A MUSIC festival for young people which has been held at Butser Hill for the last decade will no longer be taking place at the site.

Butserfest will now become part of the Victorious Festival on Southsea Common and will have its own stage at an event which is expected to attract 200,000 people later this summer.

The popular event at Queen Elizabeth Country Park has been run by East Hampshire District Council (EHDC) since its creation.

The founder of Butserfest and current deputy leader of the district council, Ferris Cowper, says the event has become a victim of its own success and needs to move to be able to continue to grow.

He said: “Since Butserfest was founded 10 years ago it has grown into something we could never have imagined, so big it has now outgrown its current format.

“From a small local festival, to a unique, nationally known music event. It is extremely exciting that Butserfest is now moving on to its next step.

“Victorious is a huge event, competing with some of the UK’s biggest music festivals such as Isle of Wight, V Fest, Wireless, Bestival and many more.

“We are delighted that Butserfest is now being associated with such names. This is all down to EHDC officers’ hard work and dedication to make the festival become what it now is.

“And of course our loyal following of attendees who come back to Butserfest year after year. We can’t wait to share this next step of the journey with you all.”

The district council is to continue working with the Victorious organisers over the Butserfest stage, which will be open on August 26-27.

They will be running competitions across the district to ensure as many local bands as possible get the chance to appear on stage at the Portsmouth festival.

The Butserfest stage at Victorious will have a capacity of 3,000. Local bands will be appearing alongside headline acts such as Deaf Havana and Pulled ApartBy Horses.

Anyone wishing to visit the Butserfest stage must buy a ticket to the whole of the Victorious event.

During its time at Butser Hill, Butserfest was an alcohol and drug-free event. Past headline acts include You Me At Six, Funeral For A Friend and Mallory Knox.