Thousands of festivalgoers are expected to rock into town next week to celebrate Reading’s biggest event of the year.

Due to the increase in people that will be travelling to and from Reading, several issues have been raised that may affect residents throughout the week.

Reading Borough Council has therefore come up with a number of solutions and temporary changes that are expected to make the lives of residents slightly easier during the event.

Although the main acts are only due to attend from Friday, August 24 to Sunday, August 25, campers will be traveling to the Richfield Road site from as early as Tuesday, August 20.

Here are the different alterations made that will be taking place from Wednesday, August 21 to Monday, August 26.

Plan for Traffic Delays

  • Local residents planning to travel into or around the town centre from Wednesday 21 August to Friday 23 August are being asked to consider and plan their journey in advance, leave early and be prepared for longer travel times as festival goers arrive. Thursday August 22 is expected to be particularly busy as most festival-goers arrive that day.
  • Near to normal travel levels are expected on the Saturday and Sunday of the festival (24 and 25 August), although shops and supermarkets will be busier than usual.
  • Roads will be extremely busy again on the Bank Holiday Monday (26 August) as festival-goers leave the event.

Parking

  • Residents are advised parking restrictions, including no stopping for pick-ups, will be in place around the Richfield Avenue site as usual. The area should be avoided unless absolutely necessary. Consider alternative routes.
  • Hills Meadow Car Park will be the dedicated area for drop off/pick up. From here festival goers can either walk to the site, or use the free shuttle boats provided.
  • If dropping off/picking up, please use sat nav postcode for Hills Meadow Car Park RG4 8DH.
  • Festival car parking is available at Mapledurham and Kings Meadow for parking pass holders.
  • For festival visitors parking at Mapledurham, a pedestrian bridge has again been constructed direct to the site to ensure easy and safe access.
  • For those parking at Kings Meadow, an official festival boat service is provided free of charge to help transport everyone, including tents and belongings, into the festival site. People are advised to be on their guard against any illegal/unregulated boats that may be operating, which includes offering a taxi service. There is only the one authorised boat service and monitoring of the river is in place for the duration of the event.

Temporary Traffic Management

As usual, temporary traffic management will be in place at various locations around town. Please look out for signage.

  • For security and safety, the usual night-time closure of the Thames Path (from 7pm to 6am) will again be in operation from Thursday 22 August to Monday 26 August. The closure will apply between Scours Lane to the far end of Thameside Promenade.
  • There is again a full closure of Richfield Avenue – between its junctions with Cardiff Road and Tessa Road – from 10.30pm to 1.00am, on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of festival weekend. This closure is to assist a safe exit from the festival site of the 20,000 day ticket holders, with a contingency to extend eastbound to the junction with Caversham Road (except for access) should reasons of safety necessitate.
  • During Bank Holiday Monday (August 26), the Napier Road / Vastern Road roundabout will be particularly busy, with temporary traffic management utilised if required.
  • The northbound closure of Cow Lane, between Portman Road and Cardiff Road, is also likely to be reinstated between 8am and 3pm on the Bank Holiday Monday to help with the coach transfers and exit of service vehicles from the festival site, depending on traffic levels in this area. It is advisable to avoid driving through these areas, in addition to the areas immediately around the site and the main event car parks, on the Bank Holiday Monday.
  • There will be enforced parking and loading restrictions in place around the festival site, particularly along Richfield Avenue.
  • Guests should follow the boroughwide signing to the designated drop-off/pick-up area (Hills Meadow Car Park, George Street, RG4 8DH) or to their pre-booked car park.