The Festival was founded in 1924 and in 2026 will celebrate its 97th year (there having been a break during WWII). It was originally known as the Isle of Wight Musical Competition Festival, the Isle of Wight Music, Dance and Drama Festival underwent a name change in June 2013 as it was felt that the old name was too inadequate to convey the breadth of performance disciplines that it encompassed.
The Isle of Wight Music, Dance & Drama Festival (IWMDDF), a registered charity, was established to “advance, promote and encourage generally, and by means of the Competition Festival Movement, the study and practice of the arts of Music, Dancing, Elocution, Literature and Acting in all their branches. The IWMDDF provides a platform for amateur performance combined with an educational element from professional musicians, dancers and speakers”.
Back in September 1923 a meeting attended by influential members of the music profession resolved to institute an Isle of Wight Festival. Their aim was for the festival to act as an incentive to higher standards of performance and musical appreciation on the Island. H.R.H Princess Beatrice, the then Governor of the Isle of Wight, agreed to give her patronage to the Festival. For the initial Festival, The British Federation of Musical Festivals contributed £40 and supporters raised a further £80, the grand total of £120 being roughly equivalent to a year’s wages for a skilled artisan.
In 1925, the earliest year for which we have a programme, there were 725 entries into 58 classes. In 1949 there were 1950 entries into 177 classes. In 1925 all the classes were in Ryde Town Hall, held over just four days.
The competition is now spread over three weeks every March. We consider that it is important to give those taking part the correct environment in which to perform so several different venues are now used.
All classes are judged by paid professional national and international adjudicators who have been assessed and approved by the British and International Federation of Festivals for Music, Dance and Speech. All performers are given a written assessment of their performance by the Adjudicator.
A number of young people taking part go on to careers in music, dance and drama. The award-winning film director, playwright and screenwriter Anthony Minghella, CBE, first gained his love for the theatre while taking part in the festival.
The IWMDDF is affiliated to the British and International Federation of Festivals for Music, Dance and Speech (www.federationoffestivals.org.uk), which also started in the early 1900s. It is run under their rules and we are open to inspection by them at any time. In alternate years our Dance section forms part of the All England Dance competition (www.all-england-dance.org.uk), founded in 1923 and whose main purpose is educational.
Part of the reason for our survival is that we try to evolve as the world evolves. We continue to adapt and bring in new classes as needed.