Experience Hendrix – Isle Of Wight Festival 1970 Exhibition To Open At Dimbola

The spirit and legacy of Jimi Hendrix is set to return to the Isle of Wight next year with a new exhibition opening at Dimbola Museum and Galleries.

Experience Hendrix – Isle of Wight Festival 1970 will open on 27 May 2026, celebrating the guitarist’s legendary final UK performance at the Isle of Wight Festival in August 1970.

The show is sponsored by Solo Music Agency and will be hosted at Dimbola Museum and Galleries, which is already closely linked to the festival’s history.

Hendrix’s set at Afton Down, just across the fields from Dimbola, is remembered as his largest ever UK performance, with more than half a million people believed to have attended the historic weekend.

The exhibition will feature rare photographs, live footage and memorabilia from the festival, alongside personal memories from those who were there.

Dimbola already houses a permanent display dedicated to the 1970 festival, as well as a bronze statue of Hendrix in its gardens, commissioned by Isle of Wight Festival promoter John Giddings.

The new exhibition also marks 20 years since the statue was installed.

Giddings, who revived the modern Isle of Wight Festival in 2002, said the experience of seeing Hendrix perform in 1970 had a lasting impact on him and inspired his return to festival promotion.

Dr Brian Hinton, Executive Chair of Dimbola Museum and Galleries, said Hendrix’s performance remains closely tied to the Island’s cultural and artistic heritage, adding that the site is the “perfect place” to reflect on that legacy.

The exhibition opens ahead of this year’s Isle of Wight Festival at Seaclose Park in June, continuing the Island’s long-running musical tradition for new generations of fans.

Experience Hendrix – Isle of Wight Festival 1970 runs from 27 May 2026 and will be included in standard museum admission.