Reading & Leeds have announced a “world-first” huge shake-up and improvement to their camping facilities for 2025. Check out details below along with our interview with festival boss Melvin Benn on what to expect and the evolution of the iconic event.
Last year, , the first batch of names on the line-up for 2025 was announced for the twin-site festival with Bring Me The Horizon, Chappell Roan, Travis Scott, and Hozier confirmed as headliners.
Now the event has revealed details of a massive overhaul to camping – marking what R+L are calling “the biggest site change at the festivals in its 55 year history and the biggest shake-up that UK festival camping has ever seen”. This August’s annual Bank Holiday bash will see the festival will introduce “a range of new camping improvements, programming, experiences and complimentary add-ons as part of a refreshed campsite layout”.
These changes will the form of five new campsites on offer, giving music fans the choice at no extra cost to “tailor their weekend experience to suit them best”.
R+L’s five new campsites are below, along with official descriptions of what they cater for:
The Fields: “Open to anyone, this is the place for those looking for a lively atmosphere, great vibes and the ability to tailor the experience once arrived, between closer to the arenas or chilled further away.
“Daytime activities include a standout Football Pitch (introduced for the first time in Reading in 2025), Pop-Up Performances and more.
“No booking is required, with Weekend & Weekend + Early Entry Tickets automatically allowing access to The Fields.”
The Garden: “Expanding what was Quiet Camp, this is the place for those looking for a more relaxed camping experience with limited noise after 1am. ”
“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 Grove: “A warm and welcoming space for festival-goers who want to camp with a supportive, like-minded community. The Grove is all about inclusivity, respect, and creating a positive environment where everyone can relax and be themselves. In partnership with Safer Spaces Now CIC, this camp is supported by gender-inclusive teams who are dedicated to creating a safer environment for all.
“Daytime Activities at The Grove include open mic sessions, film screenings, karaoke and more.
“Spots can be booked for free via Ticketmaster.”
The Meadow: “Building on what was Eco Camp, this is the space for those looking for that festival camping experience whilst reducing their impact on the environment.
“To stay in 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 Valley: “A dedicated campsite for those coming to the festival on their own or as a pair. Suited for those looking for some ‘me time’ during the festival and for those knowing that everyone also in the campsite is in the same boat, it’s a great chance to meet like-minded festival goers and build new memories in the spirit of the festival.
“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.”
Other big changes across all campsites are set to include “significantly improved” toilets and more showers, ‘Get Ready With Me’ stations (with mirrors, dressing tables and seating, plug sockets and toiletries), non-music activities and programming (including yoga, run clubs and movie screenings), and “a zero tolerance behaviour policy reinforced across the whole festival site.
Check out interview with festival boss Melvin Benn below, where he reflects on last year, looks ahead to huge headline slots in 2025, and tells us why now is the time to shake up the camping experience at Reading & Leeds.
NME: Hello Melvin Benn. How did you come away feeling after R+L 2024?
Melvin Benn: “Pretty good, all in all. Yesterday is yesterday. I put yesterday behind me pretty quickly, but I thought it was great. Reading & Leeds for me is just a highlight of the year and it’s always a treat.”
Any particular highlights from last year that you thought could step up to headline in the future?
“In terms of headlining in the future, not necessarily. The Prodigy were absolutely amazing – what a great start to The Chevron Stage they were for us. I couldn’t have been happier. Seeing Fred… Again as an electronic headliner was brilliant, Catfish & The Bottlemen stepping up and absolutely doing it was great, Lana Del Rey gave an incredible performance. I don’t really want to talk about anyone stepping up in the future, but I thought all the headliners did really well.”
“The Prodigy, Skrillex and Sonny Fodera were really outstanding on The Chevron. Also, I was just amazed by how The Wombats continue to play live for huge crowds with an incredible demand for them. That’s absolutely extraordinary. Then there was Beabadoobee of course, I loved all of it.”
Fontaines D.C. to headline in 2026?
“I couldn’t comment…
Fred.. Again provided a spectacle that Reading & Leeds has never seen before – it really shifted the shape of what an R+L headliner could be…
“I don’t think we even know what that is; I think the audience are always shifting the boundaries of what R+L can and should be. It’s all about the audience. We’re the conduit between the audience and the bands, and there’s a very clear demand for electronic acts to play. We’ve never had a policy in the past. We’ve had this incredible dance tent for years and years and now we have The Chevron. I can’t remember a year when we didn’t have a dance stage, and yet we’d never elevated a dance act to headline the main stage until last year. That doesn’t make sense.
“In the same way that when we introduced the BBC 1Xtra tent, that led to more hip-hop and grime acts playing higher up or even headlining the main stage. That never previously happened with an electronic act and I regret that taking so long. No one put a barrier there, but now it’s gone and it’s opened the door in terms of the future. I’m sure electronic acts will headline Reading & Leeds again.”
Pop has had a stronger presence at Reading & Leeds over the last decade, but will Chappel Roan be the first pure pop headliner?
“I think in fairness, she will. It’s something that I’ve talked to the team about a huge amount over the last 18 months to two years; the pre-eminence of pop now is there for all to see. There’s been a shift in the young audience loving pop, and R+L has to take notice of that. Chappell Roan is that genuine pop headliner.
“Fans being able to enjoy both Chappell Roan and Bring Me The Horizon is not impossible by any means.”
We recently interviewed Bring Me The Horizon, and Oli Sykes said that their “immersive” live production will reach its “apex” at R+L 2025. Do you know much about that?
“Bring Me are one of the most amazing bands to work with. I’ve no idea of their economics, but it always seems that no matter how much money we pay them, they’re determined to spend more on giving the fans what they want in terms of production and visuals. That for me, is just an incredible statement from a band to just want to please their fans. The last time they played in 2022 was absolutely extraordinary. They’re definitely going to top it.”
Will Travis Scott be bringing his usual huge live spectacular?
“I’m away that he’s absolutely going to make the effort. I’ve probably seen Travis as much as I’ve seen anyone who’s on that line-up. What he brought to Wireless festival in 2023 was extraordinary. He’s an entirely different genre, but we’re talking about amazing live performer here – and Travis Scott is among the most exciting live performers in the world. Reading & Leeds should have Travis and deserves Travis.”
These headliners always make for huge moments. When you add the Reading and Leeds audiences together it’s technically bigger than Glastonbury…
“Yes, in that sense. Reading alone is bigger than Wembley Stadium and I think people forget that. Artists don’t often appreciate the level they’re performing to. Leeds is also as big as Wembley. When you add the audiences together over the same weekend, we’re as big as anything in the world – if not bigger.”
And you get the joy of spending the night, if you’re lucky. What can you tell us about the camping shake-up?
“Audiences change. We’ve become more able to be communicated to. Modern technology, social media, direct communication, direct messaging – audiences can tell us in real-time what they’re looking for. They may want to be at the festival but not necessarily in the same headspace as another person. Reading & Leeds is now attracting quite diverse audiences, and some people want that super-cool eco camp where they’re camping in the same way they’ve lived the rest of their lives, while others want to be partying, others want to be in a quiet camp, others want to be in something more inclusive and less rowdy.
“For me, over the last three years and since COVID, we’ve been listening to audiences more and more. We did surveys and asked them and it’s become clear that they want different spaces. They want to feel that they’re at Reading & Leeds but in a different environment. They don’t want to go to a hotel, they don’t necessarily want to camp in the main camp site and they want a different space.”
You introduced the solo camp last year…
“Yes, and it was really well-received. This is building on what we’ve been doing. This year, you’ll have a place where you can go and meet people, have rendezvous points, a lounge area to meet as a solo camper if you’re happy to chat to others. It is a big chance in a lot of ways, but this has been coming for a while. We’re stepping it up and making it more focussed.
“What we’re trying to do is find the idea for the quiet camp which we’re now calling The Garden and will have more there in terms of yoga, wellness and meditation. Whereas if we’d have put that in the general campsite, what you’ve got is a lot of people who are not into it at all. That doesn’t create the environment, so that’s why we’ve created this for the people who are comfortable with it. We’re looking to cater the campsites to what the modern audience is.”
So it’s not a matter of Reading & Leeds going bougie? It’s just that we’ve come a long way from sitting around a fire and drinking warm Carling?
“Yes, we’ve come a long way. This year will be a dramatic step in that sense. It will become a much more catered space. We are making a fairly significant stride to say: ‘It doesn’t matter who you are, there’s a space for you at Reading & Leeds festival’.”
Festivals have always had separate VIP or camping areas, but is there another festival in the UK or the world that has this all-inclusive?
“I don’t believe so. Historically we’d push people towards glamping if they wanted a separate experience. That’ll still be there, but it’s more about improving the experience on the main campsite. You don’t have to go to glamping, this is something in-between with great facilities. Why haven’t we been doing this for years? That shift in music genres and styles to bring a different audience is something we have to respond to and we are the first festival in the world to do that. If you’re the keyholder to Reading & Leeds, you can’t stand still.”
And people either have their tickets already or they can get them at the same price. This is more about value for money?
“Jesus, my own view is that if you slept without a tent on the grass and had access to all these artists then you’ve still got value for money. It’s not a sense about value for money, just responding to what audiences are asking for. The investment we’ve made in buying vacuum toilets instead of the long-drops alone is a statement of listening and putting our money where our mouth is.”
What’s the next evolution of Reading & Leeds? Is there anything else on-site that you’re looking to change?
“I don’t think so. Somehow I need to create some kind of cover or roof over The Chevron stage to allow for a sense of darkness in the daytime so it can be as exciting it is in the evening. Beyond that, no – it’s just been a year of listening.”
Any big surprises on the line-up to come?
“There are more announcements to come, including the acts playing penultimately before the headliners – the slot before Bring Me and Travis. We’ve got a pile of others to add. They’ll be coming before the end of the month.”
Will they be spicy?
“Spicy means different things to different people, but they will be good, yes.”
Reading & Leeds Festival takes place Thursday 21 – Sunday 24 August 2025 at Richfield Avenue in Reading and Bramham Park in Leeds. Visit here for tickets and more information.
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