Top Tips for Taking Kids to Victorious Festival
There are some family adventures that stay with you forever. Not because everything goes perfectly (it never does when children are involved!), but because they’re full of muddy trainers, tired little legs, unexpected dance-offs and those magical moments where you catch your child completely lost in the music.
Victorious Festival is one of those places.
Set on the beautiful Southsea seafront, it somehow manages to feel like a proper music festival while still being wonderfully welcoming for families. One minute you’re watching an incredible live band, the next you’re helping your youngest master a circus trick, grabbing an ice cream by the beach or watching your children dance with complete strangers who quickly become festival friends.
Whether you’re visiting with toddlers, tweens or teenagers, Victorious is one of the UK’s best family festivals. It’s running this year on 28-30th August 2026. Check out here for tickets. Like any adventure with kids though, a little preparation goes a long way. Here are our favourite tips for making the most of your family weekend at Victorious Festival.
Top Tips for Taking Kids to Victorious Festival
1. Don’t try to do everything
If you’ve ever looked at the festival programme, you’ll know there is so much happening. The line up is amazing this year including Bastille, Scissor Sisters, Richard Ashcroft, Pixie Lott and The Vaccines amongst many others….
Music stages, comedy, family entertainment, workshops, food stalls, funfair rides, beach walks…the temptation is to create the perfect schedule. But here’s the thing we’ve learned after years of family adventures—children rarely stick to your plans. You’ll discover something unexpected. They’ll spend forty-five minutes watching a street performer you hadn’t even noticed. They’ll want to dance instead of rushing to the next activity. Leave space for those magical, unplanned moments. They often become the memories everyone talks about long after the festival ends.
2. Arrive early each day
Families are definitely rewarded for getting to the festival early. If you are camping, the campsite is around 20 minutes away from the actual festival. But if you arrive early – the queues are usually shorter, you’ll have more choice when finding a good picnic spot, and younger children are generally happier before the excitement (and sugar!) catches up with them. It also gives everyone time to get their bearings. Take a slow wander around before diving into the day’s entertainment. Find the toilets, locate the family areas, spot the nearest water refill stations and agree on a meeting point with older children. Future you will be very grateful.
3. Pack like you’re going on a tiny expedition
Every good family adventure starts with snacks. Actually…lots of snacks. Festival food is brilliant, but it can be expensive and hungry children rarely want to wait in a queue. Having emergency supplies in your backpack can rescue a potential meltdown in seconds.
Our festival essentials usually include:
- Refillable water bottles
- Plenty of snacks
- Wet wipes
- Hand sanitiser
- Sun cream
- Waterproof jackets
- Portable phone charger
- Picnic blanket
- Spare clothes for younger children
- Hats for sunshine
- Lightweight layers for the evening
British weather has a habit of changing its mind every twenty minutes, so being prepared means you spend more time enjoying yourselves and less time searching for somewhere to buy a raincoat.
4. Embrace the Kids Arena
One of the reasons Victorious works so well for families is that children aren’t just an afterthought. The Kids Arena is packed with activities designed to keep little ones entertained for hours, from crafts and performances to interactive games and family shows. Previous festivals have included circus skills, creative workshops, character appearances and activities for a wide range of ages. Don’t think of it as somewhere to keep the kids busy while you wait for your favourite band. It’s part of the festival experience in its own right. Some of our happiest festival memories have come from places we almost walked straight past.
5. Let your children choose some of the music
One of the best things about festivals is discovering artists you’ve never heard before. Before you go, spend an evening listening to the line-up together. There are some great playlists for Victorious Festival on Spotify. Ask everyone to choose two or three acts they’d love to see. It gives children something to look forward to and helps them feel part of planning the adventure. You might even discover your family’s new favourite band together.
6. Take regular breaks
Festivals can be overwhelming. The noise, the excitement, the walking, the crowds. Even the most energetic children eventually need a pause. Luckily, Victorious has one huge advantage over many festivals—it’s right next to the beach. Stepping away from the crowds for half an hour to paddle in the sea, skim stones or simply eat an ice cream while watching the waves can completely reset everyone’s mood. Families who have visited often recommend taking advantage of the nearby seafront for exactly this reason. Sometimes the quiet moments become just as memorable as the headline acts.
8. Give older children a little independence
If you’re visiting with tweens or teenagers, Victorious can be a wonderful opportunity to give them a little more freedom.
Agree on meeting points.
Set check-in times.
Make sure phones are charged.
Then let them explore parts of the festival with friends if you’re comfortable doing so. That little bit of independence often makes them feel far more invested in the day—and you’ll probably find they return full of stories about amazing bands, interesting food and unexpected discoveries.
9. Wear comfortable shoes and bring a trolley!
This might be the least exciting tip……but it might also be the most important.
You’ll walk far more than you expect. Between stages, food stalls, children’s activities, beach walks and countless “can we just have a look over there?” moments, your step count will easily surprise you. Leave the brand-new shoes at home. Your feet will thank you. And if you can bring a trolley for the kids – it will save them getting too tired.
10. Remember that festivals aren’t about perfection
Somewhere during the weekend you’ll probably lose a water bottle. Someone will complain they’re hungry five minutes after lunch. One child will refuse to walk. Another will desperately need the toilet just as your favourite song starts. And somehow… Those imperfect moments become part of the story. Family adventures are never polished.
They’re noisy.
They’re unpredictable.
They’re wonderfully chaotic.
Victorious Festival gives families permission to slow down, listen to live music together, laugh together and experience something completely different from everyday life. Years from now, your children probably won’t remember every band they saw. But they’ll remember dancing barefoot on the grass and watching the sun go down over Southsea.
So pack the snacks, embrace the chaos, throw on a bit of glitter and get ready to make some brilliant family memories. After all, childhood is made up of moments like these—and there’s something rather magical about sharing them with a soundtrack of live music by the sea.
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