another band with local connections. On Friday it was Wet Leg and on Sunday it was Level 42. ​

Level 42, featured Islander Mark King

There were other familiar names, including Suzanne Vega who by our count has performed at six Isle of Wight festivals (2004, 2006, 2010, 2012, 2015 and 2026 for those taking notes).

After that it was the Kooks, who returned for the first time since 2022. They also played in 2017, 2008 and 2006 so are very familiar with Seaclose Park.

The Kooks (Credit: Isle of Wight Festival 2026)

They were followed by David Gray and one of my current favourite bands – The Last Dinner Party. Not many people know this (or notice), but I’m actually very on trend. Personally, I think they are a perfect band for an early evening main stage slot. They also played in 2023, but I think that was in the Big Top.
​

The Last Dinner Party getting cosy with the front row (Credit: Isle of Wight Festival 2026)

In the Big Tent meanwhile, was Shed Seven, who last played the festival in 2021.

Shed Seven returned to the Big Top

Closing the festival

Choosing the right act for Sunday night is a tricky job to get right. On the one hand, you want to go out with a bang so that you get a magical moment of a crowd going home in a good mood whilst the fireworks blast away in the background.

On the other hand, you don’t really want an intense dance act when most people are worn out.

Add to that the logistical complications of which bands are available and which are in budget and you’ve got a complex jigsaw to put together.

For many years, Sunday night had something of a ‘heritage’ vibe to it. We’ve had David Bowie's last full UK performance (2004), The Rolling Stones (2007), The Police (2008), Neil Young (2009), Paul McCartney (2010), Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band (2012), Bon Jovi (2013), Fleetwood Mac (2015), Queen (2016), Rod Stewart (2017) and Duran Duran (2021). You might disagree that some of these are heritage acts, but if my mum’s heard of them then they’ve usually been around for a few years.

More recently, that went out the window somewhat with Muse (2022), Robbie Williams (2023), Green Day (2024) and Justin Timberlake (2025).

I’m sure someone will point out that Green Day have been going for nearly 40 years now, but I would argue that there was something of a gear change in those four years compared to the previous years.

For 2026, it fell to the The Cure to close the festival. Well, technically Jo Whiley’s 90s Anthems finished an hour later, but you know what I mean.

In all, they played 27 songs over more than two hours, including many tracks that I consider absolute classics such as Pictures of You, Just Like Heaven, Friday I’m In Love and closing with Boys Don’t Cry.

The Cure closing the Sunday night on Main Stage (Credit: Isle of Wight Festival 2026)

The credits rolled and fireworks exploded to signal the end of another belting Isle of Wight Festival.

Many thanks to everyone who made it happen - let's hope this year's sell out ensures that we can look forward to Isle of Wight Festival 2027!

Many thanks to all who made it happen