Itchy City guide to Great Britain. Food, drink, film, music, stage, events, shopping, offers and competitions within Great Britain.

Imagine stepping off a vintage bus and walking through trees bedecked with fairy lights before reaching a burlesque-painted entrance, complete with red carpet. Through this entrance lies a high street that's popped up out of nowhere. It's populated by people dressed impeccably, but not from one single era. 80s New Romantics rub shoulders with 40s tea dancers, 50s rock & rollers chat with easy-going 70s hippies over cocktails. This is Vintage, at Goodwood, and it's vying for the crown of most stylish festival in the world.

It wasn't all style and no substance, though: what made Vintage truly magnificent was its vast range of entertainment, design, and deliciousness. There was the Tea Company, purveying the finest tea and cake (on vintage china) to masses of queuing customers. The beautiful Tanqueray Torch Club had tea dances and delicious two-course dinners with wine on offer, and the finest vintage and retro design, furniture, and auctions were available in the Vintage Marketplace.

The creative spark in every festival-goer was catered for through numerous conduits: at the Beauty Box – 50s glamour through to 70s punk were catered for by expert instructors. The Talk Tent offered vintage cookery demonstrations, and workshops on silk screening, vintage stencilling, sewing a 50s swing skirt and crocheting kept even the most fidgety of fingers busy.

The music could have seemed something of an afterthought after all that wonder, but the quality remained high on the two outdoor stages: Sandie Shaw presented a range of sisters on the Main Stage, all of whom were doing it for themselves in 'Reclaim the Song'. The lady-gang included Sophie Ellis Bextor, Sandie Thom and Mica Paris, covering songs by artists as diverse as Morrissey, Pulp, Tom Jones and Freddie Mercury. The Beat played a blinder of a set, culminating in an extended sing-along version of 'Mirror in the Bathroom' on Friday afternoon. This paved the way for The Wailers' headline set, which set the whole audience swaying to their reggae sound as the sun sank over Goodwood.

This weekend was an exhausting marathon of dancing, sewing, drinking, rocking and roller-skating that Itchy wouldn't've missed for the world. It's great fun for everyone but if you're especially in love with your vintage fashion and design this is a must-see for 2011. Food and drinks prices were hiked as you'd expect of a festival, and disabled access was iffy at points, but this is so much more than a music festival. They've also got real toilets with an endless supply of loo paper – clearly the chicest festival of 2010.