IT’S 25 years ago today since Britpop stars like Pulp and Supergrass descended on Warrington for the first V Festival.

Victoria Park played host to the inaugural edition of the festival in sweltering heat on Sunday, August 18 1996.

Temperatures hit 90 degrees Fahrenheit as acts like Pulp, Supergrass and Gary Numan basked in the Warrington sunshine.

Warrington Guardian:

Pulp's Jarvis Cocker

Bands including Cast, Elastica and Super Furry Animals featured on the bill, while future Oasis guitarist Gem Archer played with Heavy Stereo.

V Festival was the brainchild of Warrington’s own Simon Moran, whose SJM Concerts promoted the event.

Tickets were priced at £25, with many Latchford residents given free passes for the day as 35,000 people descended on the park.

Warrington Guardian:

Around £800,000 was generated in ticket sales, while 9,000 vehicles paid £4 to park at the site as police predicted major disruption on the roads.

An estimated 24,000 burgers and 100,000 pints of lager were sold at the concert at the price of £2 each.

Warrington Guardian:

The festival hit the front page of the Warrington Guardian two days before the event as it was revealed that, of the £1m generated by the event, £21,000 would be going to Warrington Borough Council in order to allow it to cover its costs.

A council spokesman told the Warrington Guardian in 1996: “We’ll only just cover our costs, but it is putting Warrington on the map.”

The Warrington Guardian also produced a 16-page souvenir magazine called Park Life for the occasion.

Former Radio One DJ Janice Long and Brookside stars Rachel Lindsay and Tina Malone were pictured in the following week’s paper.

Warrington Guardian:

Our roundup said: “Pick a scenic park, fill it with 35,000 people drinking 100,000 pints of lager and a hint of cannabis and turn up the heat.”

Around 400 people received medical treatment at the event with 19 arrests made.

Warrington Guardian:

Three people attempted to gain entry by swimming across the Mersey, while police also dealt with reports of a man with a gun in the arena.

It wasn’t until more than 20 years later that a major festival returned to Victoria Park with the advent of the Neighbourhood Weekender in 2018.

Incidentally, Cast will return to Warrington later this month – playing the Parr Hall on Friday, August 27.

Warrington Guardian:

Cast's John Power

Speaking ahead of the gig frontman John Power reminisced about the 1996 concert with the Warrington Guardian, saying: “Those were great, great times so I always enjoy coming back to Warrington.”