Christopher BarrettSuperstruct Entertainment-owned Victorious Festival (cap. 80,000) had a £24.3m economic impact for Portsmouth last year, according to its organisers.
At a time when the festival industry has seen festivals topple like dominoes since the Covid-19 pandemic hit, largely as a result of a 30% increase in costs, the huge financial benefit of festivals on the local and national economies has once again been demonstrated by the Victorious team.
Launched by Andy Marsh, James Ralls and Ben Miles in 2012, the past 13 years have seen the Victorious Festival become one of the industry’s major success stories.
The winner of major festival of the year at the 2024 Live Awards, Victorious Festival was originally a free two-day event at Portsmouth’s Historic Dockyard that was attended by around 40,000 people. Victorious is now a multi-stage, three-day, festival on the Southsea seafront that is attended by around 160,000 people, with a daily capacity of 80,000.
Victorious Festival organisers said the success of last year’s event enabled them to donate more than £135,000 to 20 different local and international charities and good causes across a range of sectors.
Among the artists set to play the 22-24 August festival this year are Kings of Leon, Queens of the Stone Age, Vampire Weekend, Nelly Furtado, Michael Kiwanuka and The Last Dinner Party.
Ralls said, “Victorious is about more than just the weekend, our team is deeply connected to the city and works hard to create not only the UK’s biggest metropolitan festival but to make a difference all year round with the Victorious in the Community initiatives.’’
Last year, Victorious played a key role in supporting Portsmouth Pride, serving as a main sponsor and helping its team to secure the UK Pride 2025 bid. The festival team also collaborated with Portsmouth Creates, helping bring the 2024 edition of We Shine Portsmouth – the cities free art and light festival to life.
Portsmouth Creates CEO Gemma Nichols said, “The support from the Victorious Team is invaluable and their passion for Portsmouth is contagious. Their team brings both enthusiasm and expertise, and together we’re able to create an even more welcoming atmosphere for all to enjoy. This partnership strengthens Portsmouth’s reputation as a hub of artistic expression and community connection”