Today, Tuesday 9 July, Reading & Leeds Festivals revealed the BBC Music Introducing Stage line up that will showcase the best in UK emerging talent, as well as Dance To The Radio names and Piccadilly Party, for Leeds Festivalgoers only. Limited weekend and day tickets are available at www.readingandleedsfestival.com.
Since first arriving at Reading & Leeds Festivals in 2008, the BBC Music Introducing stage has offered a unique experience to bands and festivalgoers alike, with an array of untapped talent and a history of secret sets. The number of bands who have worked their way up through the stages after having their first taste of a big stage experience at these festivals has this year risen to around 41% of the total line up including headliners The 1975, plus Royal Blood, Yungblud, Milk Teeth, Pale Waves, Mura Masa, Slowthai, Chvrches, and more. This highlights the importance of BBC Music Introducing nurturing and championing the promising talent throughout the country and finding headliners of the future with festivals like Reading and Leeds.
Headlining the BBC Music Introducing Stage at Reading on Friday 23 August and Leeds on Saturday 24 August are Leeds’s own upbeat indie-pop masters Marsicans whose driving, harmony-laden sound and hard-hitting live shows are earning them a reputation as an emerging force in British music. Joining them are Olivia Nelson, Blackwaters, Do Nothing, Inka Upendo, SPINN, Caswell, Hyphen, Royls, and Swimming Girls.
Ishani, Charlotte, Alfie Templeman, FEET, Le Boom, HMD and Larkins will perform at Reading on Saturday 24 August and Leeds on Sunday 25 August, with the fierce, raspy-voiced rock artist LION headlining the stage.
Raucous grunge rock three-piece The Mysterines will headline the BBC Music Introducing Stage on Friday 23 August in Leeds and Sunday 25 August in Reading, bringing their high-energy, angsty protests and catchy melodies aplenty. Kid Kapichi,Balcony, Kofi Stone, The Extons, Lavz, VC Pines, Prima, and Leeds own Talkboy will also be performing.
Further appearances at both sites will come from the likes of mesmerising American singer-songwriter Two Feet who will make his Reading & Leeds debut, as well as hypnotic YouTube sensation Poppy with her musical influence from kooky computer-game synth-pop, with the odd bit of metal thrown in as a special guest on The Pit – expect an altogether outlandish performance not to be missed. Added to the BBC Radio 1 Dance Stage are the in-demand London DJ Amy Becker, and Communion signed Allan Rayman, plus the ever-growing indie favourites Vistas have been added to the Festival Republic Stage. Radiant Macclesfield calypso-rock band Cassia, and West London’s alt-rock trio Mantra have also been confirmed to join the line up at Reading Festival only.
Boasting a ban of single-use plastic cutlery, containers and straws from its traders, caterers, and bars since 2009, Reading & Leeds Festival aims to be greener than ever. Julie’s Bicycle has awarded Leeds Festival a 4-star Creative Green result for the second year in a row, plus the festivals won the award for Best Festival at the Creative Green Awards 2018. Total waste has decreased by over 40% since 2009, and last year, Leeds used 18,000 litres of biofuel made from waste vegetable oil.
Reading & Leeds will be using recycled plastic water bottles (rPET) this year and aims to be single useplastic free by 2021. It is also recommended that festiva lgoers bring their own refillable bottle as there are numerous free water points around the festival. We have advised that festival goers say no to single use plastic and buy a good tent that can be taken home and reused, as an average tent is the equivalent to 8750 plastic straws or 250 plastic pint cups. Free festival merchandise, or 2020 festival tickets are up for grabs by using the Nifty Bin Recycling Points in the campsites and the Greenpeace Deposit Return Points give £1 for every 10 pint cups or rPET water bottles returned. As well as this it is encouraged that festivalgoers travel by coach or train to reduce their carbon footprint, as Big Green Coach have 39 pick-up locations, and shuttles operate to and from the train station to make is easy for everyone.
Fans can be the first to hear further line-up announcements, artist news and much more by signing up to the newsletters at www.readingfestival.com and www.leedsfestival.com or via the official Reading & Leeds Festival app, available to download now on Android and iOS.
From Sunday 2 June, fare adjustments will take effect across the Reading Buses network. Updated pricing details are outlined below.
These changes have been introduced in response to rising operational costs, including higher employer National Insurance contributions and changes in government support. For most passengers, the fare increase will be minimal. In many cases, customers can avoid the higher fares by choosing multi-journey, weekly, or season tickets.
Government Fare Cap
On routes where single fares exceed £3, prices will continue to be capped at £3 as part of the UK Government’s Help for Households initiative.
Changes to Reading All-Bus Tickets
Government funding that previously subsidised the Reading All-Bus day ticket ended in March. As a result of this and increasing costs, some All-Bus ticket prices have been raised.
Updated Fare Information
Single Fares within Reading Single journey fares will increase by 10p.
simplyReading Day Tickets
Adult: £4.50 via the app or contactless tap on, tap off; £5 if purchased from the driver
Boost (for young people): £4, available both via the app and from the driver
Group ticket (valid for up to 4 people):
£8 during off-peak hours (after 9.30am on weekdays, and all day on weekends and bank holidays)
£10 during peak hours (before 9.30am on weekdays)
Available on the app and from the driver
Reading All-Bus Tickets Valid for travel on Reading Buses, Thames Valley Buses, Carousel Buses, and Thames Travel within the simplyReading zone.
Adult: £4.90 via the app or tap on, tap off; £5.40 from the driver, (Currently, it costs £4 on the app and £4.50 on the bus)
Young person (under 18): £4.20 (currently £3 if bought on the app)
Reading Borough Council’s recent move to scrap cash and card payments for parking in favour of RingGo-only app payments isn’t just inconvenient — it’s verging on the ridiculous.
Across the town, parking machines have been “covered” — not with proper signage or professional notices — but with what look like black bin bags and hastily stuck-on paper notes held in place with bits of sellotape. These make-do signs read: “This machine is only accepting RingGo payments. Location code…” as if that explains everything.
Frankly, it’s comical — if not insulting. This slapdash presentation makes a mockery of a serious change that impacts thousands of residents, workers, and visitors.
The council claims the shift will save money, cutting annual costs from £44,000 to a leaner £29,000 by removing cash collection and maintenance fees. But what about the cost to the public?
Not everyone owns a smartphone. Not everyone is comfortable navigating apps or calling an automated line to pay for a simple parking space. This move sidelines the elderly, the less tech-savvy, and anyone without reliable access to mobile data and tourists unfamiliar with the app.
Worse still, these makeshift signs — flimsy bits of paper stuck to bin bags — give the impression of a temporary issue, not a carefully considered, permanent change. It’s a poor substitute for clear communication and thoughtful planning.
Yes, the council wants to modernise and save money. But that shouldn’t come at the expense of accessibility and common sense. Reading deserves a parking system that works for everyone — not just those who have the right app and enough battery.
If the council insists on digital-first, it must still provide physical, well-marked options and a respectful transition. Bin bags and sellotape won’t cut it.
Reading Borough Council has confirmed that changes to bin collection days will come into effect from Monday 9 June, and every household in the borough will be affected in some way.
For some residents, the update will mean a full shift in their collection schedule, including a swap between grey and red bin weeks and potentially a new day of the week. Others may keep their current week rotation, but will still see their collection day change.
Despite the reshuffle, the overall frequency of collections remains the same: food waste will continue to be picked up weekly, and grey (residual waste) and red (recycling) bins will still alternate every other week.
The Council says these changes will help improve the reliability and efficiency of the service. Going forward, only one type of waste—either recycling or residual—will be collected across the borough each day. This focused approach means the Council can respond more quickly to staff or vehicle shortages, helping to avoid missed collections.
The new structure also prepares Reading’s waste services for the future. It creates room for the introduction of new kerbside collections—like glass recycling—once those are launched. It’s also a step toward managing the rising demand brought on by new housing and a growing population.
Residents will be able to check their updated collection schedules online soon. In addition, everyone will receive a leaflet through the post in late May that includes a printed calendar showing their new bin days—so it’s worth keeping an eye out for that.
To help keep track of the changes, the Council is recommending the free Scrapp app, available from any phone app store. Once installed, users can enter their address and enable reminders the night before each collection. After selecting “England” and then “Reading Borough Council,” users will see the ‘Bin Reminders’ option on the homepage, where they can tap to subscribe.
News1 year ago
News1 year ago
Itineraries3 years ago
Events6 years ago
Shopping2 years ago
Events6 years ago