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Fatboy Slim and Louis Tomlinson play seaside festival

Victorious Festival/Strong Island Fatboy Slim's silhouette is in the distance, his arm aloft, as he plays music at decks. Huge swirls of confetti are all aroundVictorious Festival/Strong Island
Fatboy Slim brought the hits and the confetti to Victorious Festival

Fatboy Slim, Idles, and One Direction star Louis Tomlinson have taken to the stage on the first day of Victorious Festival.

The event has taken place on The Common and Castle Field in Southsea since 2014.

Snow Patrol, Lottery Winners, Maximo Park and Jess Glynne also played on Friday. Russell Howard headlined the Comedy stage alongside Suzi Ruffell and compere Emmanuel Sonubi.

The festival, which runs until Sunday, also includes Pixies, Jamie T, Wet Leg, Sugarbabes, Tom Walker, Biffy Clyro, and The Kooks.

Victorious Festival/Strong Island A cruise ship sets sail from Portsmouth on Friday evening to the backdrop of Fatboy Slim’s set. Its side is illuminated to spell "Pompey" with a heart Victorious Festival/Strong Island
A cruise ship sailed by the seaside event during the DJ's set

The festival's organisers said Tomlinson "brought in one of the biggest crowds of the day with his first UK festival performance which included a rendition of 1D’s Drag Me Down".

He also ventured into the crowd, eliciting screams from his fans.

Victorious Festival/Strong Island Louis Tomlinson sings on stage, wearing a black cap, black vest, and black trousersVictorious Festival/Strong Island
Louis Tomlinson played his first UK festival performance
Victorious Festival/Strong Island Louis Tomlinson fans at the front of the crowd at the barriers. They look very excited and most are filming on their phones. A girl in the centre wears an England shirtVictorious Festival/Strong Island
The former One Directioner brought one of the biggest crowds of the day

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Fatboy Slim's "pyro and confetti-filled set" included his hits Praise You, Right Here Right Now, and Rockafeller Skank.

Festival organisers say Portsmouth has seen a significant economic benefit from Victorious, estimating the impact to be almost £20m in 2023 alone.

The seaside event is expected to attract up to 170,000 people over the bank holiday weekend.

Victorious Festival/Strong Island Russell Howard raises a triumphant fist on stage during his set. He's wearing a long sleeved top and jeans.Victorious Festival/Strong Island
Russell Howard headlined the festival’s Comedy stage

Festival director James Ralls said: "Opening the gates to thousands of festival goers at our beautiful seaside location was amazing.

"The joy we get from seeing family and friends of all ages coming together year after year makes all the hard work worth it.

"Day one of Victorious Festival 2024 was one of our best yet and we can’t wait to see what the rest of the weekend brings."

Victorious Festival/Strong Island Joe Talbot from Idles twirls his microphone by the lead on stage. He has pink hair and is wearing a black t shirt and trousersVictorious Festival/Strong Island
Idles continued their triumphant festival season with a set at Victorious

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