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BIT OF ALL WIGHT

Isle of Wight Festival kicks off as music fans in bikini tops, rain macs and wellies brave the mud to join in the fun

Festival-goers have descended on the Isle of Wight for the four-day event

THOUSANDS of music lovers are descending on the Isle of Wight to enjoy performances from the likes of Rod Stewart, Arcade Fire, Run DMC and David Guetta at the first major festival of the summer.

Revellers were today seen queuing at the gates to the four-day event, which is set to welcome acts including former Spice Girl Melanie C, The Kooks, Razorlight, Alison Moyet, Rag 'N' Bone Man and Clean Bandit.

Two young women enjoy a fairground ride at the annual festival, which is the first major music festival of the summer
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Two young women enjoy a fairground ride at the annual festival, which is the first major music festival of the summerCredit: Reuters
A group of friends take a break from dancing to smile for the camera in one of the festival's music tents
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A group of friends take a break from dancing to smile for the camera in one of the festival's music tentsCredit: Reuters
A woman wearing wellies is seen finishing a drink as she faces the thick mud on the festival site
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A woman wearing wellies is seen finishing a drink as she faces the thick mud on the festival siteCredit: Cover Images
A group of friends don matching fuschia ponchos to ward of the showers
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A group of friends don matching fuschia ponchos to ward of the showersCredit: Cover Images
One festival-goer decided to take a nap on the grass, despite the mud
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One festival-goer decided to take a nap on the grass, despite the mudCredit: Reuters
Police could be seen travelling around the extremely muddy site in buggies
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Police could be seen travelling around the extremely muddy site in buggiesCredit: Cover Images
This group of festival-goers saw the funny side of the bad weather with these novelty cover-ups
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This group of festival-goers saw the funny side of the bad weather with these novelty cover-upsCredit: Cover Images
A fearless street artist walks through the festival performing with a flaming hoop
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A fearless street artist walks through the festival performing with a flaming hoopCredit: Reuters
A man appears to juggle three flaming batons as he parades through the annual festival
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A man appears to juggle three flaming batons as he parades through the annual festivalCredit: Reuters

Thanks to this week's miserable weather, many festival-goers were spotted wearing wellies and novelty rain ponchos as they braved the mud - although the weather is set to improve over the weekend.

But the not-exactly-summery conditions today didn't hold anyone back - with groups of young women spotted enjoying fairground rides, drinking and dancing, as street performers including a flame-juggler delight the crowds.

Hampshire police say they will provide a "heightened presence" at the event at Seaclose Park, Newport, in response to the recent terrorist attacks and advised the public to be "alert but not alarmed".

The rain didn't put this party-goer off as she was seen laughing through the rain in a vivid pink poncho
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The rain didn't put this party-goer off as she was seen laughing through the rain in a vivid pink ponchoCredit: Reuters
A dog sniffs for contraband in revellers' belongings, as police announce there will be heightened security at the festival
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A dog sniffs for contraband in revellers' belongings, as police announce there will be heightened security at the festivalCredit: PA:Press Association

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Meanwhile festival organiser John Giddings has said the line-up is "one of the best" in the event's 16-year history since he relaunched the legendary festival of the early 1970s.

Other acts taking to the stage during the weekend include Bastille, Catfish and the Bottlemen, Zara Larsson, The Vamps, The Amazons, Starsailor, The Pretenders, Kaiser Chiefs, Imelda May and Scouting For Girls.

Since the festival was relaunched in 2002, world famous headline acts have included The Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, REM, Coldplay, Blur and Foo Fighters.

The festival became famous when it hosted a series of events which culminated in 1970 with 600,000 hippies descending on the island to see Jimi Hendrix and other legendary acts.

This woman's see-through rain jacket meant she could still show off her festival-wear
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This woman's see-through rain jacket meant she could still show off her festival-wearCredit: Getty Images
This young woman showed off her elaborate purple make-up as she danced at the festival in Seaclose Park
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This young woman showed off her elaborate purple make-up as she danced at the festival in Seaclose ParkCredit: Getty Images
A woman dressed in a black corset and fishnet tights performs at the festival
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A woman dressed in a black corset and fishnet tights performs at the festivalCredit: Getty Images
This man was certainly prepared for the rain in his bright orange rain jacket and luminous waterproof trousers
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This man was certainly prepared for the rain in his bright orange rain jacket and luminous waterproof trousersCredit: Cover Images
Festival-goers queue at the gates into the park with their belongings and tents ahead of the weekend
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Festival-goers queue at the gates into the park with their belongings and tents ahead of the weekendCredit: PA:Press Association

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