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.

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 Welfare Tent.

Reading Festival 2023 will take place on Thursday, 24th – Sunday, 27th August 2023 at Richfield Avenue in Reading.

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, PO Box 7058, Stourport on Severn, DY13 3DG

Please Note – lost property can be retrieved within 28 days post show.

Please note our policy has changed from Challenge 21 > Challenge 25.
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. To minimise carrying your ID around the festival, we advise you visit the over 18’s Wristband Tent situated in the green campsite. Here you will be asked to show your identification and in turn receive a over 18 wristband. This can be used throughout the festival as ID instead of one of the previous listed. However, please be aware that bar staff always reserve the right to ask for proof of age if you look under 25.

Your safety is our priority and we’ve put in place all necessary measures to maximise public safety, working closely with local authorities at the highest level. We ask that you also play a part in keeping Reading Festival safe and secure, so please take note of our messages below, pack accordingly and stay strong together.

All festival-goers will be subject to extra searches of their vehicles, bags and their person. Please be patient if there are longer queues than normal. We request that you cooperate with any security requests and searches. Please pack light!

CCTV recording is in operation throughout the festival site for public safety and crime prevention.

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 into the Arena please ensure that it is no bigger than A4 sized 8.27”x11.69”. There is a limited to one A4 sized bag per person permitted into the Arena.

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 searched at the entrances and upon exit from the festival site.

*This list is subject to change