Peter Crouch delighted festivalgoers as he 'captained' a Red Funnel ferry on its way to the Isle of Wight Festival.

The footballing legend is set to kick off the four-day festival with a live recording of his That Peter Crouch Podcast along with a screening of England’s Euro 2024 group match against Denmark.

Earlier this morning, he was seen on board a ferry from Southampton packed with revellers to the Island - taking to his X account to document the moment.

Wearing a hard hat, he was given the opportunity to 'captain' the ship briefly, doing his best pirate impression to the amusement of the team around him.

He was one of many who flocked to the Red Funnel terminal on the waterfront today to get a ferry over to the island for the event, which attracts tens of thousands of people.

Southampton City Council had warned of travel disruption throughout the day - and the roads around the waterfront were congested at times.

But the ferry service - which has come under criticism from Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer in recent weeks for its reliability - seemed to cope well with the influx of passengers.

There was even entertainment for passengers before leaving the ferry terminal provided by circus act The Inferno Sisters, who said: "We just can't wait to get started and get people in the mood for the Isle of Wight Festival."

READ MORE: Isle of Wight Festival 2024 fire sends black smoke into sky

(Image: Matt Davey)

Pop rock band Scouting for Girls is set to headline Thursday night at the festival.

They are best known for their hit albums Everybody Wants to be on TV, The Light Between Us, and their debut self-titled album which reached number one in the UK album charts.

Electronic dance music band The Prodigy, as well as Johnny Marr and James Marriott, are set to be highlights on Friday.

Earlier today on the island, black smoke could be seen billowing into the sky from the festival grounds, after a golf buggy caught fire.

A spokesperson for the festival confirmed that the fire was soon brought under control, and nobody was injured.