Latest news

‘However you Christmas’, wrap it up in Reading

From events, to shopping, to the big lights switch-on, however you choose to celebrate Christmas, the festive season in Reading will offer everyone a way to make the most of the holiday period.

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Join Launchpad for a fantastically festive evening at Carols by Candlelight!

Launchpad has announced that this year’s Carols by Candlelight will take place on Tuesday 3 December at Reading Town Hall. Performing this year are Take Note Community Choir and the Reading Phoenix Choir, with Launchpad Patron and BBC presenter, Matt Allwright and long-term supporter Andy Briggs as the hosts for the evening.

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Reading Rep Theatre announces full cast for The Snow Queen

Reading Rep Theatre has announced the full cast for their 2024 winter offering, a new production of The Snow Queen by Anna Wheatley. The production follows the sell-out success of Reading Rep Theatre’s last three Christmas seasons, and sees three cast members from last year returning to the Reading Rep stage.

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Jane Austen’s school room to open for 250th anniversary celebrations

Jane Austen's former school room in Reading’s Abbey Quarter, often cited as the inspiration for Austen’s Mr Goddard’s School in Emma, will open for a series of special events and tours. It's part of a series of events taking place in Reading celebrating the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen’s birth.

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Paddington comes to Michael Bond’s Reading

Reading played a large part in the life of Michael Bond, the creator of Paddington, who grew up and went to school here. And now a new Paddington statue has been unveiled in Broad Street ahead of the new film Paddington in Peru being released.

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Reading & Düsseldorf produce a theatre education exchange to celebrate the twin towns.

RABBLE Theatre are pleased to announce an exciting theatre-education partnership in association with Max-Planck-Gymnasium, Düsseldorf and English Theatre Düsseldorf, this weekend.

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Jelly launches new community art project: All Roads - Migration Stories

Jelly is delighted to be supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund to record and celebrate women's migration stories to Reading and secure them for future generations of the community to learn from in the form of oral histories and textile art. They are asking women to share the textiles and textile skills that they brought with them when they travelled, to explore the crossovers of cultural making techniques with shared practice. 

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More names announced for 2024 Reading Rising Festival

Reading Rising returns for its fifith year at Facebar, once again bringing big names, local heroes, and lesser-known-but-upcoming-bands together on one exciting line-up of alt-rock goodness. And this year, Reading Rising is now a two day event, bringing 4 bands to Facebar on Friday, November 22nd, alongside 12 bands on Saturday, November 23rd. 

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Berkshire Music Trust appointed to lead Berkshire Music Hub

Appointed by Arts Council England, the Berkshire Music Hub will deliver high quality music education accessible to all children and young people in West Berkshire, Reading, Wokingham, Bracknell Forest, Windsor & Maidenhead and Slough through diverse partnerships between educational, creative and community organisations, in their local communities and throughout the county. 

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The Duke Of Edinburgh Visits Reading Rep Theatre

On Monday 22nd April, His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh visited Reading Rep Theatre. This visit holds particular significance as Reading Rep received his Royal Patronage in October 2022, acknowledging the venue's pivotal role within the local arts scene and their impactful community work.

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Curtain up at New Studio Theatre a step closer after planning application approved

Reading audiences will have the best seats in the house after plans to breathe life into the Hexagon by adding a new studio theatre have been approved by the Council. Reading Borough Council’s plans include a striking new accessible public entrance with a welcoming public area and flexible community space. Behind the new front door, a new studio auditorium is set to be built with a capacity of up to 300.

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32 creative projects in Reading receive Seed Fund grants from Creative Lives

Creative Lives, in partnership with Reading Borough Council, is proud to announce the full list of Seed Fund grants to support creative activities and encourage residents to feel connected to Reading. They awared 32 grants totalling £28,300, part of Reading Borough Council’s commitment to provide opportunities for everyone to get involved in creative activities where they live and enhance community engagement. 

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£13.7 million project to revitalise Hexagon Theatre reaches first major milestone

The ambitious Hexagon Theatre project will see the creation of an attractive, flexible and exciting new space for performances and community use. The Council today (Wednesday 12 July) announced the official appointment of the internationally renowned professional team who will support this major project moving forward.

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Council Successful in Bid to Revitalise Hexagon and Central Library

READING Council has been awarded £19.1 million to revitalise Reading’s cultural offer by transforming the much-loved Hexagon Theatre and building a modern new Central Library. The Council is one of a number of local authorities to be awarded the money as part of the Government’s ‘Levelling Up’ funding pot, announced yesterday (Jan 18).

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Hours of taped talks with Samuel Beckett get new home

Private recordings of playwright, novelist and poet Samuel Beckett, hidden away for three decades, have been donated to the University of Reading’s Beckett archive, the largest collection of materials relating to the Nobel prize-winning author in the world.

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Reading Council wins prestigious national accolade for Reading Arts & Venues

READING BOROUGH COUNCIL’S Sports, Leisure and Cultural Service team has been announced as the winner at the APSE, Association for Public Service Excellence Service Awards.

The national awards recognises the best and most innovative local authorities, focusing on the delivery of frontline services and seeks to celebrate those councils who are achieving excellent results in a wide range of different service areas.

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