The Reading & Leeds Festival 2025 returns from August 22 to 24 for three days of riffs, choruses, and almost sleepless nights. Between 2025 exclusives (Chappell Roan, Bring Me The Horizon, Hozier, Travis Scott), redesigned campgrounds like a mini-town (vacuum toilets, showers galore, “Get Ready With Me” stations), new electronic stages (Smirnoff Stage in Reading, Reload in Leeds), and a simplified journey by train, shuttle, or Big Green Coach, everything is ready for the grand finale of summer in the UK. Day tickets start at £125, weekend passes at £325, flexible payment options, and a clear reminder: Friday day tickets for Reading are already sold out.
The Reading & Leeds Festival 2025 is just around the corner – from August 22 to 24!
Every British summer has its last page, and it turns to the sound of a crowd singing louder than the amplifiers. At Reading (Richfield Avenue) and Leeds (Bramham Park), we gather to upgrade our status from “I love music” to “I have stories until Christmas.” This edition, presented by Rockstar Energy, announces a generously packed lineup: stage schedules revealed, over 150 artists, and that kind of collective energy that makes you forget sleep. Music from Friday to Sunday, campgrounds open from Thursday, August 21.
Why go? Because it’s the big rite of passage of the British festival calendar, the place where friendships in bucket hats and playlists that stick to the skin are born. And because the UK knows how to organize big weekends better than anyone.
Why it’s the summer finale in the UK
Plenty of exclusives, a staging that transforms a field into an arena, and an organization that perfects every detail: 2025 promises endings that feel like beginnings. You’ll come for the headliners, you’ll stay for the discoveries, the impromptu afters, and those pit choreographies that are later recounted like urban legends.
Headliners and 2025 exclusives
Chappell Roan (UK festival exclusive): pop in glitter, joyful theatricality, and choruses that will chase you through autumn. Expect a “queer cabaret under an open sky cathedral” effect and an avalanche of unforgettable photos.
Travis Scott (European exclusive): maximum adrenaline rush. A main stage that transforms into an open-air arena, a bass that reshapes your rib cage, and moments that make the tents three campgrounds away vibrate.
Bring Me The Horizon (house heroes): pyros, massive sing-alongs, catharsis, and smiles stuck in the pit. Come Monday, your calves will file a complaint — but with gratitude.
Hozier: from “Take Me to Church” to “Too Sweet”, a set at sunset that turns into constellations, to be lived arm in arm with a few more friends than expected.
And much more than just headliners
Beyond the headliners, the 2025 lineup embraces everything: from glitter pop to pit fury, including the UK underground that keeps nights inventive. Over 150 names, time slots already online, and stages turning like a carousel of atmospheres.
Revamped camping: choose your zone
This year, camping goes 2.0: vacuum toilets, more showers, and “Get Ready With Me” stations to shine before the first note. In terms of districts, five redesigned and free zones to book via Ticketmaster: The Fields (lively atmosphere, with a football pitch in Reading), The Garden (calm after 1am; yoga & meditation), The Meadow (eco, talks & upcycling), The Glitterball Grove (inclusive, safer spaces; open mic & karaoke), The Valley (solo/pairs community, daily meetups).
Availability info: in Reading, The Garden and The Meadow are already full; in Leeds, there is still space available. All weekend passes include camping, whether you are part of the strategic nap team or a lover of infinite nights.
Two new stages for the electronic night owls
Lovers of BPM have their buffet: Smirnoff Stage (Reading) hosts among others Riordan, IN PARALLEL, Lu. Re; Reload (Leeds) features DJ Semtex, Disrupta, Tommy Villiers, and their peers. Add The Aux for daytime antics that often slide into the night… and vice versa.
After dark: the site refuses to sleep
The Silent Discos take over Festival Republic and Chevron, with DJ sets (hello Badger) and takeovers from Swiftogeddon, Pop Never Dies, UPRAWR. Even The Aux brings out its headphones for a Silent Karaoke that raises the decibels… in silence.
Tickets, travel, and entry: everything you need to know
Prices: day at £125, weekend at £325, with flexible payments for all types of tickets. Note: in Reading, Friday tickets (day) are sold out. Other options remain available as long as there are tickets. Book at readingfestival.com/tickets and leedsfestival.com/tickets.
Come stress-free: for Reading, a short walk along the river from the main station (fast trains from London Paddington) leads you to the site. For Leeds, there are frequent shuttles connecting the station to the park. Opt for greener solutions: Big Green Coach, train, Liftshare carpooling — the planet and your future will thank you.
Where to pitch your tent (and your memories)
Looking for tranquility? The Garden. Mission good deeds? The Meadow. Solo but sociable? The Valley. Spontaneous and talkative? The Fields. Shine brighter than a disco ball? Glitterball Grove. The zones are free to book via Ticketmaster when spaces are available.
Smart checklist: what to bring… and what’s better to avoid
Things to pack: a waterproof and sturdy tent (and take it home), good boots, a reusable water bottle (free water points), a real waterproof jacket (the trash bag has retired), and a valid ID (Challenge 25, it’s serious). What to leave at home: disposable vapes (prohibited), campfires (no), and any arena bag larger than A4 size (nobody likes to queue).
“Eco” editions: borrow or rent a good tent (the “No Tent Left Behind” initiative from Decathlon is very handy), re-wear and thrift your looks, prefer washcloths over wipes, solid soaps over bottles, a picnic blanket instead of a folding throne, and an self-inflating mattress instead of a pump marathon.
Wellbeing and safety: #LookOutForEachOther
Here, the party rhymes with care. The AIR Hubs operate 24/7, with wellness and medical teams on the lookout. Partnerships with Safer Spaces, Safe Gigs for Women, a calm sensory space (Event Well), the Ask for Angela procedure, enhanced yet kind searches, and clear reminders on consent. If something seems off, speak to the staff: help is always at hand.
For cultural outing enthusiasts around the festivals
If you feel like extending the season differently, head towards other inspirations: a Pyrenean station that combines rock, trekking, and thermal baths at Saint-Lary-Soulan, a great free photo festival capturing the world, a “local journey” detour via the Festival Manchot, a total theater getaway at the Shakespeare Festival in Ashland, or even a myth-hunting trip to the Sasquatch capital in Canada. The world is an endless lineup.
