Reading & Leeds Festival have announced details of a ‘historic overhaul’ to its camping offering – marking the biggest site change in the festival’s 55-year history.

The UK event’s promoter Festival Republic says it has invested “substantially” in five new campsites featuring a range of improvements, experiences and complimentary add-ons.

The Fields is described as “the place for those looking for a lively atmosphere” with daytime activities including a football pitch and pop-up performances. No booking is required for this campsite.

The Garden expands on what used to be the Quiet Camp and is suited to those looking for a “more relaxed camping experience with limited noise after 1 am”. Daytime activities at The Garden include yoga, meditation and the first-ever Reading & Leeds Run Club to kickstart the festival day. Spots can be booked for free via Ticketmaster.

The Meadow builds on what was Eco Camp – a space for those looking to reduce their impact on the environment. To stay at this campsite, campers must sign up to the following principles: Respect Your Fellow Campers, Respect The Environment (avoiding littering, separating recyclable materials and don’t cause excess waste) and Leave The Campsite Exactly As You Found It.
Daytime activities at The Meadow include yoga, sustainability-focused talks, upcycling workshops, and clothes swaps. Spots can be booked for free via Ticketmaster.

The Grove is touted as a “warm and welcoming space for festival-goers who want to camp with a supportive, like-minded community”. In partnership with Safer Spaces Now CIC, the camp is supported by gender-inclusive teams. Daytime activities at The Grove include open mic sessions, film screenings, karaoke and more. Spots can be booked for free via Ticketmaster.

“This is the most comprehensive overhaul in the camping experience at a UK festival in festival history”

The Valley is billed as a dedicated campsite for those coming to the festival on their own or as a pair. Daytime activities at The Valley include ‘FYP (Find Your Pal)’, ‘Meet Me Here’ daily meetups and a ‘Link Up Lounge’. Spots can be booked for free via Ticketmaster.

All campsites will benefit from more showers, the introduction of ‘Get Ready With Me’ stations and increased decor and production. This year’s edition will also introduce significantly improved toilets that will use 75% less water and slash the festival’s carbon footprint by 66%. As previously announced, a ‘groundbreaking’ new stage called The Chevron will also be debuted.

“It brings me great excitement and pride to unveil not just the biggest change in the Reading & Leeds festival sites since 1989 but the most comprehensive overhaul in the camping experience at a UK festival in festival history,” says Melvin Benn, managing director of Festival Republic.

“That experience at Reading & Leeds is a formative part of the weekend and something that means a lot to not just festival-goers but us as organisers too. With the support of some incredible partners, we’re transforming everything to high new standards not seen at a major UK festival before – with everything from the facilities to adding exciting new entertainment, all the while catering to a variety of preferences across five distinct camping spaces. This will fundamentally change what the Reading & Leeds weekend experience means to so many, and serves as a positive marker for what festivals can and should be offering in 2025 and beyond.”

Reading & Leeds 2025 is headlined by Chappell Roan, Travis Scott, Bring Me The Horizon and Hozier. Additional acts include AJ Tracey, Becky Hill, Sammy Viriji, Trippie Redd, Amyl and The Sniffers, Conan Gray, The Kooks, The Dare, Bloc Party and Enter Shikari. The festival returns to Richfield Avenue in Reading and Bramham Park in Leeds between 21–24 August.

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New Zealand’s best-known festival Rhythm & Vines is to welcome more campers than ever to its 2024 edition after being granted a capacity increase.

R&V takes place from 29-31 December at the Waiohika Estate in Gisborne, headlined by Ice Spice, Pendulum and Luude.

Other artists on the lineup will include Sammy Virji, Peking Duck, Shy FX, RL Grime, Dope Lemon, Koven, Meduza, Coterie, Sir Dave Dobbyn, JYOTY and Lee Mvtthews. Three-day general admission passes cost NZ$429.30 (€233), or from $568.28 (€308) with camping.

Organisers of the 26,000-cap festival, which attracted 1,300 campers to its first edition – a one-day event held in 2003 – are expecting 18,000 people to camp on site after receiving permission to expand further by Gisborne District Council earlier this year.

“We got resource consent from [the council] this year to expand our camping capacity from 15,000 to 20,000,” Rhythm & Vines head of operations Dan Turner tells the New Zealand Herald.

“R&V is the only festival I know of that lets people leave [the] site during the day”

Previous headliners include Public Enemy, Moby, Central Cee, Chase & Status, LCD Soundsystem, Wiz Khalifa, Bastille and Chance the Rapper.

“The issue was not getting people to R&V, but with limited accommodation and camping options in Gisborne, it was being able to accommodate them,” adds Turner. “R&V is the only festival I know of that lets people leave [the] site during the day. People don’t just come to Gisborne to go to R&V, they come to go to the beaches, they want to experience the East Coast.”

Live Nation, which recently announced plans to operate a new theatre in New Zealand’s fastest growing city of Hamilton in partnership with Waikato Regional Property Trust, took a controlling interest in Rhythm & Vines in 2018.

Meanwhile, New Zealand’s biggest one-day festival Electric Avenue is also growing for its 10th anniversary edition next year. Staged by local production company Team Event, the festival will expand to two days in Hagley Park, Christchurch, from 21-22 February 2025.

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The team behind the UK’s Secret Garden Party (SGP) are premiering a new seven-day wellness and family camping festival.

Wild Meadows will debut from 5-11 August at the SGP site in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire. As well as music, Wild Meadows will feature a programme of activities including crafting, woodland skills, and games, while the Herb Garden Wellness experience will offer sound healing, yoga, breath work, meditation and workshops.

Weekend and day tickets are also available alongside full week passes.

It is the second event to be announced by SGP in 2024 so far, with the flagship festival due to return from 25-28 July. An invite-only gathering, Mistress Mary, is also in the works for September.

“We are excited to welcome old and new Gardeners alike to rediscover our beautiful site with fresh eyes, their families and their friends”

“We are excited to welcome old and new Gardeners alike to rediscover our beautiful site with fresh eyes, their families and their friends, in a wholesome camping adventure sprinkled with Secret Garden Party magic,” says SGP founder Fred Fellowes.

The launch of Wild Meadows continues a notable shift towards health-focused events within the UK business, with festivals such as Oxfordshire’s Wilderness providing wellness and lakeside spa experiences.

SGP revealed earlier this month, meanwhile, that it is foregoing big-name headliners for 2024 in favour of nurturing grassroots acts after signing up to independent collective Chai Wallahs’ Drop a Headliner campaign. It is also replacing its main stage with several smaller, more intimate venues.

The lineup for Secret Garden Party: Roots features more than 350 artists including Unkle, Crystal Fighters, Chinchilla, Franky Wah, Carly Wilford, Adelphi Music Factory, Jakkob, Omega Nebula, Technobrass and TC & The Groove.

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Dutch dance music giant ID&T, known for festivals such as Mysteryland, Defqon.1 Weekend Festival, Amsterdam Open Air and Welcome to the Future, is trying its hand at organising camping holidays, as festivals in the Netherlands remain banned until 1 September.

‘Tijdloos’, which means ‘timeless’ in English, is a socially distanced camping experience taking place from 10 July to 17 August at the Emerstrand campsite in the Dutch province of Drenthe.

ID&T will organise various activities for holidaymakers in the campsite’s 50-acre grounds, including water sports, outdoor activities, interactive art installations, musical performances and lectures.

In accordance with guidelines set by the Dutch Institute for Public Health and Environment (RIVM), guests from different households will maintain a distance of 1.5 metres.

“Tijdloos is something completely different than the festivals we usually organise”

“In times of crisis, you get inspired to think ‘out of the box’ and that’s how Tijdloos was born: the most extraordinary summer destination of 2020,” comments Tijdloos creative director Carina Kornfeind.

“Tijdloos is something completely different than the festivals we usually organise. It is an intimate and free-spirited playground for all ages to enjoy life unconditionally together with their loved ones.

“Since there is a limited capacity, we expect that the demand will exceed the supply.”

Guests can book glamping accommodation or bring their own tents. Overnight stays for camping Tijdloos can be booked here, at a rate of €29 per night per person during the week and €39 at the weekend. Children stay at a reduced rate.

Organisers urge guests to follow the advice of their local government on traveling abroad before booking a spot at camping Tijdloos.

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