Every August Bank Holiday, Reading Festival ignites the cultural calendar with a heady blend of music, fashion, and unforgettable experiences — and 2025 promises to be its most electric edition yet. Set against the backdrop of Richfield Avenue from 21–24 August, this year’s festival offers a sleek new vision for luxury festivalgoers. Rockstar Energy presents a meticulously curated line-up headlined by Travis Scott, Hozier, Chappell Roan, and Bring Me The Horizon — with UK rap titans D-Block Europe and nu-metal legends Limp Bizkit just announced to join the bill. Whether you’re there for the exclusives (Travis Scott’s only European show), or the cultural cachet (Chappell Roan’s first UK headline), Reading 2025 is where high fashion meets high energy.
Take a look at this year's line-up
Far from muddy wellies and lukewarm cider, the festival’s recent overhaul signals a new era: five redesigned campsites, premium hospitality offerings, and backstage-worthy experiences are drawing in a more style-conscious crowd. With names like Bakar, Jazzy, Example, and Matilda Mann adding range to the weekend’s soundtrack — and fashion-forward acts like Heartworms, VLURE and Pozer defining the visual aesthetic — Reading Festival 2025 is shaping up to be the place not only to be seen, but to see the next wave of music and style icons take flight.
Friday 22 August
The weekend opens with something few festivals manage to pull off: a rock line-up that doesn’t feel like a museum. Bring Me The Horizon, once the black sheep of the metalcore world, now headline with the confidence of stadium veterans — part emo nostalgia trip, part futuristic audio spectacle. If the laser show doesn’t get you, the crowd screaming “Can You Feel My Heart” definitely will. Just before them: Limp Bizkit, who, yes, are still rolling (what?), and no, they haven’t aged out of their ironic-meets-iconic appeal. You’ll want your cargo pants and a flip phone for this one.
But Friday isn’t just for the former Hot Topic generation. Over on the rising stages, there’s a clear pivot to genre-blurring: Matilda Mann and Nell Mescal bring soft, heart-wringing lyricism for the cottagecore-to-Coachella set; Nemzzz reclaims the mic for Manchester’s Gen Z rap scene; and SNAYX, somewhere between punk and pure attitude, remind us that guitars aren’t dead — they’ve just been on TikTok. It's a day that flexes the festival’s range: one moment you’re in a mosh pit, the next you're crying in a crowd of strangers. A strong start.
Saturday 23 August
If Friday is for the emos, Saturday is for the It crowd. Travis Scott headlines with his only European performance of the year — a detail not lost on the crowd who likely booked tickets before reading the full line-up. His shows are less performances and more world-building: pyrotechnics, 3D visuals, auto-tuned philosophy. He might be the only artist who could close a festival while also launching a sneaker drop mid-set.
Before Scott takes the stage, UK rap duo D-Block Europe bring their signature mix of moody beats and melodic bravado — think heartbreak, hustle, and a lot of designer sunglasses after dark. Example, a surprise highlight of the day, makes his long-awaited official Reading debut (he’s popped up unannounced enough times that fans had stopped checking the timetable). Expect a throwback dancefloor wrapped in new energy.
Saturday also leans hard into the style-forward side of the festival. Bakar, the indie polymath with both a Prada campaign and a cult fanbase under his belt, takes genre fluidity into his own hands. And if you’re looking to dance without sacrificing your outfit, Badger brings a heavy, bass-driven set that’s all house, jungle and UKG — and probably the only place on-site where cowboy boots and body glitter are considered casualwear.
Sunday 24 August
Closing out the weekend is a Sunday line-up that reads more like a fashion week afterparty than a festival setlist. Hozier — yes, that Hozier — brings the church, the gospel, and the heartbreak. He’s everyone’s emotional support headline act, and his return to Reading is set to be one of the weekend’s most cinematic moments. Imagine Take Me To Church under a dusky sky, in a crowd full of people who have definitely made a soft-focus TikTok to Unknown/Nth.
Then there’s Chappell Roan, the breakout pop phenom who’s redefining what it means to headline in 2025. Her first UK headline set is not just a performance; it’s an aesthetic moment. Think RuPaul runway meets prom queen meltdown — but in the best possible way. Her glitter-drenched set promises to be one of the most talked-about, memed, and outfit-inspiring performances of the year.
Elsewhere on Sunday, the programming leans maximalist and a little bit mad — in the best way. Heartworms channels goth girl energy with military precision, VLURE bring warehouse rave chaos with live drums, and Pozer give high drama with a side of eyeliner. These are the acts your favourite fashion interns are already tweeting about. If Friday was for feelings and Saturday for selfies, Sunday is for spectacle.
