Reading Festival Plans To Add Live Music On Thursday Night

Reading Festival’s organisers have submitted a request to update its licence, which would permit artists to perform on Thursday and extend the event to four days.

At present, the main festival takes place between Friday and Sunday, while Wednesday and Thursday give camping ticket holders time to arrive and prepare their sites. According to BBC News, Festival Republic has requested permission to play amplified music on the main stage every Thursday between 5pm and midnight. If Reading Borough Council grants approval, the new schedule could begin in 2027.

Reading Festival will return this year from August 27 to 30. Leeds Festival, its sister event taking place during the same weekend, already holds approval for Thursday performances. It will introduce music on that day for the first time this year, with Kasabian leading the main stage lineup. Fontaines D.C., Florence + The Machine, DAVE, Charli XCX, RAYE, and Chase & Status have also been announced as headliners across both festivals.

The 2026 events will also introduce major changes to their stages and arenas, which organisers have called the largest transformation in festival history. Little John’s Farm in Reading and Bramham Park in Leeds will each feature as many as six stages. The upgraded Main Stage has been renamed The Grid, while The Gallery and The Warehouse will arrive as new additions.

The Gallery is described as “an undercover immersive stage with innovative LED screen lights and immersive production running throughout the entire stage”, while The Warehouse will provide a newly built space dedicated to dance music. Rising performers will appear in new areas named The Ballroom and The Canopy. The Yard, which will only feature at Reading, promises to “bring the industrial edge of alternative club culture” through an outdoor setting surrounded by shipping containers. Organisers say it will “offer something completely different to any other stage at the festival”.