Reading & Leeds Festival 2026 runs from 27–30 August 2026 at Little John's Farm in Reading and Bramham Park near Leeds, and organiser Festival Republic has just expanded its 'Look Out For Our Planet' sustainability charter across both sites. The headline change: every campsite will be cleared and returned to its natural state within two weeks of the festival ending.

What is the 'Look Out For Our Planet' pledge?

It's a shared commitment between the festival and the people attending it, rather than a one-way corporate promise — which is a smarter framing than most charters manage. Festival Republic provides the infrastructure; festivalgoers are asked to use the bins, consider greener travel and, above all, take their gear home.

That last bit is working. Since 2019 the festivals have tracked a real shift in behaviour, with almost two-thirds of tents taken home in 2025. The 2026 push is about building on that number, not resetting the conversation.

Key details

  • Dates: 27–30 August 2026
  • Headliners: Charli xcx, Fontaines D.C., Dave, RAYE, Florence + The Machine, Chase & Status
  • Leeds Thursday headliner: Kasabian — the first ever Thursday night headline slot at Leeds
  • Campsite clearance: both sites returned to natural state within two weeks
  • Tickets: Reading weekend tickets sold out; limited Reading Sunday day tickets and limited Leeds tickets remain

What's new for 2026?

The Campsite Clearance Commitment

A brand-new initiative at both sites, committing to campsites being fully cleared and restored within a fortnight of the last set. Backing it up on the ground, litter-picking volunteers from Litter Free Leeds and Life's A Beach will be working the Leeds and Reading campsites respectively, nudging campers to keep their patch tidy.

A fossil-fuel-free Ballroom Stage

Reading's brand-new Ballroom Stage will be powered entirely by green energy, in a festival-first partnership between Grid Faeries and Ecotricity. The Grid Faeries battery system — which, with stored energy plus additional wind and solar generation, could reportedly power an average UK home for 425 days — is a genuine milestone for large-scale renewable power at UK festivals.

Repair cafés in the campsites

New Reparium stalls will be set up in the campsites, run by volunteers from the established Repair Cafe networks of Berkshire and Leeds. Bring a broken tent pole, a busted camping chair or a ripped jacket and they'll try to fix it rather than let it hit the skip. Simple, and long overdue at this scale.

No single-use plastic

Food and drink packaging and cutlery across both sites is now 100% compostable and plastic-free. Drinks are served in aluminium cans, paper cups or recyclable Tetra Pak.

Local community partnerships

Both sites have teamed up with 50+ local community groups and charities to redistribute usable materials after the festival. Food donations go to Oxford Food Hub and Leeds North & West Foodbank.

What about safety and welfare?

AIR Hubs (Assistance, Information & Response) return across the campsites and arena at both sites, staffed 24 hours by local groups and charities including WAVES, Berkshire Women's Aid, Sport in Mind and Oxfam at Reading, and Andy's Man Club, Angels of Freedom and St George's Crypt at Leeds.

Elsewhere, charity Event Well runs a Sensory Calm Space on both sites for anyone feeling overwhelmed, the Ask for Angela scheme operates at every bar and venue, and the festival has partnered with Safer Spaces and Stamp Out Spiking. Bag searches will be more thorough this year, with a redesigned process at first-entry and re-entry gates — pack light, and leave the drugs at home.

What have organisers said?

Melvin Benn, Managing Director of Festival Republic, said: "As a leading festival in the global festival calendar, Reading and Leeds Festival takes our responsibility to open up new sustainability models and initiatives with the utmost importance. This year we're happy to unveil new measures across campsites, staging and within the local community which shows how a festival's impact can be positive for the environment."

He added: "It's vitally important in this partnership that the festival works with its fans to achieve this goal — and we look forward to continuing the great work of recent years with festival fans in 2026."

Are tickets still available?

Reading weekend tickets have sold out, with only limited Sunday day tickets left. Limited Leeds Festival tickets are still available. Both are on sale now via the official sites — and with a new arena layout and six new and improved stages landing this year, they won't hang around. [LINK: ticket page] [LINK: festival page]

Full details of the pledge are at readingfestival.com. If you're heading to either site next week: take your tent home. That's the whole ask.