Down At The Abbey

About Down at the Abbey

Reading Abbey Ruins gives this festival its frame: a 900-year-old site in the middle of town. Down at the Abbey 2027 runs there on 10-11 September as a two-day music festival at Reading Abbey Ruins, Reading, RG1 3BA.

The event began in 2019, launched by the team behind Are You Listening? Festival. It has a 2,000 daily capacity, keeping the scale closer to a compact town-centre arena than a large greenfield site.

Lineup and Programme

Music runs across the Main Arena and Second Stage, with no clashes between the two. Saturday adds free children’s activities.

Food and drink traders are part of the site, including local independents, non-alcoholic beers and mocktails. The format is single-day rather than camping-based.

Who Is It For?

The crowd is a family-friendly, like-minded town-centre audience. Saturday is the clearest family marker, with free children’s activities alongside the music.

Anyone aged 17 or under must be accompanied by an adult. Children aged 10 and under must wear a contact-number wristband, and Challenge 25 applies at the bars.

The Venue and Site

The setting is the 900-year-old Reading Abbey Ruins, a heritage site in central Reading. Hard-standing paths run throughout the site for accessibility.

Accessible toilets are at The Forbury Roseate Hotel, and there is a first aid tent. There are no camping facilities, as the festival is a series of single-day events.

Travel to Down at the Abbey

The site is in central Reading, around five minutes on foot from Reading Station and close to town-centre bus stops.

• Nearest station: Reading Station, about a 5-minute walk from Reading Abbey Ruins.
• Road access: Abbot’s Walk, Forbury Road, Station Road, Friar Street and Blagrave Street serve the area around the ruins.
• Parking: There is no public parking on site; use Reading town-centre car parks or Park & Ride options.