Now in its 5th year Vintage for Victory is one of the best events I have been to in a long time. If you love the 40s, 50s and 60s this is the place for you. I bought tickets about 4 months in advance to make sure I got one, but they had some on sale on the day as well. Costing £30 for a day or £50 for the weekend. kids under 16 are free so it really is a family affair. Situated in the heart of Whitchurch village inside the library gardens. Your ticket gets you parking about a 10 minute walk away, or you can get there by bus or train.
We arrived about 12.30 with the grounds opening from 11am til 9pm. When arriving you have a wrist band put on, so if you did want to leave and come back it is possible. As you enter there are several tents with an assortment of thrills. From vintage games cars, planes, clothes, food and much more .
We settled down under one of the tents with a picnic bench in the shade. We sat and looked around to see what we should do for food. There were plenty of options, from pies, pizza, Thai, Mexican and much more. They even had several alcoholic options , even a bud bar. You are welcome to bring your own food, so picnics are welcomed.
I opted for a pie with mash and gravy from Hello Good Pie. There were a few options for the pie, from beef and ale to a breakfast pie. I opted for a creamy leek and ham pie . It was a reasable size, the mash was creamy and the gravy they were very generous with servings. My boyfriend opted for the Thai food grabbing some spring rolls(£5) and a chicken satay. The spring rolls were pipping hot so do be careful. We also had some ice cream while we were there. We had a mint chocolate chip ice cream, but felt it could of had more of a mint kick of flavour. We thought this might of been down to recently having covid, but my mother in law felt that her tiramasu ice cream did not pack the punch either.
We waited around the tent for the battle of Britain fly over. Around 1.30 they had a plane fly over twice, unfortunately it was just the one plane at this time. The noise it made was great though very atmospheric.
Once that had happened it was time to look around the grounds. There were tones of stalls offering many a vintage item. From clothing to homeware and even vintage toys. The one stall that took my fancy was wishbone and comb. Offering vintage hair (£18)and make up for a small price. I opted to get my hair done with victory rolls, the skills to keep it in place all day was amazing.
Once we had explored all the stalls I stood and watched a bit of the vintage movies paying . The original Italian job was playing with the volume being at a good level that it did not carry over the whole grounds.
Situated just behind was a range of vintage vehicles and planes. From a MG, Minis , Roles Royce and a Mustang. All were in immaculate condition and great for a photo opportunity. The planes that were on display were a spitfire and a hurcanine. They had other army attire such as an army jeep and old fashioned tents. I especially had respect for the commitment the men dressed in the army uniforms had. The day was a very warm one and they stuck to it all day.
It was then time to explore the bigger tents, 2 tents with music as well as dancing. Dressed with chairs and hay bails on the edge so you could sit while watching. So this festival was bad timing as only a week before I had just gotten over covid. One of the last few things I have on my list is to swing dance. They even had classes demonstrating while then the bands played. The variety of music was amazing to see, from bands to singers it was a great atmosphere.
This event was one of the best I have been to in a long time. It had something for everyone, all ages , a real family affair. Next year I will be returning and I will tick off swing dancing on my list!! If you are thinking of next year keep an eye out for tickets.
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