If you asked me to name my favourite festival, I would tell you with no hesitation that Victorious Festival is the one I go back to, year after year – and it only seems to get better and better. Here’s why I think you should add Victorious to your festival calendar this year:
The line up
Considering it’s not one of the largest festivals in the UK (as in – it’s not your Glastonbury, Reading and Leeds, Isle of Wight Festival etc), I’d say the line up this year easily rivals that of the big hitters. With Stereophonics, Paulo Nutini, Sam Fender, Becky Hill, Bastille, The Wombats, Sugababes and many more (plus comedy from the likes of Russell Kane, Joel Dommett and Katherine Ryan), in my opinion it’s their best lineup yet (and I’m just praying to the scheduling gods that there aren’t too many clashes!) I saw Stereophonics at Victorious Festival in 2017 and they were incredible so I can’t wait to see them again, we saw Becky Hill at Isle of Wight last year and she was a real highlight, and if you saw any of Sam Fender’s set at Glastonbury then you’ll know just how anticipated his Victorious appearance is going to be!
(I should probably also mention that weekend tickets to Victorious will set you back just £170 for adults, which I always think is so reasonable given not only the lineup, but the huge amount of other entertainment and activities on offer).
It’s so family friendly
We took both the kids on the Saturday last year (Reeva was 6 and Alba was just 1) and they absolutely loved it.
Victorious is heralded for how brilliant it is for kids and this year looks no different – with their kids arena featuring appearances and meet and greets from a variety of familiar names like the Octonauts, Yolanda’s Band Jam and Baby Shark. I have to say that seeing Andy and The Odd Socks at the Kids Arena last year was probably one of my festival highlights, I had a huge smile on my face throughout their set! There’s loads to do in the kids’ area, from bouncy castles, to den building, to face painting, to kids’ karaoke, and with childrens’ tickets being as little as £1 for under 5s and £8 for 5-12 year olds, it’s a really reasonably priced day out for them.
The variety of stages
Victorious is so much more than just its ‘Common Stage’ (named due to its location on Southsea Common) – there’s the World Music Stage and the People’s Lounge, where you can see global and diverse artists from the world of hip hop, jazz, afrobeat, reggae, soul and more. The Seaside Stage has stunning coastal views and typically features up and coming local talent. The Castle Stage sits adjacent to Southsea Castle – I love the fact that you can sit on the hillier sections for great views of the stage. Finally, one new addition for 2022 is the comedy tent in the Fringe Fields – the lineup for this is brilliant and I can’t wait to see some great acts here this year. (Why do I feel like I’ll be doing a lot of running between fields and tents, I’ll certainly be getting my steps up!)
… And so much more
I feel like I’ve not even scratched the surface of all of the things I’m looking forward to seeing this year – there’s the amazing Champagne Bar set within the castle, their Market Way, hosting lots of thrift shops, craft stalls and local businesses, an incredible array of food stalls and street food vendors, their Beats and Swing Arena, and the more chilled out acoustic stage, a circus and fairground rides, and their Literacy Live literary area – you’re certainly spoiled for choice in terms of ways to spend your day. I’m already in countdown mode!
Victorious Festival is from 26-28 August, and you can buy tickets on the website.