The Reading and Leeds Festivals are a pair of annual music festivals in Reading and Leeds in England. The events occur simultaneously on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday of the August bank holiday weekend, sharing the same bill. The Reading Festival is held at Little John's Farm on Richfield Avenue in central Reading, near the Caversham Bridge. The Leeds event is held in Bramham Park, near Wetherby, on the grounds of a historic house. Campsites are available at both sites, and weekend tickets include camping. Day tickets are also sold.
The Reading Festival, the original and senior leg of the two, is the world's oldest popular music festival. It has had various musical phases over the years, as detailed below. In the twin-site era, rock, alternative, indie, punk, and metal have tended to dominate.
The Festival Republic runs the festivals, which was divested from Mean Fiddler Music Group. For promotional purposes during 1998-2007, they were known as the Carling Weekend: Reading and the Carling Weekend: Leeds. Unsurprisingly, these titles were seldom used when not required, although NME did so as part of its involvement. In November 2007, the organisers welcomed "Reading Festival reclaiming its prestigious name" when the sponsored title was abolished after nine years. In 2011, the capacity of the Reading site was 87,000, and the Leeds site was 75,000. This was an increase of several thousand in previous years.
News
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ONE MONTH UNTIL READING & LEEDS 2024
In just one month, the UK’s biggest festival Reading & Leeds will welcome 240,000 music fans for an era-defining line-up loaded with electrifying artists and two brand new stages
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Reading & Leeds: 50 Days To Go
The countdown is on! Rockstar Energy presents Reading & Leeds Festival 2024 is now just 50 days away. Prepare for the best weekend of your life with over 150 of the world's ...
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Reading and Leeds 2021 Announcement
Reading and Leeds Festivals announce today that a massive 6 headliners will perform in 2021 without any clashes as a second main stage is added to each site to accommodate an incredible line-up to mark the festival’s return
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Reading and Leeds 2020 Line-up Announcement
Reading & Leeds Festivals today reveals Rage Against The Machine and Stormzy as its 2020 headliners alongside already announced Liam Gallagher
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Reading Festival completely SOLD OUT
With over a month to go until Reading & Leeds Festivals 2019, taking place August Bank Holiday Weekend, excitement for the event is rising with the news that Reading Festival tickets have completely sold out!
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Reading 2019 Announce Foo Fighters, Twenty One Pilots And More
Reading & Leeds Festivals today reveals Foo Fighters, Twenty One Pilots, The 1975 and Post Malone as its 2019 headliners - and just four of twenty-two names announced to play at Reading’s famous Richfield Avenue and Leeds’ legendary Bramham Park next August bank holiday weekend (23rd-25th).
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Linkin Park's Mike Shinoda and Many More Sign up for Reading 2018
Reading and Leeds Festival today revealed even more new music acts to join the bill across the two sites over August bank holiday weekend (24 – 26 August) this year, as well as the first raft of world-class comedy acts who will also be appearing.
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Reading and Leeds 2018 Revs up Its Line-up
Reading and Leeds Festival has just lifted the lid on more names who will play at this year’s event – with chart heavyweights such as Slaves, Don Broco...
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Reading and Leeds Festival has revealed Its 2018 headliners
Reading and Leeds Festival has revealed Kendrick Lamar, Kings of Leon, Fall Out Boy, and Panic! at the Disco as its 2018 headliners
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Alternative Stage Names For Reading & Leeds 2017
Reading & Leeds Festival 2017 has today announced more names across the music stages, with the arena-sized comedians, global stars and popular club nights joining the Alternative Stage for a Bank Holiday weekend not to be missed.
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Liam Gallagher And Over 70 More Acts For Reading & Leeds 2017
Already boasting a phenomenal line-up of indisputable headliners and the hottest voices in modern music, Reading & Leeds has announced even more names for this year’s festivals, taking place between 25 - 27 August 2017 at Richfield Avenue, Reading and Bramham Park, Leeds.
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Reading Festival Saturday Day Tickets - Sold Out!!!
Within a week of announcing Reading and Leeds 2017’s third and final headliner, Saturday Day tickets for Reading Festival have completely sold out!
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Reading & Leeds Festival Announce Final Headliner Eminem and 60+ Acts
Reading and Leeds have confirmed Eminem as the final headliner for this year’s festivals, taking place on 25 – 27 August 2017 at Richfield Avenue, Reading and Bramham Park, Leeds.
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Kasabian Lead Second Wave Of Acts For Reading & Leeds Festival 2017
Reading and Leeds announces Kasabian as the second headliners for this year’s Festivals, taking place on 25 – 27 August 2017 at Richfield Avenue, Reading, and Bramham Park, Leeds.
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Muse Announced For Reading & Leeds 2017
Reading & Leeds Festivals announce Muse, in a UK Festival exclusive, as the first headliners for next year’s festival, taking place 25-27 August 2017.
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Headliners Top Huge Reading & Leeds 2016 Weekend
Five Huge Headline Performances From Foals, Disclosure, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Fall Out Boy and Biffy Clyro Top Biggest Line-up to Date
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Saturday Day Tickets SOLD OUT For Reading & Leeds 2016
With just over 7 weeks to go until the gates open for Reading and Leeds 2016, Saturday Day Tickets for Reading Festival are now sold out. There are now very limited Friday, Sunday and Weekend tickets left.
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Russell Howard & Bill Bailey Lead Alternative Stage Names For Reading
Reading & Leeds Festival 2016 has today announced the arena-sized comedians, global stars and popular club nights joining the Alternative Stage for a Bank Holiday weekend not to be missed.
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Reading & Leeds Add Yet More Bands for This Years Festival
Already boasting a phenomenal programme of the most exciting names in modern music, Reading and Leeds Festivals have revealed further additions to the iconic August bank holiday weekender
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Reading & Leeds Festivals Present Biffy Clyro
Reading & Leeds Festivals are delighted to announce an exclusive acoustic performance from 2016 headliners Biffy Clyro to take place at Headrow House, Leeds, on Wednesday 1 June.
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Reading & Leeds Reveals More Names For 2016
Reading & Leeds has added even more names to the Bank Holiday weekend mecca of music, with over 70 names announced today across 6 phenomenal stages.
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Reading & Leeds Announces Festival First With Final Two Headliners!
Joining a packed weekend of international heavyweights, Reading & Leeds are delighted to announce their final UK Festival Exclusive co-headliners of 2016; Biffy Clyro and Fall Out Boy.
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Reading & Leeds Announces Second Wave Of Acts For 2016
Reading & Leeds Festivals are delighted to announce Foals and Disclosure as co- headliners for this year’s festival taking place across Bank Holiday Weekend 26-28 August 2016.
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Reading & Leeds Festival 2016 announce first headliner
Reading & Leeds Festival 2016 announce first headliner, Red Hot Chili Peppers. The 1975, Courteeners, Twenty One Pilots, Boy Better Know, Dj Ez, Slaves, Crossfaith, Hinds and Rat Boy Also Announced.
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Reading & Leeds Announce BBC Introducing Stage For 2015
With less than a month to go until the biggest weekend of music this summer, the countdown is on for Reading & Leeds 2015.
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Reading & Leeds 2015 Announce Alternative Stage
With eight weeks to go until the Festival gates open, the line-up for the Alternative Stage at Reading & Leeds has been announced.
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Even More Names Announced For Reading & Leeds 2015
With some of the world’s biggest names in music including Kendrick Lamar, Alt J and Bring Me The Horizon, the already bursting Reading & Leeds Festival lineup is now bolstered by even more incredible names.
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Over 60 News Acts Announced For Reading & Leeds Festival!
With only four months to go until August Bank Holiday Weekend, Reading & Leeds Festivals are excited to add over 60 new acts to an already incredible bill headlined by Mumford & Sons, Metallica and The Libertines.
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The Libertines To Headline Reading & Leeds Festival 2015
Reading & Leeds Festivals are thrilled to announce The Libertines as the final of this year’s Main Stage headliners! The indie-rockers will bring the good ship Albion to the Festivals this summer, cementing a Reading & Leeds legacy which dates back
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Reading & Leeds Festivals reveal MUMFORD & SONS as Headliners
Reading & Leeds Festivals are very excited to announce Mumford & Sons as Main Stage headliners! The British rock band last appeared at Reading & Leeds in 2010 when they performed a triumphant set to a packed NME/BBC Radio 1 Stage. The band return to
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Reading & Leeds Festival Announce Exclusive Metallica Headliners
Reading & Leeds Festivals announce a UK FESTIVAL EXCLUSIVE performance from Main Stage headliners METALLICA! JAMIE T, PIERCE THE VEIL, WILKINSON LIVE, REFUSED, RUN THE JEWELS and MANCHESTER ORCHESTRA the first of hundreds of exciting acts set to ap
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Reading & Leeds Announce Alternative Stage
With six weeks to go until the Festival gates open, the line-up for the Alternative Stage at Reading & Leeds has been announced.
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Reading & Leeds Festivals announce Queens Of The Stone
This year sees amazing Main Stage co-headliner shows from rock heroes Queens Of The Stone Age and pop-rock trailblazers Paramore who share the prestigious stage on Friday at Reading and Saturday at Leeds in their only UK performances of 2014.
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Reading & Leeds Festivals announce ARCTIC MONKEYS
It’s shaping up to be a big summer for Reading & Leeds Festivals. Having already announced headliners Blink-182 in their only UK shows of 2014, as well as Jake Bugg, Disclosure, Metronomy, Of Mice & Men, Wilkinson and I Am Legion, even more names hav
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Reading & Leeds Festival invite you to rename The Rock Stage
Following the success of a dedicated stage offering rock in the form of the best in metal, punk and hardcore at both Festival sites last year, in 2014 this stage will be curated by Daniel P Carter.
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Reading & Leeds Festivals announce BLINK-182
JAKE BUGG, DISCLOSURE, METRONOMY, OF MICE & MEN, WILKINSON and I AM LEGION the first of hundreds of exciting bands set to appear!
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Reading & Leeds 2013 – The Weekend That Will Go Down In History!
What a weekend it has been! With Reading Festival completely sold out and Leeds Festival Friday Tickets sold out, it has been three adrenaline-fuelled days packed with memorable moments and unforgettable performances. Reading & Leeds Festivals 2013 w
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Reading Festival Weekend Tickets Sold Out!!
Only a limited number of Sunday Day Tickets remain for Reading Festival.
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Saturday Day Tickets For Reading Festival Now Sold Out!
Summer is here and the countdown to Reading & Leeds Festivals 2013 is well underway! With less than 50 days to go until the gates open, Saturday Day tickets for Reading Festival have now sold out!
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Reading Festival Announce Wretch 32 and 20 More
With Wiley and Devlin already announced as headliners for the stage, Wretch 32 is revealed as the final headliner for the BBC Radio 1Xtra Stage, plus may more names!
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Green Day To Head Up Reading & Leeds Festival
Recently named the ‘Best Festival’ at the NME Awards, this year’s Reading & Leeds Festivals are officially set to be better than ever! 2013 promises more
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Reading Festival Announce System Of A Down & Biffy
Rock-trio Biffy Clyro to headline Reading & Leeds as UK festival exclusives! System Of A Down, Fall Out Boy, Foals, Jake Bugg and Bring Me The Horizon also join the line-up!
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Eminem Has Been Announced To Top The Bill For Reading and Leeds 2013
Reading & Leeds are back for 2013. With the festival goers’ appetites well and truly whet, there is now even more to satisfy the hunger with the first of the highly-anticipated headliners to be revealed!
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Reading and Leeds Festival 2013 Line-Up Announcements
Reading & Leeds Festival have New stages, exciting changes and first bands announced including Deftones.
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Reading & Leeds Festival Sell Out
Following the release of an extra 3000 tickets at the end of July, organisers are thrilled to announce that Reading Festival has now sold out of all weekend tickets and will be filled to the 90,000 capacity.
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Free Beer and Food For Reading Festival Ticket Holders
As announced earlier this year, all Reading & Leeds Festival 2012 weekend ticket holders will be entitled to a free bap and beer or soft drink each of the three days.
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DANCE TO THE RADIO LINE-UP ANNOUNCED FOR LEEDS FESTIVAL
These new acts join Main Stage headliners Foo Fighters, The Cure, Kasabian plus The Black Keys, Paramore, Florence + the Machine, Kaiser Chiefs, Bombay Bicycle Club, The Vaccines...
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100 Days Until Reading and Leeds Festival!
Summer’s kicking in and the countdown to READING & LEEDS FESTIVAL has hit the 100 days mark so it’s time to start planning the most rock and roll weekend of the year.
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Reading Festival Announce Full Radio 1 Stage Lineup
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Reading & Leeds Festival Announce Lockup & Dance Stage
California’s SOCIAL DISTORTION bring their hard rockabilly/punk to the festival on Friday at Reading and Saturday at Leeds, and Florida’s LESS THAN JAKE, one of the pioneers of the ska punk scene headline Sunday at Reading and Friday at Leeds.
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The Cure, Foo Fighters, Kasabian and more for Reading and Leeds
The long awaited Reading and Leeds line ups have been revealed with Foo Fighters, Kasabian and The Cure headlining plus many more artists added.
Past & Future Events
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Reading Festival
21 August - 25 August 2024 -
Reading Festival
25 August - 27 August 2023 -
Reading Festival
26 August - 28 August 2022 -
Reading Festival
27 August - 29 August 2021 -
Reading Festival
28 August - 30 August 2020 -
Reading Festival
22 August - 25 August 2019 -
Reading Festival
23 August - 26 August 2018 -
Reading Festival
24 August - 27 August 2017 -
Reading Festival
26 August - 28 August 2016 -
Reading Festival
27 August - 30 August 2015 -
Reading Festival
22 August - 24 August 2014 -
Reading Festival
23 August - 25 August 2013 -
Reading Festival
24 August - 26 August 2012 -
Reading Festival
26 August - 28 August 2011 -
Reading Festival
27 August - 29 August 2010 -
Reading Festival
28 August - 30 August 2009