V Festival 2016 - round up GALLERY & VIDEO: Justin Bieber, Rihanna, Kaiser Chiefs, Faithless, Stormzy and much much more

Before the 70,000 festival goers were let in to Weston Park all the talk was regarding the main stage headliners.

Organisers pushed the boat out to get Justin Bieber over to the UK for the weekend, but fan speculation had mounted in the days leading up to the festival that he may pull out.

We spoke to fans on day one of the festival:

Following his 'disappearance' from Instagram, Beliebers took to social media to express their concern that their idol was in a bad place and would leave V with a huge gap in its line up.

They need not have worried, as Bieber showed up to deliver a greatest hits set to an adoring, enormous crowd.

It was a fitting way to close proceedings in Stafford, with those who chose this leg over the Chelmsford counterpart sure to have felt like they had claimed a small victory in getting the megastar to end their weekend.

One thing that was notable by its absence, for the most part, was the rain.

So often the downfall of the whole festival experience, other than a few showers on Saturday, the Stafford crowd got to enjoy a healthy amount of sunshine, especially on Sunday.

Rihanna took to the stage in the dark of night on Saturday to give a huge crowd a party they will never forget.

The singer took things to another level with her spectacular show, proving that genuine star quality is something that every festival needs.

For those who fancied something a bit different at the end of their nights, the MTV stage was headlined by indie heroes Kaiser Chiefs on Saturday and dance legends Faithless on Sunday.

The Kaisers set was a predictable rowdy affair, full of singalongs, guitar solos and showmanship from the always impressive Ricky Wilson.

See our reviews and galleries from day one of V Festival 2016:

• Rihanna

• Jake Bugg

• David Guetta

• Kaiser Chiefs

• All Saints

• Travis

• Katherine Ryan

• Bill Bailey

• Example

• Tom Odell

Faithless managed to draw an impressive crowd despite clashing with Justin Bieber and gave those who chose to watch them one last energy kick before heading back to their campsite for the last time.

As has become customary for V in recent years, a contrast between the worlds of pop and rock was visible.

When viewed on paper, the mix doesn't necessarily work but in practice, it gives everyone a chance to enjoy genres and artists they may never get the chance to otherwise.

One of the biggest crossover crowds of the weekend was for Example, who really got things going on Saturday afternoon with a set heavy on big beats, heavy bass and mosh pits.

Earlier in the day, reformed girl group All Saints took to the main stage in a show high on emotion.

At the start of their run through of Never Ever, singer Nicole broke down in tears.

She was unable to sing the opening verse, despite the encouragement of her band mates and the crowd.

The girls carried on regardless and come the end of the song, Nicole had regained her composure.

It was a beautiful moment and a fine example of the positive, good times vibe that runs through V.

She later explained the emotion of performing to such a large crowd with her band mates again had gotten the better of her, before thanking the crowd for their support.

Saturday was also the day when guitar bands were given their chance to shine.

Aside from the Kaiser Chiefs, Travis and Jake Bugg both attracted large crowds of die hard and casual fans. Bugg's set on the MTV stage was heavy on rock'n'roll if a little light on showmanship from the Nottingham man.

Travis on the other hand looked invigorated in their role as the only main stage band to really play 'traditional' songs.

Frontman Fran Healy brought the crowd to life, even climbing the barrier at one point to get amongst it.

He would go on to galvanise the crowd later with a passionate speech about how important it is that bands who play instruments stayed strong during a quiet period for guitar music.

Another Saturday treat came from Bill Bailey, perhaps the biggest name to perform in the comedy tent.

The Black Books star completely packed out the arena, with another sizeable crowd watching from monitors outside the tent.

In between all of this was Tom Odell, whose unique voice and gorgeous songs gave everyone a chance to catch their breath, while Little Mix kept those eager to keep the party going entertained on the main stage.

After a good night's rest, it was back to business.

James Morrison gave a professional performance in the glorious sunshine, proving their is always place at a festival for a bit of old fashioned soul music.

His position on the line up was a bit jarring, with the singer performing before grime sensation Stormzy. The London rapper's set brought one of the biggest crowds of the weekend out and without doubt, the youngest.

Sunday's nostalgia kick came in the shape of Rick Astley, whose MTV stage performance proved to be a joyous affair and a real moment to savour for the singer, who is continuing to ride the wave of a remarkable comeback after becoming an internet sensation thanks to countless 'Rickrolling' videos over the years.

Jess Glynne brought things back to a slightly calmer level after Stormzy on the main stage, before Bastille brought the crowd up again, ready for the final two acts.

See our reviews from day two of V Festival 2016:

• Justin Bieber

• DNCE

• Sia

• Tinie Tempah

• James Morrison

• Foxes

• Rick Astley

• Stormzy

• Jess Glynne

• Tom Stade

Sia impressed and got everyone suitably in the mood to party as the weekend crept towards the finishing line.

But in the end, there was only one man fit for the job of drawing the curtain on another spectacular V Festival. We Belieb you know who we're talking about...

It was a bill featuring some of the biggest names in pop and the name of a few characters in particular were on the lips of punters months before the gates opened.

Two of the biggest stars on the planet were picked to headline in the shape of Justin Bieber and Rihanna, while festival veterans David Guetta and the Kaiser Chiefs also captured the attention.

While each and every act had a sizeable crowd to perform to, everyone had their say on who was the must see act of the weekend, as well as who they would be avoiding at all costs.

Organisers had been criticised for taking the festival too far into the pop world but there really was something for everyone. A V Festival veteran, Malcolm Breakwell, 62, from Shrewsbury, had been to every instalment of the event and returned this year keen to catch some of the more traditional acts, while avoiding the overpowering headliners.

He said: "I love V and I have come every single year.

"You can always catch a great band who are working their way up the ladder, as well as some of the artists who have been around for a while.

I won't be watching Justin Bieber or Rihanna, I don't think they are particularly great headliners."

One of the key ingredients to V Festival's success is its friendly atmosphere and the fact that music lovers old and young can come together for the weekend to find something they want to watch. Tom Denning, 22, from Somerset, returned to V for the second year running and was adamant that Canadian superstar Justin Bieber would steal the show.

He said: "I came last year and Olly Murs was great, he was probably the best out of everyone. This year it is all about Bieber, he is the man and everyone will be there to watch his set."

As well as embracing the pop world, V Festival has also welcomed a host of rap artists in recent years.

Seeing names such as Stormzy, Example and Tinie Tempah on the bill this year would have encouraged fans of the genre as it increases in popularity on the live circuit.

Jordan Roberts, 21, from North Wales, came to V as his first festival experience and said: "Example was amazing, he just brought the party to V and woke everyone up."

Matthew Wolsey, 42, from Birmingham, came to his first festival with friends Cathi Bellamy, 41, from Tamworth, Dawn Flounders, 40, from Hinckley and Claire Flounders, 38, from Tamworth.

He said: "I am not a Belieber but I think I will end up watching him because everyone wants to go. I enjoyed Example on the main stage, I thought he was one of the best acts of the first day."

Couple Tonia and Mark Rowson, from Stoke, said seeing All Saints took them back to their early years a married couple.

Tonia, 42, said: "When we got married All Saints were huge and seeing them brought a lot of happy memories back."