V Festival 2013

V Festival
Sat 17th - Sun 18th Aug

V Festival 2013 Tickets

For more information about V Festival 2013 tickets, please visit the V Festival 2013 tickets page

V Festival info

Genres: RnB, Rock, Pop/Commercial, Alternative, Indie

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V Festival 2013 Lineup

To see this years lineup, please use the link below

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V Festival News

Here are the latest news items about this event.

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  V Festival: More Headliners Announced! 31st May 2013

  The Chelmsford and Stafford twin festivals announce yet more additions to their star studded lineups.

More V Festival News »

Location of V Festival 2013

Find location and travel details for V Festival »

History of V Festival

Originally, the festival took the name of the current year, with the first festival being named "V96". Since 2003 it has been known as simply the V Festival.

The idea for V came in 1996 when Pulp's front man Jarvis Cocker announced he'd love to play two outdoor venues in two days. Pulp's promoters got together and came up with the idea of putting the gig into Victoria Park Warrington and Hylands Park Chelmsford giving fans in both the North and South a chance to see the band. Then came the idea of adding more bands to the bill, putting on a second stage and letting people camp for the weekend. In the end Victoria Park was just too small for two stages and camping. So in August 1996 there was one day of artists in Victoria Park and two days at Hylands Park with camping. The northern leg of V97 was switched to Temple Newsam,Leeds to provide room for camping and three stages. In 1999 the Northern leg of the festival was moved to Weston Park in Staffordshire and has remained there since.

The "V" represents the Virgin Group, and began as another means of promoting Richard Branson's companies. The event is sponsored by Virgin Media (being Virgin Mobile until 2009), with Absolute Radio (formerly Virgin Radio) the official radio station.

Although predominantly rock music, the festival books a wide range of music and is probably the most likely amongst UK festivals to book some pop acts each year. Mel C, Dido, and N.E.R.D. have all performed at the festival, and both Razorlight and Faithless performed in 2006. V showcases a mix of British and international musicians, from up-and-coming bands such as Coldplay in 2000 and the Kaiser Chiefs in 2003 and 2008, and glam rockers El Presidente in 2005, to veteran crooner Tony Christie. Girls Aloud also performed at the 2006 show, and received rave reviews for their performance. McFly performed at the festival in 2007 and received a huge turnout and great reviews that were not expected.

Related event pages for V Festival

• V Festival 201317th Aug 2013: Hylands Park, Chelmsford
• V Festival 201317th Aug 2013: Weston Park, Staffordshire
• V Festival 201318th Aug 2013: Hylands Park, Chelmsford
• V Festival 201318th Aug 2013: Weston Park, Staffordshire