READING & LEEDS 2025: YOUR ULTIMATE GUIDE TO THE BEST WEEKEND OF THE YEAR
Luke Dyson @lukedyson www.lukedyson.com
SET TIMES, CAMPING, WHAT TO BRING AND MUCH MORE!
Kicking off in less than a month, Rockstar Energy presents Reading & Leeds 2025 is set to define the sound, energy, and spirit of the year. With Friday day tickets for Reading now sold-out, the UK’s most anticipated festival weekend (21st–24th August) continues to raise the bar, with an era-defining lineup led by headliners Chappell Roan, Hozier, Bring Me The Horizon and Travis Scott, and is packed with boundary-breaking newcomers, underground cult heroes and next-gen icons. Whether it’s your first time or your tenth, Reading & Leeds remains the future-facing, culture-shaping moment in the UK festival calendar—where memories are made, legends are born, and music history is written in real time.
The initial running order for the eagerly anticipated bank holiday weekend has been revealed, with over 150 acts set to perform across both sites. Stage times are now available within the official Reading & Leeds app on both iOS and Android devices. The app is the best place to create personalised schedules, design your own Reading & Leeds poster, check maps and info, plus stay up to date with the latest from across the weekend.
The 2025 edition of Reading & Leeds brings the most transformative evolution to festival camping the UK has ever seen. In the biggest site change in the festival’s 55-year history, every campsite has been reimagined from the ground up with vacuum toilets, more showers, bespoke ‘Get Ready With Me’ stations, enhanced décor and production, plus a wide range of new non-music activities designed to elevate the weekend experience.

At the heart of this refresh are five newly introduced campsite areas—The Fields, The Garden, The Meadow, The Glitterball Grove, and The Valley — each created to reflect the needs, interests, and energy of the diverse Reading & Leeds community. Every space, which is free to book, comes with its own unique identity and daytime programming, allowing festival-goers to choose the vibe that fits them best. Demand for the new campsites reflects just how well this revamp is landing. In Reading, The Meadow and The Garden campsites are now fully booked, whilst over 50% of Leeds Festival attendees have already reserved their spot in the new camping spaces.
Also new for 2025, Reading & Leeds introduces two brand new stages – celebrating the underground electronic communities blazing a path through modern UK culture. In Reading, the Smirnoff Stage brings together the likes of Riordan, IN PARALLEL, Lu. Re, and more. Whilst in Leeds, the Reload Stage will see DJ Semtex, Disrupta and Tommy Villiers amongst many more perform across the weekend.
Reading and Leeds has something for everyone, day and night. Whether you’re raving under the LED roof of the Chevron stage, diving into creative, non-music programming at The Aux with Brittany Broski alongside Max Balegde and Charley Marlowe, JaackMaate’s Happy Hour, or Harry Pinero and Darkest Man, or discovering the best new bands before they blow up, R&L puts you in control of your weekend.
And when the headliners wrap, the night’s just getting started—expect more late-night entertainment than ever before, with Silent Disco sessions lighting up the Festival Republic and Chevron stages after dark, plus DJ sets from Brighton’s Badger and takeovers from clubnight favourites like Swiftogeddon, Pop Never Dies and UPRAWR. Even The Aux goes nocturnal, with Silent Karaoke keeping the party going. This year’s programming goes beyond the big moments—it’s a full-spectrum celebration of where music and culture meet.

Changing the game for festivals every year, Reading and Leeds scooped Music Week’s Festival Of The Year award, after previously being awarded The Innovation Award at the UK Festival Awards 2024 in recognition for the all-new Chevron Stage. This year, more positive changes have been announced for this year’s festivals, with these new initiatives set to make a positive impact on sustainability, safety and inclusivity at music festivals across the board.
Reading and Leeds Festival takes place Thursday 21st – Sunday 24th August 2025 at Richfield Avenue in Reading and Bramham Park in Leeds.
Tickets are on sale at www.readingfestival.com/tickets and www.leedsfestival.com/tickets.
Prices for tickets range from £125 for day tickets and £325 for a weekend ticket, with flexible payment options available on all ticket types.
Festival goers can book their place in the new campsites in Reading HERE and Leeds HERE.
Stage times for Reading & Leeds Main Stage and Chevron Stage are listed below.
To find out when The Dare, Mannequin Pussy, Snow Strippers, House Of Protection, Skye Newman, The Linda Lindas, Nell Mescal, Mouth Culture, High Vis, Bilmuri, Been Stellar, Antony Szmierek, Bartees Strange, Snayx, Jasmine.4.T + even more exciting acts are performing download the official Reading & Leeds Festival App.
- Reading & Leeds Festival App ios: https://apps.apple.com/be/app/reading-leeds/id1024718630
- Reading & Leeds Festival App Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.greencopper.android.reading
SET TIMES
MAIN STAGE
MAIN STAGE
FRIDAY READING/SATURDAY LEEDS
Hozier: 9:40PM – 11:20PM
Chappell Roan: 7:10PM – 8:40PM
The Kooks: 5:20PM – 6:10PM
Wallows: 4:10PM – 4:50PM
Bloc Party: 2:45PM – 3:45PM
The Royston Club: 1:45PM – 2:20PM
Alessi Rose: 12:50PM – 1:23PM
Red Rum Club: 12:00PM – 12:30PM
MAIN STAGE
SATURDAY READING/SUNDAY LEEDS
Bring Me The Horizon: 9:50PM – 11:20PM
Limp Bizkit: 7:55PM – 8:55PM
Enter Shikari: 6:30PM – 7:20PM
Conan Gray: 5:10PM – 6:00PM
Royel Otis: 3:55PM – 4:40PM
Good Neighbours: 2:45PM – 3:30PM
Alessi Rose: 1:45PM – 2:20PM
Lambrini Girls: 12:50PM – 1:20PM
Viola: 12:00PM – 12:30PM
MAIN STAGE
SUNDAY READING/FRIDAY LEEDS
Travis Scott: 9:50PM – 11:20PM
D-Block Europe: 8:05PM – 9:05PM
Trippie Redd: 6:45PM – 7:30PM
Amyl and The Sniffers: 5:30PM – 6:15PM
Suki Waterhouse: 4:20PM – 5:05PM
Sea Girls: 3:25PM – 3:55PM
Waterparks: 2:30PM – 3:00PM
Songer: 1:40PM – 2:10PM
Demae: 12:50PM – 1:20PM
CHEVRON STAGE
CHEVRON STAGE
FRIDAY READING/SATURDAY LEEDS
AJ Tracey: 8:40PM – 9:40PM
Rudim3ntal: 6:10PM – 7:10PM
Soft Play: 4:55PM – 5:40PM
Still Woozy: 3:50PM – 4:35PM
Nemzzz: 2:45PM – 3:25PM
Badger: 1:50PM – 2:25PM
Charlotte Plank: 1:00PM – 1:30PM
Good Health Good Wealth: 12:25PM – 12:55PM
CHEVRON STAGE
SATURDAY READING/SUNDAY LEEDS
Becky Hill: 8:50PM – 9:50PM
Jazzy: 7:35PM – 8:15PM
Wunderhorse: 6:35PM – 19:20PM
Bakar: 5:30PM – 6:10PM
Pale Waves: 4:25PM – 5:05PM
Example: 3:05PM – 4:05PM
Pozer: 2:15PM – 2:45PM
Issey Cross: 1:30PM – 2:00PM
Blanco: 12:45PM – 1:15PM
James and The Cold Gun: 12:00PM – 12:30PM
CHEVRON STAGE
SUNDAY READING/FRIDAY LEEDS
Sammy Virji: 8:40PM – 9:40PM
DJ EZ: 7:00PM – 8:00PM
Lancey Foux: 5:45PM – 6:30PM
Girls Don’t Sync: 4:30PM – 5:15PM
Leigh-Anne: 3:20PM – 4:05PM
Del Water Gap: 2:25PM – 2:55PM
Late Night Drive Home: 1:35PM – 2:05PM
Lyvia: 12:00PM – 12:30PM
WHERE TO STAY

All weekend tickets for Reading & Leeds include camping, and there are multiple unique, free-to-book accommodation options when attending the festival depending on your preference, these are:
- The Fields: open to anyone, this is the place for those looking for a lively atmosphere, great vibes and the ability to tailor the experience once arrived, between closer to the arenas or chilled further away.
- Daytime activities include a standout Football Pitch (introduced for the first time in Reading in 2025), Pop-Up Performances and more.
- No booking is required, with Weekend & Weekend + Early Entry Tickets automatically allowing access to The Fields.
- The Garden: expanding what was Quiet Camp, this is the place for those looking for a more relaxed camping experience with limited noise after 1am.
- Daytime Activities at The Garden include Yoga, Meditation and the first-ever Reading & Leeds Run Club to kickstart the festival day.
- Spots can be booked for free via Ticketmaster.
Fully booked in Reading | Book for Leeds
- The Meadow: building on what was Eco Camp, this is the space for those looking for that festival camping experience whilst reducing their impact on the environment.
- To stay in this campsite, campers must sign up to the following principles: Respect Your Fellow Campers, Respect The Environment (avoiding littering, separating recyclable materials and don’t cause excess waste) + Leave The Campsite Exactly As You Found It.
- Daytime Activities at The Meadow include Yoga, sustainability-focused talks, upcycling workshops, and clothes swaps.
- Spots can be booked for free via Ticketmaster.
Fully booked in Reading | Book for Leeds
- The Glitterball Grove: A warm and welcoming space for festival-goers who want to camp with a supportive, like-minded community. The Glitterball Grove is all about inclusivity, respect, and creating a positive environment where everyone can relax and be themselves. In partnership with Safer Spaces Now CIC, this camp is supported by gender-inclusive teams who are dedicated to creating a safer environment for all.
- The Valley: a dedicated campsite for those coming to the festival on their own or as a pair. Suited for those looking for some ‘me time’ during the festival and for those knowing that everyone also in the campsite is in the same boat, it’s a great chance to meet like-minded festival goers and build new memories in the spirit of the festival.
For more information, head to our ‘Where to Stay’ page.
WHAT TO BRING
Be sure to visit the info page here. To make the most of your festival experience, here are some essential tips:
- Bring a tent which you want to take back home with you. Buying a cheaper tent just isn’t worth it, it could leave you and your belongings wet the next morning. Bring a high-quality tent with a rating above HH1500 to stay warm and dry. If you have any issues with your tent or wish to donate it after the festival, please do speak to your nearest AIRHUB or Campsite Manager.
- Invest in good waterproof boots instead of cheaper wellies for comfort and durability. ·
- Be prepared for thorough searches and cooperate with security requests for everyone’s safety.
- Bring valid ID. Reading & Leeds operates Challenge 25 policy. See here for forms of valid ID.
BANNED ITEMS
You can view the full list of banned items here. Please do familiarise yourself with them, some examples are:
- Disposable vapes – Do not bring single-use disposable vapes. Banned since 2023, they pollute the environment and incorrect disposal of these can be hazardous at waste centres.
- Campfires – Campfires are not allowed anywhere at the festival, including the campsites. This is to support the Air Quality Action Plan and in consideration of local impacts as set out in our Green Nation Charter. Anyone seen creating or fuelling a fire will be evicted from the festival site. We have to continue to protect our future on this planet.
- Bags in the arena – We strongly advise you not to bring a bag into the Arena as there will be long queues while all bags are searched. If you do wish to bring a bag into the Arena please ensure that it is no bigger than A4 sized 8.27”x11.69”. There is a limit to one A4 sized bag per person permitted into the Arena.
SUSTAINABLE SWAPS
By incorporating the following into your festival packing, you’ll not only have a comfortable time but also contribute to a more sustainable festival:
- Travel > use public transport, Big Green Coach, carpool with friends or use a service like Liftshare to reduce your carbon footprint. Reading Festival Liftshare & Leeds Festival Liftshare
- Poor quality tent > Borrow or hire a good quality tent – ask around your friends and family for a tent to borrow or find your local library of things here.
- Head to your nearest Decathlon store and look out for their No Tent Left Behind scheme, where you can buy any Decathlon tent, use it for your adventures, and simply take it back to Decathlon to receive the full value back as a Decathlon gift card.
- A new festival outfit > wearing clothing you already own or thrifting a second-hand fit.
- Wet wipes > reusable flannels – one for your face, one for your body.
- Plastic soap/shampoo bottles > Choose soap bars for a lighter packing and plastic-free option or share toiletries and suncream with friends to minimise waste. (Realistically are you going to wash your hair?)
- Camping chairs > Save carrying those heavy chairs and bring a picnic blanket, much lighter to carry and easier to pack away after.
- Air bed > Use a self-inflating roll mat for a cosy sleep, for light weight carrying and saving space in your bag.
- Poor quality trainers/wellies > Check the weather forecast and invest in appropriate and durable footwear. Shop from re-seller sites and charity shops to find amazing pre-loved options.
- Bottled water > Carry a refillable water bottle – free water points are situated all around the festival.
- Disposable ponchos > Bring a proper waterproof coat instead, reducing single-use waste and look way cooler.
Sign up to stay in The Meadow – the new and improved Eco Camp. Stay in a clean, green field with like-minded people who pledge to keep it tidy and take their tents home. Act quickly and visit here to secure your spot!
#LOOKOUTFOREACHOTHER, STAYING SAFE AND IF YOU NEED ASSISTANCE

Safety and wellbeing is our priority. While working closely with local authorities, we aim to maximise public safety. For full, up to date safety information see here.
- Back for 2025, AIR Hubs will be located across our campsites and arena at Reading and Leeds. They will provide a 24 hour facility over and above the existing security and stewarding teams, situated in multiple locations in and amongst the camping areas. AIR is an acronym for ASSISTANCE, INFORMATION & RESPONSE and we will be working with local community groups and charities to run these hubs, with the support of our existing safeguarding and welfare partners at the festival. The groups involved with the Reading Festival AIR Hubs to date are WAVES, Reading Schools, CGL, Berkshire Womens Aid, Safer Spaces, Sport in Mind, Oxfam, Oxford Food Hub and Soulscape. At Leeds Festival these hubs will be run by groups and charities including Festival Angels, Age UK, Andy’s Man Club, Oxfam and SSafe. You will never be too far away from a friendly face or listening ear when in the campsites.
- The festivals collaborate with various charities and welfare providers, including Safer Spaces, Safe Gigs for Women, Festival Medical Services, Elite EMS, The Welfare Crew, iThinc, Samaritans, Salvation Army, Narcotics Anonymous, Alcoholics Anonymous, Street Pastors, Brighter Futures for Children, Festival Angels, Forward Leeds and more, ensuring a safe, inclusive environment for reporting and support.
- Reading & Leeds will offer a Sensory Calm Space on-site. Run by charity Event Well, the space can be used by anyone who may be feeling overwhelmed or overstimulated on-site, offering a quiet environment to calm down.
- Festival-goers may be subject to more enhanced searches of bags and personal belongings. We request that you cooperate with any security requests and searches. Please pack light!
- Look out for #LookOutForEachOther posters and screens on-site, promoting conversations about drug and alcohol safety, respect and consent within the R&L community.
- CCTV recording is in operation across the festival site for crime prevention and public safety.
- Reading and Leeds both support the ‘Ask for Angela’ campaign which is operational at all the venues, bars and briefed to all staff members. If you ever feel uncomfortable, ask for Angela and you will be provided with assistance.
- Reading and Leeds Festivals are inclusive, supportive places and we want you to come and have the time of your life whilst still keeping safe. Unfortunately, a small minority of people do try to bring drugs into the festivals. We urge you not to attempt to bring any drugs with you or attempt to buy any on site. This year’s festivals have redesigned the search process on the first-time entry and re-entry gates. If you’re found with any amount of drugs on your person, or our drug dogs indicate you may have something with you, you will not be permitted access to the festival and may face criminal charges. There is no safe level of drug use and we don’t want you to ruin your weekend before it even begins. If you do find yourself in trouble, or you or your friends have taken something that doesn’t feel right, please find one of our help points and get help immediately.
- Through partnering with Stamp Out Spiking, Reading and Leeds Festival recognise that spiking is a crime, and support is required for anyone who feels they may have been spiked. Our staff and volunteers operate from a place of belief, so we encourage anyone who feels they or someone else has been spiked, to report it immediately so we can support as required and get them the required help.
- Reading & Leeds Festival are committed to mitigating violence in any forms but recognising the need to focus on Violence Against Women And Girls. R&L acknowledges that to stop such crimes, we must work together. Therefore, awareness will be formed through staff and volunteer briefings while promoting how to be a ‘Good Bystander’. Ticket holders are encouraged to report any signs of violence or something that doesn’t look or feel right to any member of staff, volunteer or via one of the help facilities. This year, we have partnered with Safer Spaces who aim to prevent domestic abuse and sexual violence, against women and girls, at festivals and events through education, training and immediate specialist support.
- Likewise, Safe Gigs For Women are celebrating their tenth anniversary this year and can be found in the arena at both Reading Festival and Leeds Festival. SGFW are an intersectional organisation that work to fight sexual violence at live music events and can provide advice and information about bystander intervention.

