Park and Ride times and essential travel information for visitors to Victorious and to Portsmouth this bank holiday

Victorious is taking place on Southsea Common from August 22 to 24 attracting many festival goers from the city and surrounding area, as well as further afield.

To help everyone enjoy the weekend and to reduce delays, Portsmouth City Council is asking residents and people attending the festival to plan journeys in advance, ideally by walking, cycling, riding rental e-scooters and e-bikes, or catching the bus or train.

Park and ride options

With weather expected to be good this weekend, and tourist attractions such as Clarence Pier, Portsmouth Historic Dockyard and Spinnaker Tower open as normal, visitors are also being encouraged to the city’s park and ride.

Instead of driving into Portsmouth, people can use the city’s normal Park and Ride service operating from junction 1 of the M275 at Tipner to visit the city, with regular buses travelling to the city centre, Hard Interchange and seafront throughout the days.

The last PR3 route Park and Ride bus departs from Clarence Pier at 7.24pm. The last bus to depart city centre (PR1) is at 7.07pm on Saturday and 6.05pm on Sunday and Monday. The last PR1 bus from The Hard is 7.15pm Saturday and 6pm Sunday and Monday. The Park & Ride car park closes at 8pm.

There is also a dedicated park and ride service for festival goers linking the Victorious site to Lakeside, open at 8am each day with buses running from 9am and running until midnight. To book visit www.victoriousfestival.co.uk/information/pre-booked-lakeside-parking-shuttle-service/

Buses, ferries and trains will run regularly from all nearby stations, including the Xelabus X27 festival service from The Hard Interchange for those travelling via the Gosport Ferry or by train. People travelling to the festival from outside Portsmouth can also book a coach trip with National Express.

The Gosport Ferry will operate until midnight, with Hovertravel also adding additional late services to run after the headliners have finished performing.

E-scooters and e-bikes

Voi rental e-scooters are available to ride until 10pm, and e-bikes will remain available 24/7 as usual. Following the popularity of Voi’s rental scheme to travel to the festival last year, additional rental parking is being made available by the Clarence Pier bus stops, at Southsea Terrace, Palmerston Road opposite Avenue de Caen, Seafront Clarence Esplanade and St Helens Parade.

Rental e-scooter and e-bike racks within the festival site will be removed and deactivated, including those at Seafront the Esplanade Car Park by Clarence Pier, Avenue de Caen, Clarence Esplanade opposite The D-Day Story, and Jack Cockerill Way.

Road closures and car park closures

Road closures will be in place along the areas of Clarence Esplanade and Avenue de Caen from Thursday, August 21, with other roads around the festival site closed at peak times.

For the full details see here

These closures are in addition to the road and footpath closures currently in place on Clarence Esplanade between Hovertravel and Blue Reef Aquarium to accommodate the construction of the new sea defences.

The D-Day Story carpark and Pyramids carpark will be closed as usual during the event, however this year the Seafront The Esplanade Car Park will also be closed except to Hovertravel season ticket holders as the area links to one of the entrance and exit points of the festival which which year as a new layout as a result of the sea defence works.

Parking will be reduced as some roads will be part of the festival site, and others will be used for temporary taxi ranks and bus stops for the festival shuttle buses. Drivers who park near the festival site should check temporary signs to make sure they are not parking in prohibited areas where vehicles could be removed.

Caravans and motorhomes are restricted from parking overnight in the seafront area between midnight and 8am. All streets/roads where the restrictions are in place have appropriate signage. If you park in a restricted area during these hours, you may receive a £70 Penalty Charge Notice.

Cllr Steve Pitt, Leader of Portsmouth City Council, said: “Victorious Festival and the bank holiday weekend always bring a vibrant energy to Portsmouth. We’re grateful for everyone’s patience during road closures and additional pressures on the travel network.

"I’m confident the festival will once again be a brilliant celebration enjoyed by tens of thousands of residents and visitors alike. With a little planning and a few small changes—like walking, cycling, taking the bus, or using an e-scooter—we can all help to keep everyone moving smoothly.”

During the three days of Victorious, both the D-Day Story and Blue Reef will be open only to Festival ticket holders as a result of their location within the event.