Festival tickets for the likes of Glastonbury and Coachella sell out in minutes every year. It’s an annual race of who’s got the quickest finger and the most reliable internet connection (with a bit of luck on the side) to see who can get tickets before the dreaded ‘allocation exhausted’ page shows up.
While Coachella might have two separate weekends to cope with the demand the dual festivals of Reading and Leeds allows for punters across the UK to experience the same incredible lineup on country’s Bank holiday weekend.
With around 170,000 people attending either festival there’s a pretty good chance that you’ll be able to snag a ticket without having a heart attack in the process.
On top of that Reading and Leeds provides the same bang for your buck in regards to its consistently high quality and diverse lineups.
Headliners from the past few years have included The Cure, Eminem, Kasabian, Foo Fighters, The Strokes, Pulp, Muse, Radiohead, Pearl Jam, Pixies, The White Stripes, Green Day, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Rage Against The Machine to name a few.
But Reading and Leeds aren’t just your average pair of blockbuster festivals. They’ve both come to witness some legendary moments in the history of popular music.
Nirvana’s 1992 performance at the festival was the band’s last UK concert with Kurt Cobain wheeled onto stage in a chair and adorning a medical gown, pushed by music journalist Everett True.
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Reading went through what is termed as its “late 80s slump” after Meat Loaf was bottled off stage with punters angry at the festivals direction towards a commercial pop market.
However the event, which originally started as the National Jazz Festival in 1961, undertook considerable growth in the 90s though with Leeds engineered at the turn of the century to deal with increasing demand.
While both festivals offer the same mammoth music experience, the choice of Reading or Leeds comes down to ticket availability and your location before the festivals take place.
So which location are you choosing? Reading or Leeds?
Lineup
Rock bands rule the roost for the 2014 Reading and Leeds lineups. Arctic Monkeys, Queens Of The Stone Age and Blink 182 are three of the biggest in the world right now and we can guarantee three of the biggest sets of either festival will undoubtedly come from these three acts.
Paramore, Vampire Weekend, Imagine Dragons, Enter Shikari, You Me At Six, The Hives and Jimmy Eat World are likely to cater for a diverse range of rock music fans.
While SBTRKT, Disclosure, Metronomy, Foster The People, Pendulum, Flume and Chvrches should get the masses dancing.
But if you thought the lineup couldn’t get any better, the likes of Jake Bugg, Bombay Bicycle Club, Warpaint, Temples and Cage The Elephant should prove you wrong.
There are dozens of more acts on the bill, which you can see by following this link.
Where And When
The two festivals are held simultaneously from the 22nd to the 24th of August.
Reading and Leeds are both held in the cities of their namesake. Reading is held at Little John’s Farm on Richfield Avenue in central Reading while Leeds is held at Bramham Park, near Wetherby, the grounds of a historic house.
How To Get There
To get to either of these UK festivals from Australia land you will need to book flights to the capital in London and we’d advise the sooner the better so you can get the best deal.
You can fly to London with just about any major airline and the following are a list of estimated return airfares that were available at the time of writing.
Adelaide: One-stop flights are valued from $2000, while you can also get two-stop journeys from around the same price.
Brisbane: One-stop flights are valued from $1800, while two-stop journeys are worth upwards of $2000.
Melbourne: One-stop flights are valued from $1800, while two-stop journeys are worth upwards of $2000.
Perth: One-stop flights are valued from $1800, while two-stop journeys are worth upwards of $1900.
Sydney: One-stop flights are valued from $2000, while you can also get two-stop journeys from around the same price.
While driving is certainly possible if a hire car is in your plans, however a train from London is far more convenient with travel time around the half hour mark if you’re heading to Reading.
From London to Leeds a train takes just over two hours. Click here for all your train and bus travel information for either destination.
While both websites offer a variety of travel options (see Reading’s here and Leeds’ here) the most convenient options for both are very different.
The easiest way to get to Reading Festival is to purchase a RailAir ticket, which travels directly between Reading and London Heathrow. Book your ticket in advance here.
For those travelling to Leeds the festival’s coach partner in National Express offers direct routes from a number of cities in the UK. You can book your return tickets here.
Where To Stay
Those purchasing weekend tickets won’t have to worry about accommodation with camping provided. However for those who prefer campervans to a slope passes will set you back $98.
If you happen to be at Reading for the festival accommodation options such as Crescent Hotel or Parkside International Hotel might be worth looking at. With Reading only thirty minutes by train from London, depending on where you’re staying, punters may also use the capital as an option as well.
Discovery Inn, The Butlers Hotel and Oak Villa Hotel are accommodation choices for Leeds ticket holders who may not necessarily want to camp or if they have only purchased a day ticket.
How To Get Tickets
All ticket types for both Reading and Leeds are valued at the same price. Weekend tickets, which include camping, are valued at £213 for the full three-day experience.
Day tickets are worth £99.50 each.
To get your Reading tickets click here.
To get your Leeds tickets follow this link.
Insider Tips & Tricks/Things You Shouldn’t Miss
We always recommend you purchase the official App for big festivals and Reading and Leeds are no different. Those program planners, maps and updates are important if you miss the handouts. Just remember to conserve that phone battery life!
If you have a weekend pass to either Reading or Leeds you should also probably pre-book a locker through Locker House. Keeping your valuables safe is obviously something all travellers are concerned about, but these lockers are also handy because they allow you to charge your electronic goods. Just bring along a 12v plug and you should be set. You can book a locker when you buy your ticket for £16.00.
When you’re buying your tickets you will also notice an add-on entitled “PTL Seat Of Luxury” for £30. If you hate the portable toilets set up at most festivals then this will be a necessary purchase. These toilets look like the interior of a million dollar caravan. Hot water, extensive mirror options and even perfumes and potions are included in this option. Who knows, maybe fancy toilets are the difference between a bad festival experience and an awesome one?
While Reading and Leeds are pretty much an identical festival experience they do differ on a few minor points. In regards to festival facilities Reading has its own Cinema Tent, Late Night Entertainment, a signing area and different supermarkets at the festival. Whereas Leeds has its own 24 hour Village Shop and Welfare Tent.
Both festivals have a plethora of food options (we hear the Ostrich burgers are pretty great), bars to drink at and ATMs to withdraw cash from.
Podpads and Pink Moon Camping are two companies who provide the “glamping” experience for festivalgoers. It could also be considered a convenient option for Aussies who would rather not lug their tent across the other side of the world.
While hot showers are provided at both festivals Reading has its own Rivermead Leisure Centre which includes a café, pool and showers for a “small fee”.
For more details head to the official Reading and Leeds websites.
