Boost for Portsmouth economy as Victorious Festival gains worldwide appeal

Tickets for the star-studded occasion have been snapped up by spectators from as far afield as New Zealand, Bahamas, Brazil, UAE, South Korea and China as its popularity continues to grow.

And city bosses say the spectacle’s global appeal will boost efforts to raise Portsmouth’s profile and secure foreign investment.

Tory councillor Donna Jones, leader of Portsmouth City Council, said: ‘This is the first time we have seen people buy tickets and attend Victorious from around the world.

‘The international crowds that this festival is bringing to the city should not be underestimated. It really is one of the unique selling points of the city now.

‘The event organisers should be congratulated for the outstanding job they are doing in helping the city with our aspiration of putting Portsmouth on the map both nationally and internationally.’

People from 119 different towns and cities throughout England as well as across Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have bought tickets.

The likes of Noel Gallagher, Annie Mac, Manic Street Preachers and Mark Ronson will light up the seafront this weekend for the August Bank Holiday bonanza.

As revealed by The News, organisers want to expand the festival next year by introducing an extra day and giving spectators the chance to camp for the first time; putting Victorious up there with the likes of Glastonbury.

Victorious festival co-organiser James Ralls anticipates this weekend’s spectacle will be a sell-out and see 120,000 spectators pack out the Southsea Common arenas.

VICTORIOUS bosses have revealed the full list of international countries they have sold tickets in.

They are; Germany, Ireland, Australia, France, Sweden, Italy, USA, Netherlands, Guernsey, Belgium, Spain, Japan, Norway, Canada, Brazil, Falkland islands. Bulgaria, Austria, Finland, Switzerland, Denmark, Isle of Man, Slovakia, Cyprus, Albania, Israel, Jersey, Thailand, UAE, South Korea, Hong Kong, Argentina, Poland, India, Russia, Mexico, China, Croatia, Greece, South Africa, New Zealand, Hungary, Turkey, Bahamas and Chile.

Tickets are still available for both Saturday and Sunday. To buy, visit victoriousfestival.co.uk. Local visitors are being encouraged to walk to the festival and a park-and-ride is running from 1000 Lakeside.VICTORIOUS bosses say the festival’s worldwide appeal is testament to how far the Portsmouth region has grown in recent years.

Victorious director Andy Marsh said: ‘It’s just amazing.

‘I am dumbfounded by it.

‘We started off trying to sell as many tickets as possible to people in Portsmouth, and to think it has now gone global is just fantastic.

‘We just want everyone from all over the world to know about Portsmouth.

‘I never envisaged it would grow this much.

‘It was supposed to be something the people of Portsmouth could enjoy, which of course they still can.

‘But now Portsmouth ticks all the boxes; we’ve got a community-run football team, major attractions and we’ve got all of these bars and restaurants that are on the up.’

Meanwhile, Portsmouth City Council’s Tory traffic boss, Councillor Jim Fleming has revealed it will be operating a free minibus shuttle service for users of the Hayling Ferry this weekend to connect them from the ferry drop-off to a main bus route to Victorious.

As reported, a World Music Village will make its debut at the Southsea summer spectacle.

The arena is being put together by Arms Around The Child, an international charity based in Portsmouth, which works to support orphaned children.

The village will feature a headline DJ set from Neneh Cherry, a Grammy nominated, Swedish-born singer-songwriter best known for 1980s and 90s hits Buffalo Stance and 7 Seconds which saw her win an MTV Europe Music Award in 1994.

Next up, Natty will be bringing his urban music to the stage.

Make sure you don’t miss a performance from Liam Bailey, who has worked with superstars from DJ Fresh and Shy FX to Rita Ora and Tom Odell.

Liam combines American R&B, reggae sounds & vibrations, and blues.

The voice of Eva Lazarus will fill the field as her soulful sound spans across genres from reggae to drum and bass and soul.

Josh Osho joins the party situated somewhere between the boundaries of folk, blues and R&B.

The village will showcase different styles of dance and music throughout the day.