Supporting Local Businesses

A dedicated zone for Local Caterers
In 2022 we launched Neighbourhood Eats, a catering area of the festival created for local traders, who may not be able to afford to attend in a standard festival pitch. We came up with the idea after recognising that we have wonderful local eateries that may wish to be involved in the event, but perhaps not used to trading at large-scale events. By Subsidising the pitch fees, we make the chance to trade at the festival even more accessible.

Neighbourhood Eats Awards
We also award a local business each year, that performs well at the event with a free pitch the following year to really help them get their foot in the event catering world.

Previous winners include Natty’s Jerk Chicken and Southsea Deli.

The People’s Choice Awards
Last year we also launched – The People’s Choice Award, whereby a local trader can benefit from a free trading pitch after a public vote! Last year saw The Cornish Cookhouse take the prize.

Local Businesses outside of the festival
As well as working with as many local businesses as possible, we run a re-admission policy across the festival weekend. This means, unlike many festivals and concerts, attendees are free to come and go and explore the local area. By doing this we hope they visit the local bars, restaurants and shops nearby.

Furthermore, we play a very important role in the local economy. Portsmouth has benefited from a significant yearly economic impact from Victorious since 2014. From busy shops, restaurants & cafes, to fully-booked hotels – the festival weekend creates a lot of opportunities for lots of different people and businesses.

Victorious also helps to improve tourism by changing people’s perceptions of. Over a third of Victorious festival-goers said they had a more positive view of Portsmouth and would be more likely to visit the city again in the future.