Reading Festival grew out of the National Jazz Festival, first staged by Marquee Club founder Harold Pendleton at Richmond Athletic Ground in 1961. Through the 1960s the event moved between several London and Home Counties sites and shifted its sound, adding rhythm and blues acts like the Rolling Stones by 1963 before jazz disappeared from the bill entirely by 1969.
The festival found its permanent home in Reading, Berkshire, in 1971, eventually settling at Little John’s Farm on Richfield Avenue near Caversham Bridge. Since 1999 it has run as a twin event with Leeds Festival, held simultaneously over the August bank holiday weekend, and its lineups now lean toward rock, indie, alternative, punk, and metal, with a growing hip-hop presence from headliners such as Kendrick Lamar, Travis Scott, and Eminem.
Stats at a Glance
- Location: Little John’s Farm, Richfield Avenue, Reading, Berkshire, England
- Type: Outdoor music festival
- Opened: 1961 (as National Jazz Festival); permanent Reading site since 1971
- Held: August bank holiday weekend, alongside Leeds Festival
- Capacity: About 105,000 daily attendance (record set in 2019)
- Famous for: Longest-running popular music festival in the UK
From Jazz Club Roots to Rock Institution
What began as a jazz gathering organized by a London club owner transformed within a decade into one of Britain’s defining rock events. The steady genre shift through the 1960s mirrored the era’s changing tastes, and by the time the festival put down roots in Reading in 1971, it had already left its jazz origins behind.
That willingness to evolve carried through the following decades, as the festival’s bookings tracked punk, indie, grunge, and eventually hip-hop, keeping it relevant across generations of British music fans rather than freezing it in one era.
A Weekend on Richfield Avenue
Little John’s Farm, the festival’s riverside site near Caversham Bridge, hosts multiple stages across the bank holiday weekend, with weekend tickets bundling camping alongside the music. The layout and scale expanded considerably over the years, with capacity climbing from roughly 87,000 in 2011 to a record 105,000 by 2019.
Running in tandem with Leeds Festival since 1999, Reading shares much of its lineup with its northern counterpart, letting touring artists play both sites across the same weekend while each retains its own distinct crowd and atmosphere.
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Reading Festival FAQs
Where is Reading Festival held?
Reading Festival takes place at Little John’s Farm on Richfield Avenue in Reading, Berkshire, England, near Caversham Bridge.
How long has Reading Festival been running?
It traces back to 1961 as the National Jazz Festival and has been held permanently in Reading since 1971, making it the UK’s longest-running popular music festival.
What is Reading Festival’s capacity?
The festival reached a record daily capacity of about 105,000 attendees in 2019, up from roughly 87,000 in 2011.
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Photo: Man Alive! / CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.