The Victorious Festival team have done it again, delivering yet another brilliantly curated event that somehow manages to raise the bar even higher than last year.

For me, and like many of our readers, the festival has become a family affair. From Bluey to Disney Princesses, rides and free ice-creams from the Nivea stall, there was no shortage of magical moments to keep them entertained.

Mornings and early afternoons are very much child-led in our household. While my partner and I try to steal a few fleeting moments of freedom—maybe catching a band or bumping into friends—it’s never long before we hear the familiar cry of “Muuuuuuum!” or “Daaaaaad!” and we’re off to the next activity. Thankfully, keeping them engaged isn’t difficult with so much going on.

With a young family, opting for the VIP ticket is something that I would recommend. The easy access to a bar, toilets, free face painting and the raised viewing platform make it worthwhile for me, while the kids could have to spend hours in the Connor’s Toy Library tent.

If you’re not aware of them, they run daily pop-up events across the city Monday to Friday. They offer toy loans, play sessions, and peer support, eventually expanding across the city due to growing demand. Since learning about them a few years ago, we regularly take our youngest to their play sessions.

It isn’t just the VIP area which included free activities for the kids, the designated Kids Area was full of activities, the most popular for our kids were the tea cups, swing boats and the chair-o-planes – Google it and you’ll know what I am referring to.

And honestly, I feel like we only scratched the surface of what was on offer. I was impressed with the Parent Network’s bracelet-making station, where kids were encouraged to make beaded ID bracelets featuring next-of-kin contact details—an ingenious and reassuring idea, especially in a busy festival environment.

On that note, full credit to the organisers for finally fixing the mobile signal issue that’s plagued previous years. In the past, the festival site was something of a black hole for phone reception, rendering our mobiles useless for anything but taking photos. This year, the temporary cell towers worked a treat. I had a strong signal throughout the weekend.

Food-wise, our first port of call was, as always, The Tenth Hole’s Mac & Cheese stand. It’s a guaranteed winner with the kids, and let’s be honest, it’s just as much of a winner for the grown-ups too.

The first act we managed to catch was Razorlight, marking their third appearance at Victorious, having previously played in 2014 and 2019. As with their past performances, they didn’t disappoint. Clearly aware of what the crowd had come for, the band delivered a crowd-pleasing set packed with fan favourites, including America and Golden Touch. Up All Night remains one of those defining albums of the early 2000s. Up there with Hot Fuss by The Killers and Aha Shake Heartbreak by Kings of Leon.

Crystal Tides absolutely owned the Common Stage at their hometown festival, delivering a confident and crowd-pleasing set. For those unfamiliar with the band beforehand, lead singer Billy Gregory’s retro Portsmouth FC shirt was an immediate attention-grabber and a proud nod to local roots that didn’t go unnoticed. In true Portsmouth fashion, the crowd rallied behind one of their own, showing just how much this city supports its rising stars.

Due to having small kids, we had to put our agenda into the bin and get them home, choosing to play our childcare card on Sunday night. So this meant that we weren’t able to catch IDLES, Snowpatrol or the great Norman “Fatboy Slim” Cook. Looking at everyone else’s posts and speaking to people on the Saturday, he was superb, and I was left with a severe case of FOMO.

One of my favourite festival memories from all the years I’ve attended was back in 2022, when I took my then two-and-a-half-year-old daughter to the front of the Common Stage and lifted her onto my shoulders to watch the Sugababes perform. She absolutely loved it, though she probably won’t remember that moment, so it was wonderful to relive the experience this year with her a little older and more able to truly appreciate it. The original lineup of Mutya Buena, Keisha Buchanan, and Siobhán Donaghy remains the best, and just like before, bands from that era know exactly how to transport us back to those magical first times we heard these iconic tracks.

Another act that was a hit with us, especially my daughter, was singer-songwriter Holly Humberstone. I’ll be honest, I knew nothing about her prior to her set. We were fortunate that it was sheer coincidence that we were nearby as she took to the stage.

While many in the city might be lacking in energy after their endeavours over the weekend, we approached Sunday with excitement and enthusiasm, as this is when we were getting a moment to not be parents for an evening. But before that, we had another fun-filled day revisiting the kids’ favourite corners of the site and keeping them entertained. Seeing my daughter’s face when she spoke to the Disney princesses was priceless and they were amazing with her and everyone they interacted with.

The festival is known for classic bands more than up and coming acts, but this year the organisers landed one of the hottest bands on the planet, Wet Leg. The Grammy Award–winning duo, with roots on the Isle of Wight, felt right at home performing with their native coastline just across the water—an almost poetic setting for a band that’s conquered the global indie scene.

In the build-up to the event, I had the pleasure of speaking to Shaun Williamson, aka Barry from EastEnders. He brought his crowd-pleasing Barrioke to the Big Top Comedy & Cabaret Tent. The concept invites audience members to join Shaun on stage, belting out pre-selected crowd-pleasers together. This was an absolute blast, and he is a lovely fella and a national treasure.

This area is often overlooked by many at the festival, but I recommend that, before next year’s event, festivalgoers take a punt on some of the entertainment housed in the tent. The likes of Russell Howard, Al Murray and another local hero, Suzi Ruffell.

Another artist gaining international recognition is Arlo Parks. After a weekend filled with indie anthems and high-volume nostalgia, Parks took to the Castle Stage as dusk crept in. Her soft sound was in stark contrast to Biffy Clyro, who closed the festival on the Common Stage.

The Scottish trio shared some of their biggest hits, including a special encore with ‘Machines’, ‘Wolves of Winter’, ‘Bubbles’ and during ‘Many of Horror’, the Portsmouth skyline was illuminated with fireworks and the crowd ended on a high.

Roll on 2025, but it’s hard to imagine how they’ll top this year, but I can’t wait to see them try.

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Photos: Tom Langford, Russ Leggat and Steve Stringer