Reading Festival's bid to extend its Thursday music licence meets noise concerns

Reading Festival's bid to extend its music licence to cover Thursday night has run into objections from local residents. Organisers Festival Republic applied last month for amplified music to be allowed on the main stage between 5pm and midnight on Thursdays, a change that would turn the event into a four-day festival if approved by Reading Borough Council, potentially taking effect from 2027. Its sister event in Leeds already has that permission and uses it for the first time this year, with Kasabian headlining its Thursday main stage.

Residents' groups have pushed back on the proposal. Elisa Miles, chair of the Warren & District Residents Association, said her group is "not opposed" to the festival generally but is concerned about the impact of the change, pointing to a long-standing partnership that has produced "practical solutions" in the past: "Loud amplified music late into the evening will disrupt sleep for those who have no choice but to remain at home." Malcolm Pemble of the Caversham and District Residents Association echoed the objection, calling the change "unfair" to nearby residents.

Festival Republic has defended the plan, saying an assessment found the extra night of music would not adversely affect residents and would keep visitors from congregating in less supervised parts of the site.

The licensing dispute comes as Reading Festival, which runs August 27-30 this year, undertakes what organisers call the biggest staging overhaul in the event's history, including a renamed Main Stage, now called The Grid, and two new stages, The Gallery and The Warehouse. Festival boss Melvin Benn said the changes have him "as excited about Reading & Leeds" as he has been since starting the Leeds event in 1999, pointing to a lineup topped largely by UK and Ireland acts including Fontaines D.C., Florence + The Machine, DAVE, Charli XCX, RAYE and Chase & Status.

Benn credited that homegrown lineup partly to the strength of the current UK and Irish scene, citing Kneecap's own 25,000-capacity headline show at Crystal Palace two weeks earlier as evidence, and said festivals like Reading & Leeds have "played their part in developing that." Ahead of the festival, organisers have also teamed up with Spotify to help attendees discover new acts on the bill through personalised playlists built from their listening habits.

Whether the licence extension is approved remains an open question, with Reading Borough Council yet to rule on the application. This year's rock festival will proceed under its existing hours regardless of the outcome.