Personal Safety

We will not tolerate violence against women and girls at Reading Festival. If you see something, say something and intervene where it is safe to do so. Our staff are here to help, and are never too far away.

AIM

• Safeguard women and girls from sexual violence by being proactive
• Support vulnerable people through intervention
• Identify sexual predatory behaviour to prevent offence with intervention

WHAT TO LOOK OUT FOR IN A VICTIM

• Does the person look uncomfortable or upset?
• Are they trying to escape or move away?
• Do they seem frightened?
• When you make eye contact, do they respond in a way that makes you think they want help?

WHAT TO LOOK OUT FOR IN A PERPETRATOR

• Loitering without a legitimate reason
• Making unwanted contact towards others
• Sexualised or misogynistic comments
• Harassing or stalking behaviour
• Possession of items indicative of preparing to commit sexual violence
• Aggressive & dominating behaviour
• Sexually inappropriate behaviour
• Returning despite intervention

WHERE TO GO FOR ASSISTANCE

• AIR Hubs are open 24 hours and offer assistance, information and response
• Welfare and medical are open 24 hours
• Stewards are roaming the site and can be spotted wearing high vis

Check the festival map for locations.

HOW TO INTERVENE

• Distract and interrupt what is happening. You could ask for directions or pretend to be a friend of the victim
• Delegate and ask someone to help, seek out a member of staff Delay your response by checking in on the victim after the incident if you do not feel like you can intervene sooner. It’s never too late to act
• Direct response is possible by calling out a perpetrator or naming what is happening to make everyone aware that it is not ok
• Document the incident so it can be followed up later. This is best to do when the victim is already being helped by one of the other strategies as their welfare should be the primary concern

WHERE TO FIND OUT MORE

Safe Gigs For Women are an intersectional organisation that works to fight sexual violence at live music events, and can provide advice and information about bystander intervention. They’re available from 11am – 9pm onsite.

Find them on the festival map.

LOOK OUT FOR EACH OTHER

Look here for full information about resources that will be available to keep you safe and well at Rockstar Energy presents Reading 2025.

These include, but are not limited to:

• 18 Airhubs open 24hours a day in all campsites. These are staffed by volunteers from local community groups and charities to provide a friendly face and assistance whenever you need it.
• WAVES
• Local Schools
• Change Grow Live
• Trusthouse
• Lady garden
• Oxfam
• Mind in Berkshire
• Sport in Mind
• Mind in Haringey
• Soulscape
• Gamcare

If a serious or life-threatening crime is being committed, please contact a member of staff in a bright tabard or police officer immediately. If in the unlikely event you cannot find someone, please call 999, and/or shout for help to get attention.

There are over a thousand security, stewards and campsite staff on duty, all of which wear our festival tabards. Locate a member of staff for any emergencies, who will be able to assist or locate the correct assistance.

For further information check out our ‘what to do if’ info page

In an emergency: Call 999 and alert a steward or a security person wearing a tabard who will know the way to the nearest medical facility and will be able to contact Medical by radio. Depending on the problem, you may be advised to go to a medical point, or a medical response may be sent to you. This could be an ambulance, paramedic or first responder. Our medical centres are located:

Main Medical Centre and Pharmacy (24 hours), Baker Lane in Yellow Campsite, by the Arena Gate

Arena Medical Centre and Pharmacy (11am – midnight), to the left of Main Stage

White Campsite Medical Unit (24 hours), This is a smaller unit staffed by nurses, paramedics and first responders. It is set up to deal with minor injuries and illnesses.

Staff at the medical centre are fully qualified medics who are experienced in working at festivals. The centre is equipped to deal with everything from cuts and bruises to major trauma and cardiac arrest. Whenever it can be done safely, people are treated on site and very few have to be sent to hospital. As well as doctors and nurses, the medical team includes physiotherapists, podiatrists, a mental health team and an X ray unit.

Arena patrols (during Arena opening hours)

Teams of first responders patrol the arena, providing first aid, advice and basic life support.

Festival Republic does not condone the use of drugs. Drug enforcement laws are as applicable onsite as anywhere else in the UK and it is, therefore, illegal to buy, sell or possess drugs. All drugs are potentially dangerous, there are no harmless drugs. The only way to avoid risks is to not take drugs at all. This goes for new psychoactive substances (formerly known as “legal highs”) as well.

We still want our festival-goers to know that you can come to us for help if you or your friends need it, without fear of getting in trouble at any time.

If you or someone you are with has a bad reaction and needs medical help, talk to the nearest member of staff immediately. Let the medics know what has been taken, we are here to lister, you could save your friend’s life. We guarantee you will not get in trouble. People who are overdosing can go downhill very quickly so don’t delay in seeking help.

if you take drugs and become ill, depressed or concerned, make sure you ask the nearest member of staff to direct you to our Medical Tent or Welfare Tent.

Always be honest with medics and welfare teams about what you have consumed so that they know how best to help you.

Medical

• Main Medical Centre and Pharmacy (24 hours), Baker Lane in Yellow Campsite, by the Arena Gate
• Arena Medical Centre and Pharmacy (11am – midnight), to the left of The Main Stage.
• White Campsite Medical Unit (24 hours). This is a smaller unit staffed by nurses, paramedics and first responders. It is set up to deal with minor injuries and illnesses.

Welfare

• Arena – (11am to midnight) – To the left of Main Stage
• Yellow Campsite – (24hrs) Baker Lane in Yellow Campsite, by the Arena Gate
• White Campsite – (24hrs) Between the Campsite Manager Office and Food Stalls
• Purple Campsite – (24hrs) Near the entrance to Green Campsite

UK Narcotics Anonymous are situated in Purple Campsite, at the entrance to Green Campsite.

Narcotics Anonymous is a community of people who support each other to achieve and maintain a drug free life. At Reading, you can drop into their tent for a chat and attend scheduled meetings. Please check back here nearer the festival for meeting dates/times.

Drugs Advice

We do not recommend you take drugs, but if you do please bear the following in mind.

• You don’t know the strength of what you might be taking. You don’t know how your body will react. You can’t tell what you are taking by looking at it. You can’t tell how you will react by the reaction others have had. You can’t tell how quickly it will take effect. Pills and drugs that look exactly the same can be very different. No drugs are safe and there is no safe dose.
• Remember that tolerance levels can vary. You may not have the same tolerance level as your friends. It can also vary depending on whether or not you have eaten beforehand or consumed alcohol. You can always up your dose, but you can’t reduce it. Wait at least 2 hours before taking any more. Start low and go slow.
• There are drugs in circulation in the UK that have very a strong dose of active ingredients.
• There are drugs in circulation in the UK that can take a long time to take effect – don’t assume they are poor quality – they may contain another substance that takes longer to take effect or may have a tougher outer coating that takes longer to dissolve. If you then take more, as a result, you are at increased risk of overdose when the combined doses do kick in. Start low and go slow.
• Mixing drugs with other illegal drugs / alcohol / prescription drugs can be very dangerous and mixing is behind many drug-related deaths.
  The main factors in overdose are taking large quantities, very strong drugs, re-dosing quickly, mixing drugs, taking drugs that are not what you thought you were taking or taking drugs with alcohol.
• Cheap does not mean weak.
• Pure does not mean safe.
• Treat all drugs as unknown.
• Take regular breaks if you are dancing, exercising or in a hot environment and rehydrate with water or soft drinks – take small sips regularly but don’t drink more than one pint an hour. Have a rest regularly to cool down.
• Having an isotonic drink can help if you have been drinking a lot of water.
• Use in a safe environment, with people you trust and not alone. You are more vulnerable when you are under the influence of drugs so look out for each other. Be open with your friends about what you are taking.
• Ask for help if you need it.
• You can talk to the Welfare Team onsite in confidence at any time and they will have drugs advisory staff to help you. At camping festivals, the Welfare tent is open 24 hours and their location will be advertised on the site maps. Stewards or security will also know where to direct you to.
• It can be tempting to use other substances to help deal with comedowns but think of other ways to help such as eating well and getting enough rest.
• If you do use substances to sleep, sleep on your side and avoid alcohol or other drugs which can depress your breathing (like ketamine, etizolam or benzos) as it can be easy to overdose or choke if you are sick in your sleep.
• If you need help from the medics, we guarantee that neither you nor your friends will get in trouble. Ask for help if you need it and don’t wait – getting help early can save lives.

Read our drugs policy.

More on Ecstasy deaths

Ecstasy deaths appear to be rising year on year. There appears to be a link with the amount of MDMA found in tablets more recently. In 2005 each pill contained around 80mg of MDMA (an average adult dose is 80-120mg). Average pill strengths are now around 160mg MDMA i.e. twice an average adult dose and pills are frequently tested upwards of 300mg MDMA. In addition, your body weight, hormone levels, using other drugs or alcohol, and your underlying health can all have a significant impact on how you react to a drug. Your friends might have taken the same drug and not had any ill effects. There is no safe dose.

More information on the dangers of mixing drugs

Mixing drugs intensifies the effects of each drug and makes them more dangerous and potentially fatal. Mixing drugs and alcohol is common but alcohol can have a big impact on the way many substances affect you. It could enhance the effects of the first drug but it could also create a dangerous or potentially fatal chemical reaction. Mixing ecstasy with cocaine can increase the high but also increases the risk of cardiac arrest. The more drugs that are used simultaneously including alcohol and including prescription drugs, the greater the risk. DO NOT MIX.

Further information on particular combinations

Alcohol and Ecstasy

Alcohol can moderate the high from ecstasy and increase the intensity of the come down. Both drugs cause dehydration which increases the risk of heatstroke. There is a greater strain on the liver and kidneys which can lead to feeling / being sick. Both drugs impair judgment. Mixing alcohol with ecstasy has played a part in several drugs overdoses at music festivals in recent years.

Alcohol and Cocaine

This combination results in the formation of an entirely new chemical in the body called cocaethylene. This is then associated with liver damage, seizures and immune system damage. Some research suggests that immediate death from cocaethylene is 20 times more likely than from cocaine alone. The impact of alcohol can increase the levels of cocaine in the blood by as much as 30% increasing the strain on the cardiovascular system. There is also an increased likelihood of violent behaviour and suicide.

Alcohol with other stimulants

A combination of alcohol with other stimulants such as ritalin, adderall, amphetamine, some diet pills, some over the counter cold remedies and even some strong energy drinks can also be dangerous. As with cocaine they can obscure the sedating effects of alcohol enabling a person to get dangerously drunk without fully realising. Overheating is more likely which can lead to organ damage and overheating is associated with many drug-related deaths from stimulant drugs including MDMA. A person taking alcohol with these stimulants can lose their inhibitions but be irritable and aggressive.

Alcohol and Ketamine

Mixing alcohol with ketamine or other downers like valium is particularly risky for overdose.

Misuse of Prescription drugs

Prescription drugs are not safe if not used according to the issuing doctor’s instructions. The benzodiazepine (benzo’s) group of drugs – valium, xanax, etizolam, temazepan etc are often used to come down from other drugs such as ecstasy or speed. This is a dangerous combination as the tranquilizers can be numbing and when taken with alcohol the combined depressant effects can cause fatal overdose by inhibiting breathing or slowing down vital organs.

Reading Experiences

In a previous year, an 18-year-old needed intensive care treatment after being found collapsed by his friends at the festival. He had taken several different drugs, making him unconscious. Over the next few hours, his heart rate and temperature went up to unsafe levels, resulting in liver, kidney and muscle failure. Following prolonged treatment, he recovered but needed repeat blood tests for some time. He was very unwell, but luckily his friends got medical help. He now has no memory of his four day stay in hospital. The most important lesson for him was seeing the effect his drug-taking had on his friends and family, who thought he was going to die.

Please think twice before taking drugs, as sometimes, despite the doctors’ best efforts, the drug effects are too severe, and they can’t stop the multi-organ failure resulting in death.

Please visit Talk To Frank for more information.

Festival Republic do not condone any usage of drugs at Rockstar Energy presents Reading Festival. Drug Detection Dogs will be operating throughout the event. Please don’t be alarmed; they are here for the safety of everyone.

We operate a challenge 25 policy at the festival. Although legal, alcohol still has harmful impacts on your body. Remember:

• Pace yourself.
• Try to avoid getting too intoxicated in unfamiliar situations. You can lose control, make risky decisions and become less aware of danger.
• Alcohol and other drugs can impair your judgement. Don’t feel pressured into doing anything you aren’t comfortable with.
• If you are having a bad time or struggling but don’t feel you need medical attention, visit the Welfare Team.
• If you need medical attention, visit the Medical Tent or ask the nearest member of staff to help you.
• If someone becomes unconscious or unresponsive, put them in the recovery position (on their side) and seek immediate medical attention by alerting the nearest member of security.
• Alternate alcoholic drinks with soft drinks.
• If you are drinking from early in the day, try to stick to drinks with a lower ABV, for example, lager rather than spirits.
• Alcohol is the most common substance used to spike drinks. Never leave drinks unattended and don’t accept a drink from someone you don’t know.
• Mixing alcohol with drugs has been a common factor in some recent drug-related deaths connected with festivals.

CHILDREN AT READING

Whilst we do allow under 13s to attend for free, we do suggest that this event is not suitable for young children. If you do want to bring children along we advise camping in the White Campsite which is expected to be our quietest campsite.

On entering the event, children will be given Tyvek wristbands which have space for you to write your telephone number (as a parent or guardian). We can use this as a primary contact to reunite you. Replacements can be picked up at the Welfare Tent.

If you do bring young children please ensure that on entry you get a child’s wristband to write your contact number on so that if you are separated you can be quickly reunited. Set an obvious meeting point in the instance you get separated.

Struggling with drink and want to festival sober?

There is a solution.
Alcoholics Anonymous will have a presence at Reading Festival from 11am to 9pm each day to support your needs. It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been drinking, or how much you drink. Alcoholism is an illness.

We live it too. Which is why we can help. Or perhaps you are simply sober curious.? Our purpose is to stay sober ourselves and help others who turn to us to get sober too. AA meetings are where you will feel supported, where you can feel you belong.

Each day, we will have meetings that last for one hour at 12 noon and 6pm where we will share our experience, strength and hope. Teas and coffees will also be available throughout.

We welcome you, whatever your gender, sexual orientation, income, religion, or race. Anyone with a desire to stop drinking, one day at a time, is welcome. It is free to attend AA. You can just come and listen. Or you can talk and share. It’s up to you.

If you have lost a child or a person, please contact a member of staff or police officer wearing a hi viz tabard immediately. Alternatively, go to a Welfare Tent for assistance:

• Arena – (11am to midnight) – To the left of Main Stage
• Yellow Campsite – (24hrs) Baker Lane in Yellow Campsite, by the Arena Gate
• White Campsite – (24hrs) Between the Campsite Manager Office and Food Stalls
• Purple Campsite – (24hrs) Near the entrance to Green Campsite

Campfires are not allowed anywhere at the festival, including the campsites. This is to support the Air Quality Action Plan and in consideration of local impacts as set out in our Green Nation Charter. Anyone seen creating or fuelling a fire will be evicted from the festival site. We have to continue to protect our future on this planet.

Do not bring a weapon as you will pose a risk to yourself and others.

Do not bring anything that could reasonably be considered for use as a weapon including oversized lighters or any item which may cause danger, offence or disruption to any other person. Please refer to our prohibited items list here under the “what you can and can’t bring section”

Being found in possession of a flare or firework at a music event is now a criminal offence. Anyone found in possession will be removed from site and could face up to 3 months in prison and/or a fine.

Carbon monoxide (CO) is a colourless, odourless, highly poisonous gas that can kill in minutes. Never take a portable barbecue – or lit charcoal – into an enclosed space like a tent or caravan. Disposable BBQs and campfires are banned at Rockstar Energy presents Reading 2025. Make sure exhaust fumes from generators are properly vented away from occupied areas.

If you think you have potentially been exposed to carbon monoxide whilst at the festival, please contact a steward immediately.

Symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning include:

• Headache
• Dizziness
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Tiredness and confusion
• Stomach pain
• Shortness of breath and difficulty breathing

Bridge jumping is an extremely dangerous thing to do. If you are found attempting to jump off, you will be taken to the police immediately.

The Event is produced for the enjoyment of all those persons who attend. Any person who disrupts the Event under any of the below sections will leave themselves liable for eviction from the Event. The decision as to the eviction will be at the discretion of the Eviction Team / Security Coordinator following advice from security personnel. Persons will be liable for eviction under the following circumstances:

Reasons for eviction:

• Entering or being inside the Event without a ticket or relevant pass/ wristband;
• Unacceptable, disruptive or anti-social behaviour; *
• Having been arrested or cautioned in connection with a criminal offence, pending or post-hand-over to the Police.

*Unacceptable behaviour that can lead to eviction includes but is not limited to:

• • illegal activity;
  • breaching the terms and conditions of entry;
  • failing to submit to a search as a condition of entry:
  • offensive behaviour;
  • throwing hard objects in the direction of people;
  • encouraging others to behave badly by incitement;
  • preventing security or emergency responders reacting to a situation; committing a criminal offence but not arrested by the police; in possession of unlawful drugs;
  • unofficially selling alcohol, tobacco, counterfeit goods or any other unauthorized goods;
  • ticket scalping;
  • any other behaviour that leaves the Event open to prosecution or is not conducive to maintaining a safe Event.
• All evictees will be processed via Eviction Team / Security Coordinator, and their wristbands / tickets will be removed to prevent them from re-entering the Event.
• All persons presented for eviction by security will be interviewed by the Eviction Team / Security Coordinator who are independent of security, and their details will be recorded in a database with their full personal details, a photograph, date and time and the reasons for eviction.
• All evictees will be able to make a free telephone call if they do not have a cell phone to contact members of their group and/or family.
• Evictees will need to phone a friend at the Event to collect their belongings before their eviction as they will not be permitted back into the Event to find them. We will not be responsible for ensuring that they leave the Event with their belongings.
• Evictees will receive a letter detailing the eviction process and details of onward transportation.
• Evictees are normally evicted from the Event via the public transport hub/taxi rank.
• Evictees are liable to receive a life time ban from purchasing tickets or working/volunteering for any LNE Events.