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Get involved in Reading's Festivals
Reading may be known for one particular festival, but we're a town that's filled with them all summer long (and longer!).
And there are usually plenty of opportunities to be part of our festival community - volunteering, performing, offering stalls and more.
Check out all the festival opportunities for Reading and be part of one of our great events!
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Be part of Reading Water Fest
Applications are now OPEN for Reading Water Fest 2025 - a vibrant celebration of Reading’s waterways taking place on Saturday 28 June 2025 at the Forbury Gardens, Abbey Ruins and along the River Kennet!
Join us by running a stall or providing entertainment, workshops, sports taster sessions or arts & crafts activities to raise funds and awareness for your group.
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Applications open for Reading Children's Festival
Want to be part of Reading Children’s Festival? This year's edition runs for three fantastic weeks this year, from Saturday 10 May – Sunday 1 June, opening with the annual Forbury Fiesta event on Saturday 10 May in the Forbury Gardens with a packed programme of activities and performances.
THE FESTIVAL The festival will include a whole host of activities and events in and around Reading for kids of all ages. Workshops, theatre, music, fundays, arts & crafts and sport will all feature in the three-week festival. Reading Children’s Festival is a great opportunity for charity, community and commercial groups to give something back to the wider Reading community as well as benefit from the excellent PR the festival offers. There are lots of ways in which you can take part.
WHAT CAN YOU DO? RBC are inviting local businesses, community groups, schools and other organisations to arrange events, displays, activities, workshops, story-telling or drama sessions, either in-person or digitally – whatever you’d like to do for whatever age group! Why not organise an open day to promote your service? A fun day to say thank you to existing members or customers? A special workshop on a new or unusual skill, or simply a puppet show or face-painting session? What you do is entirely up to you and while the festival aims to provide as many FREE activities as possible, some organisers do charge a small fee to cover costs.
PUBLICITY You can get lots of help with your publicity: listing your event in our full digital colour brochure, supplying posters, leaflets, give-aways and more. So let your imagination take off and join in the fun!
This year the organisers would like to brand as many events as possible with the Children’s Festival logo - so if you decide to organise an event or activity, why not add the Children’s Festival logo to your publicity?
WHAT DO I DO NOW? If you would like to get involved, complete the online application form by Friday 4 April to ensure inclusion in the festival publicity. If you would prefer a hard copy of the form please get in touch!
> Complete the online application form
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Town Centre Venues wanted for Jelly's Open for Art trail
Are you a Reading town centre venue? Are you Open for Art?
We'd love to invite shops and businesses to host a piece of art work by one of Jelly's associate artists and be part of the only Reading town centre art trail: Open for Art 20 June - 1 July 2025. Get in touch via jelly.org.uk/openforart and we'll match venues with artists, and with an appropriately sized piece of art work!
Deadline: 10 February
Open for Art is supported by Arts Council England.
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Want to be part of the University of Reading Community Festival?
The University of Reading Community Festival is returning for a third year on Saturday 17 May 2025, 12-6pm, and the University is excited to invite our local community, staff, students and Alumni for another family-friendly extravaganza on Whiteknights Campus.
We would love to work again with a broad variety of our University stakeholders and local community who want to be part of the Community Festival. If you are a local organisation, charity, resident, business, sports club, performer, research partner, staff member, student or Alumni who might be interested in getting involved, we want to hear from you!
Please fill out this form if you would like to be part of the Community Festival 2025.
The form will close on Sunday 9 February at midnight. We will respond to everyone who has completed the form in the week commencing Monday 17 February to confirm whether you have a space.
Providing space at the Community Festival will be decided based on ensuring we have a broad variety of activities and involvement from a diverse range of stakeholders.
Feel free to look at our website to see what activities took place at the Community Festival last year - https://www.reading.ac.uk/about/local-community/community-festival
If you have any questions please email communityfestival@reading.ac.uk.
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East Reading Festival looking for volunteers, stallholders and more
East Reading Festival returns on Sunday 22nd June 2025. The festival is a free community-focused event, with a music stage, spoken word/poetry stage, a funfair, a small food court with a variety of different cuisines and a wide range of community, charity and commercial stalls.
The team are now on the lookout for anyone who might like to get involved in the festival as a stall holder, performer, volunteer or committee member
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Want to perform at Reading Pride's Love Unites Festival?
Reading Pride's Love Unites Parade and Festival returns on 30 August 2025, and applications are now open for acts and to perform on the Main Stage, Pride aLive Stage & Pride Dance Tent.
"Performing at Reading Pride is an electrifying experience. The energy as you step onto the stage, greeted by cheering faces, united by their love and support for the LGBTQ+ community. It’s a powerful reminder of the impact performance can have in fostering inclusivity and acceptance. We’d love to welcome you to our performing family and celebrate the day with us."
> Find out more and apply
The deadline for applications is 30th April 2025. Applications received after this date will not be accepted.
Volunteering
Marvellous Festival returns to Dinton Pastures on 19 & 20 July. They’ve got lots of roles including customer service, queue management, wrist banding, litter picking, stwards, big kids village, campsite and car park marshalling from Friday through the weekend and even on Monday. In return they have lots of rewards. Whether you like working solo or in a group, there’s something for everyone.