THE final countdown has begun towards one of the largest events the Isle of Wight has staged for many years.

The Isle of Wight Festival from June 3 to 16 starts in just over three weeks, and will feature hundreds of musicians performing before a combined audience of many thousands.

The launch pad for the event will be the Rock Island concert at Seaclose Park, Newport on Monday June 3, featuring acts including The Charlatans, Ash, Starsailor and Robert Plant. As many as 25,000 are expected to attend it.

Just as important will be the scores of other events throughout the two weeks, ranging from blues, folk, jazz and world music, to samba, classical and dance.

The festival, and particularly the Rock Island concert, is aimed at restoring the Island's musical reputation, established with the three famous festivals of 1968, 1969 and 1970 at Godshill, Wootton and Freshwater.

Acts who appeared on the Island back then included Jimi Hendrix, The Who, The Doors, The Moody Blues, Bob Dylan, Procol Harum and Joni Mitchell.

Linked in with the 2002 event is the creation of a permanent exhibition at Dimbola Lodge, Freshwater to commemorate the three festivals from 30-plus years ago.

The display, to be launched on June 3, will feature programmes, posters, press cuttings, tickets, photos and other memorabilia from the old festivals.

The events of the 1968-1970 period attracted massive crowds, with the Freshwater festival topping an estimated 250,000.

By last week, organisers said 6,000 tickets had been sold for the Rock Island concert, with interest from all over the UK.

Events manager with organisers Wight Leisure, Rachael Board, said they were confident of reaching the 15,000 break-even figure. While the launch concert has tended to steal the headlines, the dozens of other events are offering music for a wide variety of tastes.

Some, such as the open air jazz event at Wootton recreation ground, and the Movie Classic event at Ryde Cricket Club are hoping to attract large numbers of picnickers to their outdoor performances.

There are also performers with links to the old festivals returning, including The Crazy World of Arthur Brown, who appeared at Godshill in 1968, and Tony McPhee's The Groundhogs, who were at the 1970 Freshwater event.

Organisers say 240 acts are booked to appear at 58 different venues around the Island, and the number is still rising.

A major series of events is the Roots In The Garden concerts at Ventnor Botanic Garden, featuring blues, folk and traditional music.

Island nightspots such as The Balcony at Ryde and Club Temptation at Newport are also getting in on the act, with themed evenings. Other venues with regular performances during the two weeks are the Royal Squadron Hotel at Ryde, and Newport's Riverside Centre.

Island bellringers are taking part, with events at churches throughout the Island, and special celebratory peals to mark the festival and the Queen's Golden Jubilee.

FOR THE FULL IOW FESTIVAL 2002 PROGRAMME GO TO: http://www.thisishampshire.net/hampshire/leisure/MUSIC.html