I grew up on the south coast in Hampshire, and when I was younger, there were no decent festivals in the area. As teens, we made the pilgrimage to Reading Festival to get our summer kicks. However, since my teenage years some truly fantastic events have popped up in the area, the pinnacle of them being Victorious Festival over the August bank holiday. A 3 day event in Portsmouth/Southsea that boasts stunning views out onto the Solent; their line up over the years has gone from local heroes to worldwide music legends.

The 2018 Victorious Festival Line Up

This year is proving to be an outstanding one from Victorious on the line-up front… With Sunday in particular looking very appealing to me! Here’s the full line up poster:

Highlights for me would be:

• The Libertines – who are (almost always) brilliant live; it’s been quite a few years since Pete Doherty’s self-described ‘unhinged’ nature has affected their gigs, they’ve been very much on form in recent times!
• Paloma Faith – this eclectic pop singer always puts on a great show and she has the most unique, gorgeous voice. An absolute delight.
• Yonaka – I was introduced to these beauties by Luisa-Christie my pal, and I honestly can’t stop listening to them! Female-fronted, high energy, foot-stomping rock. Not to be missed!
• The Correspondents – a firm festival favourite, this electro swing duo comprise of DJ Chucks and frontman Mr Bruce who commands the stage, wears the best outfits and draws you in to his hip shaking dance party.
• Dub Pistols – I can’t get enough of the Dub Pistols! Barry Ashworth & co are back again with their electro/dub/ska show. They’ve supported the Specials and Madness multiple times. That should tell you everything you need to know.
• Years & Years – already pretty big in the pop world, their new album Palo Santo will surely catapult them into superstardom. Olly’s incredible voice is the driving force of their synth-backed electropop, they will definitely put on a show!
• The Prodigy –  easily in my top 5 artists to see live; The Prodigy have a discography and live show that puts artists half their age to shame. Victorious have managed to secure them for their only UK festival appearance. What an exclusive!

Stages and Areas at Victorious

Set in the gorgeous grounds of Southsea Castle, Victorious really does have a location worth boasting about. One thing to note is there is no on-site camping, however the festival is very close to the city centre so there are lots of hotel/AirBnb options, and there are also rooms to rent in the nearby University of Portsmouth Halls of Residence (be a student again for a weekend!) or offsite camping on Farlington fields. Check out the accommodation options here.

There are four main stages; called the Common Stage, the Castle Stage, the Acoustic Stage, and the Seaside Stage. Lots of music to explore!

There’s also the Real Ale Village which will have a beer tent featuring breweries from all over the country and it’s own stage showcasing the best in indie, shanty, and folk music. A great place to mingle when you’re between acts you want to see.

You all know I love my festival food, and Victorious haven’t skipped out on their edible offerings! You can see their whole food ‘line up’ here – and I can personally recommend Burger Theory (their chicken burger is godly), Goodness Gracious for the veggies/vegans (best falafel ever) and Wrapper’s Delight for those that are hella hungry (their chicken, chorizo and halloumi ‘Bad Boy’ is the stuff of late night drunk munchies DREAMS).

Finally there is a Kids Arena which has a lot of entertainment and attractions suitable for all the family – the best part of that is it’s all free! There will be loads of things to do such as crafts, music making, theatre, rides… you can keep the kids entertained for hours. Victorious Festival has been a finalist in the Best Family Festival UK Festival Award for 2014, 2015 & 2016!

How good does all this look?

There’s loads more going on at Victorious that I have mentioned here, you can read about it all on the Explore section of their website. This really has been one of the success stories of smaller ‘local town’ festivals getting it right, and growing to become one of the big players in the UK festival game.

Where’s My Tent? will be at Victorious 2018 to review this wonderful seaside festival!

There are still tickets available at the incredible price of £50 per day (£45 Friday)

Buy tickets here for this incredible bank holiday weekend festival!

Photos provided by Victorious Festival or credited directly