Reading Festival has been bringing some of the biggest names in music to Richfield Avenue for decades, taking over Reading every August Bank Holiday for a weekend of live music. Its history stretches back to 1961, making it one of the longest running popular music festivals in the world.
This guide brings together the practical things to know before Reading Festival, including tickets, transport, what you can take into the arena, food and water, security and the things that can make a big difference to your day.
Last updated: 8 September 2026. This post contains affiliate links and display advertising. If you make a purchase through one of our links, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you, which helps support the running of this blog.
Reading Festival Tickets
Reading Festival offers several ticket types, including day tickets, weekend non camping tickets and weekend camping tickets, with additional camping and upgrade options varying between editions.
If you only want to see one particular day of the line up, a day ticket is an easy way to experience Reading without committing to the full weekend. Just be aware that day ticket holders cannot leave the arena and re enter, so once you are inside, make sure you have everything you need with you. Weekend camping tickets work differently and allow access between the campsite and arena.
More importantly, buy from an authorised seller. Reading Festival currently lists Ticketmaster and See Tickets as its authorised ticket agents and specifically warns that tickets bought through unauthorised resale sites including StubHub, Viagogo, TicketSwap and Tixel cannot be guaranteed entry.
Getting to Reading Festival
One of Reading Festival’s biggest advantages is how easy it is to reach without a car.
I first went to Reading on a day ticket rather than camping. Our original plan was to travel there and back by train, until the set times were released and we realised our return journey would mean missing the headliner completely. A last minute hotel booking solved that one, but it also taught me one of the biggest lessons for anyone going for the day: work out how you are getting home.
Reading railway station is around a 15 to 20 minute walk from the festival site, with direct rail connections from London Paddington and numerous other parts of the country. Reading station is roughly 1.2 miles from the festival site, so walking is completely realistic and often easier than trying to get through festival traffic by taxi.
Final trains can be extremely busy and don’t always run late enough to suit everyone staying for the headline performances, so an overnight hotel can make much more sense than leaving the headline act early, particularly if you only have a day ticket.
Big Green Coach has also operated as Reading Festival’s official coach partner, with weekend and day return services from locations across the UK. In recent years, day coaches have returned after the headline performances, so check the current year’s routes when tickets go on sale.
What to Take to Reading Festival
The rules are different for the arena and the campsites, so make sure you are checking the right restrictions when packing.
If you’re heading into the arena, bags are limited to one per person no larger than A4 size, and all arena bags are searched. There is no equivalent bag size restriction when first entering the campsites, although bags may still be searched there too.
The official Reading Festival app contains your ticket, set times, maps and live updates, while your phone is also likely to be your camera and way of finding people throughout the weekend. Download the app before travelling and pack a portable charger.
I would also take a lightweight waterproof regardless of how optimistic the forecast looks, and wear shoes you are happy to stand and walk in for hours.
There are free drinking water points throughout the arena, so take a refillable bottle. The latest arena rules allow sealed water bottles under 500 ml, as well as empty reusable plastic or metal bottles of any size
Food, Drink and Payments at Reading Festival
There are plenty of food stalls and bars inside Reading Festival, but you can also bring a small amount of food for your own personal consumption into the arena. Even if you plan to eat inside, I would still take a couple of snacks.
You can’t bring your own alcohol into the arena, so anything alcoholic needs to be bought once you are inside.
Reading Festival currently operates as a cashless event, with debit and credit cards as well as Apple Pay and Google Pay accepted onsite. I would still take a physical bank card as a backup in case your phone battery dies.
Free water refill points mean there is no need to keep buying water throughout the day if you have brought an empty reusable bottle with you.
Top Tips for Reading Festival
The biggest lesson from my own day at Reading is to sort your journey home before you arrive. Knowing when your final train leaves is not enough if the headliner finishes shortly beforehand and you still have to get out of the arena with thousands of other people.
Download the festival app in advance and arrive with a fully charged phone and a portable charger. Take a refillable bottle, keep your arena bag within the current size restrictions and bring something waterproof even if the forecast looks decent.
If you have a day ticket, remember that current rules do not allow re entry, so make sure you have everything you need before you go through the gates.
Most importantly, check the current Reading Festival guidance shortly before travelling. Ticket rules, permitted items, travel arrangements, stage times and onsite facilities can all change between editions, and no older festival guide should override the information published for the year you are attending.
Find out about more UK festivals
