The next festival we at Phestival will be attending is Virgin Group’s V Festival, held in Chelmsford and Stafford from the 18th-19th August 2012. We’ll be taking our trusy van, stall, cameras and essentials stock to Essex with the hope of having yet another fantastic weekend! In preparation for this, I’ve prepared a V Festival A-Z, for all the things you might want to know about the festival. Read on for more!
A is for Arenas - The main arena of the festival will open at 12 noon on both the Saturday and Sunday, with bands finsihing at around 11pm. Once the arena is closed, customers with camping tickers are able to remain in ‘The Village’ area of the arena through the night, which will include parties, films, the fun fair and food/drink stalls.
B is for Big Green Coach - If you’d like to travel to and from the festival hassle-free and without having to make changes along the way, you should consider travelling with Big Green Coach company. They’re the official travel operators of the festival and will offer direct, return coach travel from a number of locations around the UK to both Chelmsford and Stafford’s sites. Find out more HERE.
C is for Car Parking - For Chelmsford V goers, the car parks will open at 10am on Friday 17th August. Those in Stafford will be able to access the camp site from 8am. Weekend parking passes must be purchased in advance from See Tickets should you wish to buy it for the lowest price of £5. Otherwise, it’s £15 for a weekend ticket on arrival, or £10 for day parking.
D is for David Guetta - The world famous French producer and DJ will be taking to the stage on the Saturday at Hylands Park and Sunday at Weston Park. Expect large, enthusiastic crowds and the likes of ‘Titanium’, ‘Where Them Girls At’, and ‘Who’s that Chick?’
E is for Ed Sheeran - The English singer/songwriter has had enormous success since hitting mainstream attention in 2011. Since, he’s gripped the nation with his soulful songs such as ‘The A Team’ and ‘Lego House.’ If you’re after something a little more chilled after a long day of dancing around in muddy fields – Ed’s the guy for you.
F is for Facebook - If you want live, regular updates from the festival themselves then the best place to look is on the official Facebook page. You can find V Festival’s social networking page HERE.
G is for GoCarShare - The festival is keen to ensure that festival-goers reduce their carbon footprint where possible. In terms of transportation, this means that they’re encouraging people to car share, and to avoid leaving empty seats in cars. To put in a request for Hylands Park click HERE, or click HERE for Weston Park.
H is for Hylands Park - V Festival is known for having two festivals held on two sites taking place simultaneously. One of these is Hylands Park, near Essex.
I is for Information Packs – On the official V Festival website you can download customer information Packs (in PDF forms) for both Weston and Hylands Park. You can do so by clicking HERE. The website can also provide you with the option to download the official festival app which will be updates throughout the weekend with times and announcements.
J is for James Morrison - The 27 year old ‘You Give me Something’ singer returns to the festival circuit at V festival this summer, and will no doubt deliver a fluent set covering all three of his albums. With his fantastic new single being released this year, ‘One Life’, it’s expected that Morrison will be making a decent impression upon V Festival 2012.
K is for (The) Killers - The Killers are an incredible choice for a headlining performance. From the word go, when they released ‘Hot Fuss’ in 2004, they’ve released consistently great albums and have teamed this with a string of live performances that quite simply blow people away. Having seen them at Leeds Festival in 2008, I’ve got to say, I’m very excited to see how they’ve developed since.
L is for Lists - V Festival are there to go that extra mile, and plan to be with you before you even arrive on site. They’re doing this by providing packing lists which will help you prepare for the weekend ahead. You can check this out HERE. Alternatively, if you’d like to see Phestival’s definitive packing guide please click HERE.
M is for Milton Jones - Milton Jones will be taking to the stage at the festival’s Comedy Club tent, ready to encourage even the most cynical of people in to a fit of hysterics. He joins Sean Lock, Mike Gunn, Junior Simpson, Doc Brown, Rob Rouse, Nathan Caton and a whole host of other comedians who are guaranteed to entertain.
N is for Nicki Minaj - The eccentric, lavishly dress American pop-princess returns to the UK following a performance at T in the Park to deliver a high energy set with all the classics combined. Expect to sing along to the likes of ‘Superbass’ and ‘Starships’ when she’s on stage!
O is for Olly Murs - This cheeky singer/songwriter, musician and TV presenter shot to stardom following a stint on the X Factor in 2009. Since, he’s worked tirelessly to meet the demand of his fans and has released two fantastic albums, and announced tours. Fans (especially the ladies!) will be looking forward to this one, without a doubt.
P is for Promotional Videos - V Festival’s promotional video for 2012 is a must watch for all of those excited festival-goers who are stuck in the office desperate for the next week or so to hurry up! Watch it by clicking the play button!
Q is for F-A-Qs - Okay, so finding a Q was difficult for this one. We’ve salvaged it by looking at the FAQ section for V Festival. If you’re not sure what you can and can’t bring, don’t know where the box office is, are wondering about VIP tickets, barbecues or camping stoves then it’s worth having a read of their incredibly well-covered set of FAQs. Click HERE.
R is for Rodrigo Y Gabriela – Perhaps a little out of place on a pop/main stream line up, Rodrigo Y Gabriela are worth seeing regardless given their talent and ear for good, Acoustic Folk Rock. The duo are open-hearted, happy, soulful entertainers and produce some beautiful music.
S is for Snow Patrol - Having seen their set at T in the Park on Youtube, I have to say I’m mighty impressed at Snow Patrol’s transition from on-record to live performances. If you want to hear thousands of festival-goers singing ‘Chasing Cars’ to a point where your hair stands on end, get yourself to the headlining slot.
T is for Twitter - Follow V Festival’s antics live via their live Twitter Feed. They’ll be sure to announce last minute changes or announcements on there so get following!
U is for Unofficial Ticket Outlets - Sadly, there will always be people trying to take advantage of a chance to make money without regard for the person making the purchase. V Festival have worked tirelessly to make sure that they keep an eye on these people and have made a form where you can submit ticket sites you’re considering to make sure you don’t get taken for a ride. Visit that here.
V is for V Festival - Well, it’s why you’re here, right? Here’s a quick fact about the festival: V Festival exists because Pulp’s front man Jarvis Cocker (also known as, the love of my life) announced that he would love to play two outdoor venues in two days. Thus, a North and South event was created and slowly transformed in to the V Festival we know and love today.
W is for Weston Park - Weston Park is the second of two locations where V Festival is held. Weston Park is in Stafford and caters for those who prefer to stay more Northern.
X is for – Well.. I’ve struggled with this one. Have an ‘Xtra’ fact about the festival to make up for such a disappointing lack of response. Did you know that you’ll be able to watch some of the performances from your living room this year? Channel 4 will be providing coverage for the festival.
Y is for YouTube - The festival has its own YouTube channel, which has over 100 videos already. Subscribe to their channel and you’ll be able to watch performances following closure of the festival, as well as interviews that take place between interviewers and artists across the weekend itself. You can do so by visiting their site here.
Z is for Zebra, Zinc, and Zoo - Sadly, not of these will feature at the festival but we hope that won’t hamper your enjoyment! We do hope you liked our V Festival A-Z (more like A-Y!) and are looking forward to a spectacular weekend regardless of whether you’re in Stafford or Chelmsford!
