Reading Festival Secures Historic Extra Day of Music

Reading Festival has been given the go-ahead to extend live music onto Thursday for the first time. Organisers had asked to run the main stage from 5pm until midnight, on top of the recorded music and silent disco already allowed as a warm-up.

Festival Republic also applied to sell alcohol until 3am on Wednesday, Thursday and the Bank Holiday Monday, and to double early-bird capacity for Wednesday and Thursday arrivals from 20,000 to 40,000. Neighbours and two residents' associations in Caversham objected.

At a licensing sub-committee meeting objectors raised noise, parking and wider community impact. Noise monitoring is carried out at three fixed locations around the site.

Elisa Miles of the Warren and District Residents Association said the Reading and Leeds sites are different and questioned making the event longer. She added: "What attracts people is the acts people want to see. I've lived here 35-40 years, the word on the grapevine from people is I don't want to go because there is no one I want to see."

Festival Republic managing director Melvin Benn defended the bid, saying the market is competitive and the festival must keep up. He told councillors: "There are hundreds of festivals now, and millions of festival-goers, it's an incredibly competitive market. We have to compete. We're doing it because it's a competitive market."

When residents said Friday is a working day and asked about sleep disturbance, Mr Benn offered on the spot to cut Thursday's finish from midnight to 11.30pm. Stuart Bartlett of WADRA asked: "Is that a deal?" Mr Benn said it was.

Objectors also flagged poor awareness of the festival complaint line. Rebecca Carey said: "We had no idea there was a complaints line!" and added: "Our daily lives are compromised, not all of us can go on holiday. You say it's less, but it doesn't mean there's no disturbance."

Mrs Carey complained about harassment while running along the Thames promenade: "I run three times a week, I'm old. People step in my way. They try to trip me up and jeer at me." Acoustic expert Harry Lang told the meeting: "The event care, we care, we respect the community."

Helen Lambert of the Caversham and District Residents Association questioned why alcohol sales would start so early and warned local traders had dwindled. Councillor Paul Woodward quipped: "When I came to the festival to watch The Jam in 1978 it was just the main stage and a field, that was it!"

Conservative councillor Saadia Saadat backed residents: "The impact is significant on families, shift workers and the elderly. This proposal is for more disruption, rather than reducing it."

Yesterday (Tuesday, August 18) the committee granted the application with music to finish at 11.30pm on Thursday. The decision was taken by councillors Woodward, Mohammed Ayub and Louise Keane.

After the decision, and following discussion with Mrs Bennett, Mr Benn said a £1 community donation would be added to tickets in the future.

James Aldridge, Local Democracy Reporter