'THOUSANDS and thousands' of Isle of Wight Festival fans have snapped up early bird tickets.

All the early bird and Islander tickets that were released on Friday have already sold out, and festival boss John Giddings said he was delighted.

"It's incredible. We decided to do the offer because it's the 50th anniversary and it really took off. We had to stop or we would have sold all the tickets," said John.

"I never confirm numbers, but it's thousands and thousands of tickets."

John said he hoped to announce all three headliners on December 4 — but declined to hint who might grace the main stage.

Any Spice Girls fans excited about rumours of a reunion probably shouldn't get their hopes up though. When asked if John would book them, he said: "I'm not sure they are right for the festival. Do you think they are?"

"Acts can pull out even a minute before the announcement so I'm not going to tempt fate.

"It's not just about the acts or the entertainment, it's the whole atmosphere and vibe. All I care about is that people enjoy the event.

"We've got great loyalty and we have to provide for people."