Victorious festival: 11 pictures from the first year, held in Portsmouth Historic Dockyard

Nowadays we know it as one of the bigger names on the festival scene, with multiple stages on Southsea Common which need more than a week to be put up and almost that to be taken down.

By Tom Morton

Published 8th Mar 2023, 06:00 BST

Updated 8th Mar 2023, 20:40 BST

But the first incarnation of Victorious festival was – naturally – a smaller-scale affair, albeit a very successful one. It was free to get in, too.

NOW READ: 2023’s final Victorious headline act is revealed

At the top of the bill were recognisable ‘indie’ names such as Dodgy, the Lightning Seeds and former Bluetone Mark Morriss. But on the other stage you’d also find local acts such as Day of the Rabblement and The B of the Bang, showing a support for Portsmouth and Southsea’s music scene that continues today.

Another difference to the current festival was the timing. Victorious Vintage was held over the first two days of the Queen’s diamond jubilee in 2012, so over Saturday, June 2 and Sunday, June 3. As with last year, the jubilee saw a four-day bank holiday.

And anyone who was there on the Saturday will remember rainfall of biblical proportions, leading to a drenching for all concerned. However, the weather did not hinder the event’s future, as it returned to the dockyard the following year before moving to the common.