The Essentials
If you’re only going to read one information section on the site, this is the one to go for.
Make sure you download the official festival app to keep up to date with set times, announcements, maps and special offers.
There will be no receipts issued for any confiscated/surrendered items and they will not be available to collect after the festival.
You may be subject to more enhanced searches of bags and personal belongings. We request that you cooperate with any security requests and searches. Please pack light!
Please note, campfires and disposable BBQs are banned from both the campsite and the arena. For detailed guidance on camping stoves and fuels please see here.
This list is subject to change:
| Item | Campsite | Arena |
|---|---|---|
| Aerosols (over 250ml) | X | X |
| Air Horns | X | X |
| Alcohol for personal consumption 18+ (only before 6pm on Sunday evening). Alcohol in the possession of under 18’s should be confiscated | ✔ | X |
| Animals (other than registered hearing dogs or guide dogs) | X | X |
| Any goods for unauthorised trading with unauthorised Reading Festival logo | X | X |
| 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 | X | X |
| Audio Recorders | ✔ | X |
| Bags larger than A4 size*** | ✔ | X |
| Balloons | X | X |
| BBQs of any kind | X | X |
| Blow torches | X | X |
| Cameras, film or video equipment.
Lenses must be less than 6 inches. **Please note, professional cameras and video / audio equipment are strictly prohibited |
✔ | ✔ |
| Camping Equipment including cutlery, tin openers (weekend ticket holders only)
Leatherman style multi tools are not permitted |
✔ | X |
| Cans | ✔ | X |
| Catapults | X | X |
| Chairs / Stools / Inflatable Loungers | ✔ | X |
| Chinese / Sky lanterns / Paper Lanterns | X | X |
| Cigarettes for personal use. Excessive amounts of cigarettes (ie. more than for personal consumption) will be confiscated | ✔ | ✔ |
| Clothing/Garments/Items which promote Cultural Appropriation | X | X |
| **Flat based cooking stoves (x1 stove per person): Meth Stoves, Trangia Stoves, Solid Fuel Stove / Hexi Stoves (with fuel blocks/firelighters), Gel Fuel, Greenheat Basecamp Cooker, Firelighter Stoves. Please note – fuel limited to maximum of 1L per stove and maximum of x4 gas canisters of 250g or less per stove | ✔ | X |
| Cool Bags (if holding food for personal use) | ✔ | ✔ |
| Disposable vapes (note, refillable vapes are permitted) | X | X |
| Sealed drinks bottles (No Glass).
Only sealed soft drinks under 500ml are permitted into the arena*** |
✔ | X |
| Drones and other flying devices | X | X |
| Empty Reusable Plastic & Metal Bottles (Coffee Cups must be empty) | ✔ | ✔ |
| Excessive amounts of food (i.e. more than for personal consumption)*** | X | X |
| Firewood | X | X |
| **Fireworks/Pyrotechnics, Flares/Distress Flares | X | X |
| Fitted Gas Canisters/Cylinders in Campervans | ✔ | X |
| Flags | ✔ | X |
| Gas Canisters for cooking stoves (250ml or less – maximum of x4 per stove) | ✔ | X |
| **Gazebos and parasols | ✔ | X |
| Generators (unless in campervan) | X | X |
| Glass bottles, jars, containers over 100ml. Items under this measurement, such as small perfume bottles, nail varnish, and small mirrors will be permitted | X | X |
| Illegal Substances (drugs) and legal highs, herbal highs, new psychoactive substances and unidentifiable substances – including Nitrous Oxide | X | X |
| Medication (if accompanied by doctors note / prescription or if it is recognisable) | ✔ | ✔ |
| Megaphone | X | X |
| Nitrous Oxide and any items associated with the taking of NPS and NOS (including but not limited to balloons, whipped cream dispensers, water crackers / CO2 dispensers) | X | X |
| Penknife/Multi-tools | X | X |
| Perfume and make up (over 100ml) | X | X |
| Petrol Burner | X | X |
| Portable laser equipment and pens | X | X |
| Selfie Sticks | ✔ | X |
| Single use Vapes – refillable vapes still permitted. | X | X |
| Skateboards and rollerblades, hover-boards, scooters, bicycles, and other personal motorized and non-motorized vehicles | X | X |
| Sound systems (small Portable speakers are permitted in Campsites) | X | X |
| Spray Cans | X | X |
| Trolleys (to pull younger children along) & Prams | ✔ | ✔ |
| Golf Umbrellas | ✔ | X |
| Unauthorised professional film or video equipment, radios or walkie talkies | X | X |
| Unauthorised solicitation or marketing materials (e.g., handbills, flyers, stickers) | X | X |
| Unofficial tabards and reflective jackets | X | X |
| Weapons | X | X |
**
- Stove fuel limited to maximum of 1L per stove and maximum of x4 gas canisters of 250mls or less per stove. Any liquid fuel such as Meth Stoves (with 1L methylated fuel/spirit max) and/or Trangia Stoves (1L Trangia fuel max) should be in an appropriate approved container to ensure that it can be used and stored safely.
- It is now illegal to be in possession of a firework, flare or smoke bomb at a music festival. Do not bring these items to site.
- Professional cameras and video / audio equipment are strictly prohibited.
*** Accessibility Customers Prohibited Item Policy ***
- Food: All customers are permitted to bring a small amount of food for personal consumption into the arena. Accessibility customers are permitted to bring additional food in excess of the usual amount into the arena. (This increased allowance applies to accessibility customers only and not to essential companions or friends and family).
- Drink: All customers are permitted to bring a sealed, unopened 500ml bottle of water or soft drink into the arena. Accessibility customers are permitted to bring one sealed, unopened bottle up to 1.5l of water or soft drink into the arena. (This increased allowance applies to accessibility customers only and not to essential companions or friends and family).
- Bag Restrictions in the Arena: For security reasons, we ordinarily only permit customers to bring a small bag (A4 size) into the arena. Accessibility customers are entitled to bring a bigger bag into the arena. (One bag only per accessibility customer).
Festival Republic do not condone any usage of drugs at Reading Festival. Drug Detection Dogs will be operating throughout the event. Please don’t be alarmed; they are here for the safety of everyone.
Campsites:
- Weekend + Early Entry Ticket holders: 18:00 Wednesday 20th August 2025
- Weekend Ticket holders: 08:00 Thursday 21st August 2025
Campsite is open 24 Hours, individuals can arrive at any time after the above
Campsite closes at midday Monday 25th August 2025.
If you are leaving and returning after 8pm on Sunday evening, don’t forget to get your hand stamped on your way out to be able to return later on.
Arena:
Friday 22nd – Sunday 24th August 2025
Opening time: 11:00
With a day ticket, once you leave you cannot re-enter the arena.
With a weekend ticket, you can leave and re-enter the arena and campsites.
We welcome all ages to the festival. However, there are entry restrictions for under 16s and we do advise not bringing young children. Anyone 15 and under must be accompanied by a ticket holder over 18 years old at all times. Children under 13 years are admitted free. ID may be required upon entry to the event.
For information purposes only, age checks will also be carried out on the entrance gates.
Please note our policy has changed from Challenge 21 > Challenge 25.
Please bring ID if you look under 25 years old and remember that legally there is no automatic right to be served alcohol. Service is always at the discretion of the licensee for whatever reason they decide, and the licensee is under no obligation to explain the reason.
The following forms of identification are accepted:
- A Passport (Not a photocopy)
- Full Driving Licence or Provisional Licence
- A Proof of Age Card bearing a PASS hologram
- A Ministry of Defence identity card
- A National identity card issued by an EU member state
Please bring the original document as you won’t be able to use a photocopied version. If you don’t have any of these, or don’t want to lose valuable documents on site, we suggest that you apply for a PASS approved ID, some of which are free to get.
We do not accept any parental or supervisory duty of care or liability for any under 18’s on site.
Young Children
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 Wellbeing Tent.
Rockstar Energy presents Reading Festival 2025 will take place on Thursday, 21st – Sunday, 24th August 2025 at Richfield Avenue in Reading. Weekend Early Entry Ticket holders can access the campsites from Wednesday 20th August.
We hope it doesn’t, but if your phone goes for a walk over the weekend, make the situation the best you can by writing down your IMEI number for your phone – on a piece of paper, not in your phone’s notes! – and, if you have an iPhone, install the Find My iPhone app in advance. This will really improve the chances of us reuniting you with your phone.
Not sure how to find your IMEI number? It depends on your phone, but Google has a long list of helpful articles to point you in the right direction.
If you have a lost property enquiry after the event please contact Readinglostproperty@wavesltd.org or by post to: WAVES lost Property, 13 Orchard Close Stourport on Severn. Worcestershire DY139BQ
Please Note – lost property can be retrieved within 28 days post show.
We operate a Challenge 25 policy. The following forms of identification are accepted:
- A Passport (Not a photocopy)
- Full Driving Licence or Provisional Licence
- A Proof of Age Card bearing a PASS hologram
- A Ministry of Defence identity card
- A National identity card issued by an EU member state
Please note: This may vary with certain establishments/traders onsite. Please be aware that bar staff always reserve the right to ask for proof of age if you look under 25.
Entry into campsites:
We do not have bag size restrictions for first time entry although, we advise packing as light as possible. Please take note of our full list of prohibited items (in ‘What You Can and Can’t Bring’ category above).
Arena:
We strongly advise you do not bring a bag into the Arena as there will be long queues while all bags are searched. If you do wish to bring a bag, please ensure that it is no bigger than A4 sized 8.27”x11.69”. There is a limit to one A4 sized bag per person permitted into the Arena. You and your bag maybe subject to a search upon entering the campsites and arena. CCTV is in operation throughout the festival site. Please be patient if there are longer queues than normal. We request that you cooperate with any security requests and searches.
You and your bag maybe subject to a search upon entering the campsites and arena. CCTV is in operation throughout the festival site. Please be patient if there are longer queues than normal. We request that you cooperate with any security requests and searches.
Portable chargers will once again be provided by 3Charging with multiple locations across the arena and campsite. 3Charging is available to everyone, and Three customers get half-price charging via the Three+ rewards app. Just show the app on-site to claim your discount.
At Reading Festival, we are committed to creating a space where everyone feels welcome, valued, and safe. We operate a strict zero-tolerance policy towards any form of harassment, discrimination, or violence. This includes, but is not limited to:
- Harassment or abuse based on race, national origin, gender, gender identity, gender presentation, sexual orientation, age, body size, disability, appearance, religion, citizenship, or any other personal characteristic.
- Sexual harassment, unwanted physical contact, or threatening behaviour.
- Any act of violence, intimidation, or aggressive behaviour.
Anyone failing to comply will be evicted from the festival.
We encourage everyone to look out for each other and speak up if something doesn’t feel right. If you see or experience inappropriate behaviour, report it to festival staff, security, or your nearest AIR Hub.
Let’s work together to ensure Reading Festival is a space where everyone can enjoy themselves in an environment built on respect and inclusion.
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.