Blink 182 – Arctic Monkeys – The 1975
22 – 24 August
Reading/Leeds, England
Weekend tickets £202.50 (plus booking fees)
The twinned festivals of Reading & Leeds host the same line-ups in their respective UK cities for a combined audience of more than 150,000 people – making it one of the biggest annual music festivals in the world.
When it started life as the National Jazz Festival in Reading back in 1961 few would have predicted that it would become one of the oldest and most popular music festivals in existence, however, fast forward more than half a century and August Bank Holiday Weekend simply would not be the same without it.
Since its inaugural year, the festival has moved away from its Jazz roots to incorporate the biggest bands in the world of indie, rock, punk and dance, as well as creating future stars by showcasing the very best up-and-coming talent across these genres.
Today, everybody wants a piece of the action; from the BBC (who broadcast performances live on television and radio) to music magazine NME (who host their very own stage), while the annual event has welcomed some of the most significant music performances of all time including Nirvana’s last ever UK show.
This year looks set to be an equally historic encounter with Yorkshire rockers’ Arctic Monkeys promising something special from their only UK festival performance in 2014 when they headline the main stage. Other guaranteed highlights include fellow headliner Blink 182 and popular acts such as The 1975, Courteeners, Jake Bugg and Disclosure.
The festival features eight stages (some of which share the same tent) including the NME/Radio 1 Stage, the Alternative Tent, and the BBC Introducing Stage. The rock stage, previously known as The Lock Up, has been renamed as The Pit following a fan competition. More acts are to be announced closer to the event, so keep an eye on the line-ups.
