Road closures and parking changes ahead of Victorious Festival

Portsmouth’s biggest music and arts festival returns to Southsea Commons this August bank holiday weekend.

Now in its 13th year, Victorious Festival is expected to welcome as many as 80,000 people per day through its gates on August 28th, 29th and 30th. Organisers hope the 2026 edition will build on last year’s festival which injected more than £27 million into the local economy.

Ticket holders will be hoping that unsettled weather forecasts for the weekend won’t dampen their enjoyment of headliners Richard Ashcroft, The Black Keys and Kasabian, but for local residents, headline news centres on issues surrounding road closures and parking changes.

Which roads are closed and why?

Victorious Festival and Portsmouth City Council have announced sweeping road closures and parking restrictions across Southsea will be enforced this August bank holiday weekend. 

Organisers claim the purpose of these restrictions is to allow for the safe set-up and removal of event infrastructure and to reduce traffic disruption around the site and surrounding areas.

There will be no general on-site parking at Victorious Festival 2026, however, Blue Badge parking will be available on a first-come first-serve basis.

Some planned road closures will come into effect as early as Wednesday 26th August, while others are expected to be observed as late as Friday 4th September.

The most significant closures will be in place around the main festival site on the evenings of Friday 28th August, Saturday 29th August and Sunday 30th August between 10:30pm and 11:59pm to help ensure festival-goers are able to leave the site safely.

These nightly road closures will affect Clarence Esplanade, South Parade, Duisburg Way, Pier Road and connecting residential avenues, potentially inconveniencing local residents.

Festival-goers asked to take public transport

Festival organisers stress that planned road closures are a positive change, both to help ease disruption to traffic and minimise the event’s environmental impact.

Historically, road transport has accounted for 37% of Portsmouth’s total carbon emissions; in 2023, one in twenty adult deaths in the city were attributed to long-term exposure to air pollution.

To the tens of thousands of festival-goers currently finalising travel plans, event organisers recommend turning to the city’s public transport network. Alternatively, those travelling to the city by car are asked to use the Lakeside Car Park and Lakeside Shuttle Service to access the main festival site, tickets for which can be purchased from the Victorious Festival website.

Victorious Festival 2026 kicks off on Friday 28th August; gates open at 11:00am.