Leeds Festival 2022: Are Leeds and Reading Festival the same thing? History of the festivals

Both Leeds and Reading Festival are two of the United Kingdom’s most famous festivals, with plenty of similarities - but they’re not quite the same.

Our older readers may remember a time when Leeds Festival didn’t even exist - for a long time, there was only the Reading Festival.

So, what is the story of Reading Festival - and by extension, what is the history behind the creation of Leeds Festival?

What is the history of Leeds and Reading Festival?

Reading Festival was first established in 1955, where it was named “Beaulieu Jazz Festival”. It was conceptualised by Harold Pendleton, who was also known for founding the Marquee Club in London.

In 1961, it was renamed to “National Jazz Festival” and was allocated Richmond Athletic Ground as its venue. Since then, it moved to several other venues, including Windsor Racecourse and Kempton Park.

It was given its current moniker of “Reading Festival” in 1971 and began showcasing a much broader array of musical styles.

The festival experienced highs and lows over the next 28 years, including a forced cancellation from 1984-1985 as the local conservative council denied them a licence.

As demand increased in the late 90s, the idea for a northern version of Reading Festival came to fruition. Thus, in 1999, Leeds Festival was born.

The two festivals have played every year since then, except for 2020, where both events were cancelled due to concerns surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic.

Do they play different genres of music?

Reading and Leeds festivals usually share a line up - meaning that both festivals play the same kind of music.

Both festivals encompass a wide variety of genres. Originally, Reading Festival primarily focused on Jazz, but this has broadened to a huge extent since its inception.

The last band to headline Reading or Leeds Festival with any sort of Jazz connection was The Sensational Alex Harvey Band, back in 1974.

What are the differences in the lineup slots?

While Reading and Leeds Festivals will have the same line up and will be taking place concurrently, the acts on stage will play at different times - after all, they can’t be in two places at once!

For example, The 1975 will be playing on Friday, August 26 at Leeds Festival. However, at Reading, Dave will be headlining on this day.

Meanwhile, Arctic Monkeys will be headlining at Leeds Festival on the Saturday - but they won’t be playing at Reading Festival until Sunday.