RYDE CARNIVAL

See Ryde as you never have before  

Ariba, ariba - it's festival time on the Isle Of Wight as thousands of revellers take to the streets of Ryde for the UK's oldest and the island's biggest carnival of the year!

Throughout the summer, Islanders stage over a dozen carnivals culminating in the last carnival of the season at the end of the summer holidays - the ultimate carnival at Ryde. Featuring over 2000 performers and dozens of colourful floats, this is a sensory feast of light, sound and movement not to be missed.

Ryde carnival is reputed to be the oldest established carnival in England. The first true event was held in 1888 but the real origins extend a year further back to Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee of 1887. These days, the flamboyantly dressed dancers, creative carnival floats and giant costumed characters are more akin to Rio than Ryde. So, see Ryde as you never have before and get ready to party!

We are also pleased to inform guests that ryde carnival passes Burford house giving you a great veiw an oportunity not to be missed.

below are some pictures.

www.rydecarnival.co.uk

Isle of Wight Scooter Rally

If you fancy something a little bit different to your usual seaside attractions why not plan your holiday to coincide with the annual Isle of WightScooter Rally? The thought of thousands of colourful vintage scooters and their even more colourful owners may not be everybody’s cup of tea, but it really is a site to behold, especially the mass ride out which takes place on the Sunday of the August Bank Holiday weekend. Around 5000 scooters take part in the organised ride out, so be sure to have your cameras ready for the awesome spectacle, the scooters leave Rydeat 1pm.

The friendly scooterists have been coming to the Isle of Wight every August bank holiday for over ten years and the rally seems to get bigger each year. Over the weekend the Ryde Ice Stadium hosts most of the main evening entertainment, where bands and DJ’s play until 4am (admission prices are around £7). There’s also a massive custom show at the Ice Stadium on Saturday, where the countries hottest scooters compete for a prestigious trophy. Top custom scooters can cost in excess of £15,000 to build, so the show is well worth a visit (admission is around £3, kids are free and it runs from 10am till 4pm). Ryde is the focal point for the scooter rally and most of the pubsare full to bursting point over the weekend.

Many of the scooter riders camp at Smallbrook Stadium and with around two thousand scooterists under canvas it’s a hive of activity, day and night. There is also a scooterist dealers market which runs from Friday till Monday at Smallbrook, a small admission charge is payable to enter and you’ll find everything from scooters to t-shirts and memorabilia for sale so it’s worth a browse around. Whatever the weather, come rain or shine you won’t be able to go anywhere on the island during the Isle of Wight Scooter Rally weekend without seeing, smelling or hearing a scooter. Be sure to book your accommodationas quickly as possible because availability, especially in the area around Ryde is very scarce during the weekend. If you’d like more information on the Isle of Wight Scooter Rally, log on to: www.vfmscoot.co.uk

2007 ISLAND STEAM SHOW REAL ALE FESTIVAL

Once again traditional Real Ales from around the UK will be mixing with around 150 vintage and classic steam engines, cars, commercial vehicles, motorbikes and military vehicles at the 33rd Island Steam Show, the Isle of Wight's premier steam event, this August Bank Holiday weekend.

The Real Ale Marquee - now in its thirteenth year at the Show - adds to the overall flavour of the event. "The Island Steam Show genuinely offers something for everyone, with a traditional fairground for the youngsters, arena events all day long and hundreds of interesting and unusual exhibits, demonstrations and models," commented Show 'Landlord' Derek Bishop. "Real Ale goes hand in hand with the more traditional outdoor family event such as ours, there's nothing more relaxing than for Mums and Dads to relax in the sunshine with a cool glass of refreshing ale while the kids are enjoying the Show!" You can expect up to 40 beers from across the UK to be available over the four days of the festival, featuring a wide selection of Bitters, Milds, Stouts, Porters - all served in top class condition by our dedicated team of bar staff.

In addition to a selection of ales from our local Island breweries some of the Mainland beers choosen for the festival this year celebrate the publication of the latest Harry Potter novel - so expect to see such diverse brews as B&T Black Dragon Mild, Milestone Harry Porter and Hadrian & Border Secret Kingdom. "As ever I will be pulling out the stops to get a wide selection of unusual ales onto the bar this summer" says Derek. "In addition to the local and Mainland ales there will be also be a choice of traditional ciders and Ventnor Brewery's traditional bottled Ginger Beer which, at only 1.4% ABV is a wonderfully refreshing drink on a hot summers day"

Entry to the Beer Festival is gained by purchase of a Steam Show 2007 Admission ticket, exceptional value combining the Islands most exciting steam event with access to what will undoubtedly be the finest selection of Real Ales seen on the Island this year. Don't forget that you can travel to the Show by IWSR steam train service from Smallbrook Junction, this year historic steam locomotives 1876-built 'Terrier' class W8 'Freshwater' and Army 'Austerity' WD192 'Waggoner' will be hauling the trains made up of the Railway's historic fleet of Victorian and Edwardian carriages. Special bargain mainland travel deals are available, visit the Steam Show pagefor full details.