The Bestival 2008 was the fifth instalment of the Bestival a boutique music festival at Robin Hill on the Isle of Wight. The festival was held between 5–7 September 2008 and over 30,000 people attended.

The festival was nominated for Best Medium Sized Festival, Grass Roots Festival Award, Family Festival Award, Best Lineup and Best Toilets in the UK Festival Awards.^[1]

2008 marked the return of Bestival Radio. The station broadcast on-site and kept listeners camping at the festival up-to-date on news and events over the weekend. Bestival FM was sponsored by Jokers' Masquerade^[2]

The event was marred by heavy rain on the Friday and Saturday causing stage closures and widespread misery for festival-goers.^[3] The fancy dress theme was '30,000 freaks under the sea' so most were prepared for the ensuing aquatics.

• BBC Introducing: Cage the Elephant, Will Young, The Bees - a number of artists including Black Kids, Sam Sparro, Lykke Li, The Shortwave Set, Ida Maria, Natty, Noah and the Whale, Hadouken!, Late of the Pier and Pete & The Pirates had been due to play but were cancelled due to flooding of the lower part of the Bestival site
• Red Bull 54 Speakeasy: Alphabeat, Lethal Bizzle, The Sugarhill Gang, DJ Yoda
• Bandstand: Yacht, Sophie Barker, Misty's Big Adventure, Lucky Elephant, MC'd by comedian Scott Anderson