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Creative Island and partners will lead a transformative programme of cultural activity on the isle in 2025 and 2026.

We are pleased to award £404,000 in Place Partnership funds to Creative Island. Further support from Isle of Wight Council, National Landscapes, community trusts and individual donors brings the combined package for creativity and culture to £704,000. 

Creative Island will champion creativity as a key characteristic of the island and a central contribution to the area’s long-term growth. Local partners will combine expertise to showcase creativity and culture in every corner of the island, culminating with a 6-week celebration in autumn 2026.

Ventnor Fringe's nomadic big top brings cultural events to all corners of the isle. Image Courtesy of Creative Island. Photographer: Julian Winslow

Confirmed partners include Artswork, Isle of Wight Community Action, Creative Lives, Independent Arts, National Landscapes, Vectis Radio, as well as all five of the isle’s Arts Council supported National Portfolio Organisations (NPOs): Creative Island, New Carnival Company, Quay Arts, Shademakers, and Ventnor Exchange.

On the announcement, Phil Gibby, Area Director, Arts Council England South West recently said:

“The Isle of Wight’s cultural ambitions are clear to everyone right now. From the opening of Department in Ryde, and the achievements of Platform One, the transformation of Ventnor and the wonderful carnival culture that brings the Island together, this is a place where the arts are at the heart of every conversation.

“Our investment will enable the Isle of Wight to go to the next level with its ambition; we applaud the artists, cultural leaders, politicians, and stakeholders who have done so much to make this possible.” 

New Carnival's Isle of Wight Mardi Gras 2023: Year of the Coast. ​Image Courtesy of Creative Island. Photographer: Tracy Curtis

Plans are in motion for ambitious activities across the isle’s towns and villages. Communities will be encouraged to celebrate their distinct identity, young people will gain new skills and learn about sustainable careers, and individuals of all ages and abilities will explore their unique connection to the area.

Gavin Stride, director of Creative Island recently said:

“This is such a positive signal for the island, recognising as it does the remarkable creative community that exists here. It offers us an opportunity to demonstrate what we are capable of together. Our dearest hope is that this is the start of something bigger in which the wider world recognises the Isle of Wight as the special, ambitious and creative place that it is.”

The Place Partnership follows an exciting season of cultural announcements on the Isle of Wight – a Priority Place, including:

• The publication of Isle of Wight’s Cultural Strategy, All The Wonder.
• Department opening in Ryde – a new home for culture led by carnival company Shademakers and made possibly with a £2.4 million grant from our Cultural Development Fund.
• Ventnor Exchange Arena; a new multi-purpose travelling Big Top, purchased with a £225,000 award from our Capital Investment Programme.