The organisers of Reading Festival have applied for a licensing change that would allow acts to perform on a Thursday, making the festival a four-day event.
Currently, the main festival runs from Friday to Sunday, with Wednesday and Thursday set aside for attendees with camping tickets to arrive and get set up. Per BBC News, organisers Festival Republic have applied for amplified music to be added to the licence for Thursdays, on the main stage only, from 5pm until midnight. If approved by Reading Borough Council, the change could come into effect from 2027.
This year’s Reading Festival runs from 27-30 August. Its sister festival in Leeds, which takes place on the same weekend, already has permission to perform music on a Thursday, and will do so for the first time this year with Kasabian headlining their main stage. Fontaines D.C., Florence + The Machine, DAVE, Charli XCX, RAYE, and Chase & Status are all confirmed to top the bill for both weekends.
This year also sees a massive staging and arena overhaul, described by the organisers as the biggest in the events’ history. Both Little John’s Farm in Reading and Bramham Park in Leeds with have up to six stages will be on site, with improvements to the Main Stage now known as The Grid, along with new stages The Gallery and The Warehouse.
The Gallery boasts “an undercover immersive stage with innovative LED screen lights and immersive production running throughout the entire stage”, while The Warehouse is a brand new purpose-built home for dance music. New areas called The Ballroom and The Canopy will host emerging artists, while Reading-exclusive stage The Yard will “bring the industrial edge of alternative club culture”, situated in the open-air with shipping containers. It will “offer something completely different to any other stage at the festival”.
