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The V Festival 2010
The V Festival is now established as a top 3 event on the UK festival calendar. Here's a brief lowdown on V Festival 2010...
V Festival is an annual two-day music event held at two sites in the UK - Chelmsford in Essex, and Weston Park in Staffordshire. The lineup consists of major global acts, each of which plays both venues over the course of the two days. V Festival is considered to be one of the 'big three' festivals in England, along with Glastonbury and Reading/Leeds.
What is it and where did it come from?
V Festival started life back in 1996 and was the first UK festival to be held simultaneously at two separate sites. Former Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker can claim much of the credit for the twin-venue nature of the V Festival - and twin venue festivals in general - after suggesting it to his band's own promoters, who developed the idea and turned it into a commercial reality. Since its introduction, thousands of international acts have graced the V Festival's various stages, including Beck, Radiohead, Foo Fighters, Morrissey, Chemical Brothers, Faithless, The Strokes, Coldplay, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Blur, and Kylie.
The northern venue has moved several times over the years. Initially starting at Victoria Park in Warrington, it switched to Temple Newsam in Leeds from 1997, before then moving down to Weston Park in Stafford where it remains today. The rival Leeds Festival moved onto the Temple Newsam site in Leeds after the V Festival went to Stafford, but now the Leeds Festival has also moved to a new site in Leeds (Bramham Park), leaving Temple Newsam without any regular music festival. In 2007 the V Festival brand went international with two separate concerts staged in Australia. Now consisting of four events across the country, V Festival has become a regular event on the Aussie festival calendar.
Who can I see at V Festival 2010 (UK)?
Competition for acts has been hot in 2010 amongst promoters, in what's set to be the biggest year ever on the UK festival scene. V Festival and the Leeds/Reading Festival go head-to-head for a slice of the peak summer gig crowd, and as such many acts are contractually forbidden from playing at both events, which probably works in the favour of the public. The V Festival lineup is traditionally not quite as extensive as the Leeds/Reading offering, and 2010 is no exception. Nonetheless, the list of confirmed main stage acts pushes all the right buttons and includes: The Prodigy, Kings of Leon, Kasabian, Faithless, The Kooks and David Guetta. For nostalgia-seekers The Pet Shop Boys take an early slot on the main stage, while on the smaller stages the likes of La Roux, Plan B, Groove Armada, Mika, Doves, White Lies, Calvin Harris, and Florence and the Machine provide a lineup which at any other event would be a formidable main stage offering. The Sugababes, Cheryl Cole, and Diana Vickers provide a pop edge too.
What else do I need to know about V Festival?
Although it's the exact same lineup at both venues, the two sites have distinctly different atmospheres which are probably worth knowing about before you decide on which one to go to. The Chelmsford site is awash with industry bigwigs and the London celeb set, while Stafford is definitely the people's venue. In terms of facilities there's not much to choose between the sites for the vast majority of folks, with comparable camping facilities and plenty of space to pitch your shiny new festival tents. But for those who can blag their way backstage, the VIP area at Stafford is much, much nicer and set around a lake on the edge of the forest, with plenty of space to kick back in the sunshine. For premium blaggers, the artist only area at Stafford is also bigger and better than Chelmsford, but getting in takes Mission Impossible-esque skills. Good luck with that one.
Are you going to be camping at V Festival?
If you're looking for suitable festival tents for V Festival this year, go to tentastic.co.uk for all your camping and outdoor gear. All of the products that we sell have been rigorously tested, and we're confident that when you receive your purchase, you won't be disappointed. To see our full offering of tents and camping equipment from some of the world's leading manufacturers, including Gelert, Coleman, Camping Gaz, and many more - log onto our homepage, or call us on 08452 577293(local rate).
