I went to Reading in August 2025 - full weekend, Thursday to Sunday. Richfield Avenue, the heat, the smell of sunscreen and the hum of the crowd. Reading has its own energy: younger, louder, unapologetically full-on. Main stage, big names, and an audience that turns up ready to lose their voices. From the first afternoon the site felt electric.
Headliners: pop, folk, metal and rap
Chappell Roan headlined one of the nights - and it was a moment. I'd followed her rise - the sold-out tours, "Good Luck, Babe!" taking over the summer - but seeing her command a festival main stage was something else. She had the crowd in the palm of her hand: pop with attitude, proper showmanship, and the kind of confidence that makes you believe she's only getting started. Half the audience had clearly come for her, and she gave them everything.
Hozier headlined another night - spine-tingling. Then Bring Me The Horizon: Oli Sykes and the band went in hard. Pits opening up, crowd surfers, the full Reading experience - and the crowd gave it back just as hard. Proper festival energy. Travis Scott closed another night as the European exclusive: flames, staging, production on another level. The crowd knew every word. Reading in 2025 didn't pick a lane - it gave you guitar bands, pop, rap and metal on the same bill, and every headliner delivered.
Undercard: Bloc Party, Enter Shikari, AJ Tracey and more
The undercard was just as strong. Bloc Party were sharp and vital - still one of the best live bands Britain has produced. Enter Shikari brought chaos in the best way. AJ Tracey held the main stage for UK rap. Becky Hill had everyone moving with pure dance-pop. Limp Bizkit turned up and did exactly what you'd hope - the crowd lost it. Amyl and the Sniffers were a blur of punk energy. The spread of genres was the point: Reading throws everything at you and every act came to play.
Reading is the blowout - the one where you see the names you've been streaming all year, where the crowd is loud and ready, and where the line between main stage and mosh pit is happily blurred. I left with sunburn, no voice, and a weekend I won't forget. I'll be back.