Not only will the clock be turning back on the track at this year’s Isle of Man Classic TT Races presented by Bennetts, but away from the race track the official entertainment schedule will also reflect times gone by including a series of screenings of retro classics at the Classic TT Sundown Cinema.

While Mike Hailwood was delivering a performance that has transcended the sport and remains one of the greatest moments in TT history, the silver screen was enjoying its own renaissance delivering films that remain as relevant today as they were forty years ago.

And the Classic TT Paddock will play host to four iconic films from this era with a free to view outdoor cinema behind the main TT Grandstand.

The Classic TT Sundown Cinema opens on the evening of Friday 24th with a screening of Star Wars – A New Hope. No list of the greatest films of the Seventies would be complete without the multi-billion dollar industry that is Star Wars and little did anyone know how the first film in the series would go on to spawn its own identity that became ingrained into every subsequent generation and continues to do so over forty years later.

Saturday evening’s film – Grease – is not only a film that defined two generations – the fifties and the seventies when it was released in 1978 but it also fuelled the disco scene with a series of hits that continue to pack dance floors today.

Sunday’s film, released in 1978, is the first in the Superman franchise that ultimately paved the way for today’s modern DC comic blockbusters. The film was the second highest grossing movie of 1978, behind only Grease.

The four-film schedule concludes on Monday 27th with Quadrophenia. Appropriately for the Classic TT, this 1979 offering turns the spotlight on a previous era, focusing on the seaside clashes between mods and rockers in the 1960’s. The film’s definitive mod soundtrack not only entertained cinema goers but also, featuring tracks by the likes of Booker T and the MG’s, James Brown and the Ronettes as well as the Who, rebooted the culture, fashion and music of the earlier generation.

The films will be shown from 9pm on Friday 24th, Saturday 25th, Sunday 26th and Monday 27th August.  

The Classic TT Sundown Cinema is part of an extensive four-day entertainment schedule at this year’s event which kicks off at midday on Friday 24th August with the Classic TT Paddock Carnival featuring chat shows, live music and family entertainment as well as an appearance from perennial stunt show favourites The Purple Helmets.  

The packed programme also features two days of Classic TT racing on Saturday 25th and Monday 27th August, the now notorious Classic TT Party on the evening of Saturday 25th August, the Festival of Jurby on Sunday 26th August and the RST Classic TT Heroes dinner on Sunday evening.

Classic TT Grandstand tickets are available now starting from as little at £5 with race day tickets priced at £30. VIP experiences, tickets for the Classic TT Party on Saturday 25th August and the RST Classic TT Heroes Dinner on Sunday 26th August are all available to buy now at iomtt.com