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Reading Festival applies for licence to become four-day event with music on the Thursday night too
Reading Festival's organisers, Festival Republic, have applied for a licence change that would let the event add music on Thursday nights, effectively turning it into a four-day festival. Currently the main event runs from Friday to Sunday, with Wednesday and Thursday reserved for campers to arrive and set up, so the move would extend live performances by an extra day if councillors approve it.
The application asks for amplified music on the main stage from 5pm to midnight on Thursdays, and if Reading Borough Council grants it, the change could take effect from 2027. This year's festival runs from 27–30 August, with headliners including Fontaines D.C., Florence + The Machine, DAVE, Charli XCX, RAYE and Chase & Status. Sister event Leeds Festival already has permission for Thursday music and will use it for the first time this year, with Kasabian topping the bill; both sites are also undergoing a major staging overhaul, including a revamped main stage called The Grid and new stages The Gallery, The Warehouse, The Ballroom, The Canopy and, at Reading, The Yard.
In short
- Reading Festival seeks licence to add Thursday night music, becoming four days
- Change could start in 2027 if Reading Borough Council approves it
- Leeds Festival already has Thursday music rights, debuting this year with Kasabian
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Festival organisers and supporters would argue that extending to Thursday night provides enhanced programming and entertainment value for attendees, follows the successful precedent of Leeds Festival, and makes efficient use of infrastructure already in place. The festival is an established, well-managed event that brings significant economic and cultural benefits to the area, and since attendees camp on Wednesday anyway, a single evening of music represents a natural, modest extension.
The case against
Residents and local authorities concerned about environmental and quality-of-life impacts would contend that an additional night of amplified music means extended noise pollution for neighbouring homes where people need sleep, multiplies the disruption already caused by the three-day festival, and strains local services further. They would argue that tolerating an existing major event does not obligate acceptance of indefinite expansion, and that residents' right to peaceful enjoyment of their homes deserves equal weight with the festival's commercial interests.
Explained simply
Reading Festival is a major annual music event held in Reading, England, where thousands of attendees camp for the weekend. The festival currently runs from Friday to Sunday, with Wednesday and Thursday designated as setup days when audiences arrive and prepare their campsites.
The festival's organisers want to start live music programming on Thursday evenings instead of Friday, which would extend the festival to four days. This would require approval from Reading Borough Council, the local authority responsible for licensing the event.
Reading's sister festival in Leeds already has permission to run Thursday night music and will use it for the first time this year. Both festivals are currently undergoing significant updates to their stages and performance spaces.