Richfield Avenue closes 10.30pm to 1am on 28, 29 and 30 August, and the council's 24-hour residents' hotline opens on Thursday. The full travel and noise plan.

Reading Festival returns to Little Johns Farm next week, and the road closures around the site start before the music does. Reading Borough Council published its travel and noise plan on Wednesday.

The closures and restrictions the council has confirmed are:

  • Richfield Avenue, closed 10.30pm to 1am on Friday 28, Saturday 29 and Sunday 30 August. It is shut to all vehicles between Cardiff Road and Tessa Road, and to all but authorised access between Tessa Road and Caversham Road.
  • The Thames Path, closed overnight 7pm to 6am from Thursday 27 to Monday 31 August, between Scours Lane and the far end of Thameside Promenade.
  • Cow Lane northbound, between Portman Road and Cardiff Road, likely to be closed 7am to 3pm on Bank Holiday Monday 31 August for coach transfers and service vehicles.
  • Parking and loading restrictions, enforced around the site and particularly along Richfield Avenue, including no stopping for pick-ups.

Campsites open at 6pm on Wednesday 26 August for early-entry ticket holders and at 8am on Thursday 27 August for everyone else, according to the organiser.

Timeline of Reading Festival week 2026 showing arena hours, the Richfield Avenue closure from 10.30pm to 1am on 28, 29 and 30 August, the Thames Path night closure, hotline hours and the music noise limits
Reading Festival week, from the council's travel release, the premises licence conditions and the organiser's own timetable. Graphic by Reading Daily.

The council expects Thursday 27 August to be the busiest arrival day and the Bank Holiday Monday to be the worst for getting out of town. It says traffic on the Saturday and Sunday should be near normal, though shops will be busier.

Where to drop people off

There is no pick-up or drop-off on Richfield Avenue. The council has designated Hills Meadow Car Park, George Street, RG4 8DH as the only drop-off and pick-up point for private cars. From there, festival-goers can walk to the site over Christchurch Bridge or take a free boat.

Pass holders park at Mapledurham or Kings Meadow. A temporary pedestrian bridge runs from Mapledurham direct to the site, and a free festival boat service runs from Kings Meadow. The council warns that only one boat service is authorised and asks people to be wary of unregulated boats, including any offering a taxi service. A temporary taxi rank operates in Tessa Road, opposite Rivermead Leisure Centre, for the duration of the event.

The quickest walk from Reading station is via the northern side of the station, not the town centre side. A festival shuttle bus runs from the same northern exit.

What changed this year

Organiser Festival Republic applied in June to vary the site’s premises licence. Its application letter set out three changes:

  • live music on the main stage on Thursday, from 5pm to midnight
  • the Wednesday early-entry camping cap raised from 20,000 to a maximum of 40,000
  • alcohol sales extended to 3am on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, from the current 2am, and added on Wednesday from 11am

Nine representations were made against the application and four in support, according to the committee report. The objectors included the Warren and District Residents Association and the Caversham and District Residents Association. CADRA’s written objection argued that adding Thursday music makes it “essentially a four day festival rather than a three day festival”. It said residents near the site already put up with the noise, plus roughly a month of build and breakdown either side.

The application went before the Licensing Applications Sub-Committee on Tuesday 18 August. The sub-committee’s written decision had not been published on the council’s website when we checked on Thursday.

What is published is the organiser’s own timetable. Festival Republic’s information page lists the arena as open 5pm to 3am on Thursday 27 August, and 11am to 3am on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The council’s travel release still describes Reading Festival as a three-day event.

Sound tests, noise limits and the hotline

Sound testing is supervised by council officers. Under the licence it may only happen between noon and 8.30pm on the Thursday, and in the two hours before live music starts on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The daytime music noise limits apply during testing.

Premises licence LMV000478 sets the off-site limits. Measured over 15 minutes, one metre from the front of the nearest noise-sensitive home, music noise must not exceed:

  • 68dB(A) between 11am and midnight
  • 70dB(A) for the final two performances of each day
  • 56dB LAeq between midnight and 5am, where amplified music should also not be the dominant source of noise

The council has set up a residents’ hotline on 020 8080 1518. It is answered 9am to 5pm on Wednesday 26 August, then 24 hours a day from 9am on Thursday 27 August until 3pm on Bank Holiday Monday 31 August. There is also an email address, ReadingFestivalHotline@reading.gov.uk, checked regularly during event hours.

Rivermead Leisure Centre closes in stages

Rivermead shuts down over the festival period, starting this Saturday:

  • Sports hall: closes 6am Saturday 22 August, reopens 5pm Tuesday 1 September
  • Studios: close 12 noon Sunday 23 August, reopen 5pm Tuesday 1 September
  • Soft play and cafe: close 6am Monday 24 August, reopen 1pm Tuesday 1 September
  • Gym and swimming: close 6am Wednesday 26 August, reopen 6am Tuesday 1 September

What it means for you

If you drive in or near the town centre: plan journeys in advance and leave early from Wednesday 26 to Friday 28 August, and again on Bank Holiday Monday. The Napier Road and Vastern Road roundabout will be particularly busy on the Monday, with temporary traffic management if needed. Our Reading roadworks and travel page tracks what else is dug up across the borough that week.

If you park near the site: the restrictions around Richfield Avenue are enforced, and parking officers will be working alongside police on illegal parking and obstruction. If you need somewhere else to leave a car, our parking guide lists the town centre car parks and their charges.

If the noise is a problem: use the hotline number above rather than 101. The licence requires the organiser to run a complaints line and to leaflet local residents with the details. It also requires a full debrief report on music noise levels from every stage, within a month of the event.

If you are collecting someone: Hills Meadow, RG4 8DH, is the only sanctioned drop-off. Using private land without the owner’s permission risks a parking fine or other action, the council says.

One thing worth knowing if you live on the walking route. The council is again putting a glass bottle bank directly outside the front entrance of the Aldi store at Vastern Court, Vastern Road. Glass is banned on site, so drinks bought in town get decanted on the way, and the bank is there to catch the bottles.

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