Wall to wall festivals this May in Reading

3rd May 2024

Reading is going festival-mad this May with the middle weekend ( May 18/19^th) seeing five different festivals taking over the town.

Reading’s festival season always gets truly underway in May and this year, it is wall-to-wall! In the middle of the month, there are no less than five different options to choose from. The 18 and 19 May is the final weekend of the second Reading Walks Festival, which celebrates Reading’s heritage and landscapes through a series of almost 50 guided walks. Walkers in the town centre will be able to enjoy food from almost every corner of the planet as Reading Food Festival sets up multiple kitchens in Broad Street. With live music, a giant dining table and food from dozens of different cultures, it is a great occasion for all foodies.

Reading is well-known for its place on the national big-names comedy circuit but it’s also a great place for up and coming comics to develop their shows. The Reading Indie Comedy Festival starts on Friday 17 May and carries on for three days of hilarious shows across Reading's independent comedy venues including Double-Barrelled Brewery, Milk Bar, The Roseate Reading and The Purple Turtle.

The University of Reading joins the party on Saturday 18 May with its annual Community Festival. Join staff and students on Reading’s award-winning parkland campus for live music, hands-on workshops and fabulous activities for the whole family. Caversham bookshop Fourbears hosts the Fourbears Fest over the same weekend with story times, author events, wine tasting and a comic book workshop.

The previous weekend, there is the triple header of the opening weekend of both the Reading Walks Festival and the Reading Children’s Festival, with the latter’s annual launch event the Forbury Fiesta.  Live music fans in Reading look forward to the Are You Listening Festival every year and it’s back this year on 11 May with dozens of live bands across six town centre venues. Get your wrist band and the whole programme is your oyster!

With food, music, comedy, heritage, literature, kids activities and much more, there is no excuse for not getting carried away this festival season. And it’s not even August!