Victorious Festival 2021: More than half of tickets sold already

More than half of the tickets for the three-day event, which takes place over the August bank holiday weekend, have already been snapped up.

The News exclusively revealed the line-up for this year’s event, which will be back on Southsea Common after being forced to cancel in 2020 due to the pandemic.

Madness take top honours on Friday night, with The Streets topping the bill on Saturday and Royal Blood closing the bash on Sunday.

Festival director Andy Marsh said: ‘We had quite a lot of people roll their tickets over from last year, which really helped us out a lot.

‘And then when the government announced its roadmap out of lockdown, I think that gave people a bit more confidence again.

‘We really saw a surge in people buying tickets after that and I’d say we’ve already sold more than 50 per cent.

‘But there’s still early-bird tickets available if you get in quick.’

‘This year’s line-up is my personal favourite.

‘It feels like we have achieved an exciting combination of headliners, rising artists, and the return of some family favourites too.

‘It’s been more difficult than usual to put together because no-one knew what was happening, and everyone’s got their own views and personal feelings on the situation.

‘But it’s probably about 85-90 per cent of the acts that have come back.

‘I’m really pleased with what we’ve got so far – and there’s more to come.

‘Having Madness back is amazing – and this time they'll be on the main stage. When we had them for that first Friday in 2017, it was on The Castle Stage.

‘If you want a party started, they’re the ones to call.

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‘And I’m really excited to get Richard Ashcroft, we’ve been after him for years.

‘We believe there really is something for everyone to enjoy this summer.’

With talk of vaccine passports for major events this summer, and other festivals already talking of making it a requirement, Andy would not be drawn one way or the other.

He said: ‘My business partner James Ralls is working with a lot of the other festivals and Sage (Scientific advisory group for emergencies), and they are looking at so many different scenarios right now.

‘We are up to date with all the latest information and we will use that to do things the safest and best way for everyone.’

Early bird tickets for Victorious Festival are on sale now, from just £30 per day (fees apply), at victoriousfestival.co.uk.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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