Reading Festival 2021

First on the list when mentioning UK’s premier alternative music festivals, Reading Festival is one of the longest-running and undoubtedly most beloved, becoming a rite of passage for a new generation of music enthusiasts exploring sounds beyond the mainstream.

It wasn’t until the 90s until the festival truly found its feet, capturing the zeitgeist with iconic headline performances from Nirvana, Blur, and Rage Against The Machine, when the grunge and Britpop phenomena were at their peak.

Since those days, it’s own mythology has only enriched, with an extensive catalogue of seminal performances from rock biggest names including Red Hot Chili Peppers, Foo Fighters, Arcade Fire, Metallica, The Strokes, Arctic Monkeys, Oasis, Green Day; the list goes on. Of late, the festival has embraced a wider palette of genres with hip hop and even pop stars prevalent on lineups; the likes of Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, Travis Scott, Post Malone, and The 1975 have all headlined the most recent editions.

As most seasoned festival-goers will vouch for, attending Reading Festival is a must; whether it’s an explosive main stage mosh-pit, rollicking comedy show, or late-night rave, there’s plenty of memorable moments to grasp on the August Bank Holiday.