What you need to know

Reading Festival returns this weekend.

Over the years the event on Richfield Avenue has featured legendary sets from the likes of Patti Smith, Nirvana, Rage Against The Machine, Radiohead, Arctic Monkeys, and Kendrick Lamar.

These days its paired with Leeds Festival, with this year’s event taking place from Thursday until Sunday, with headliners Travis Scott, Chappell Roan, Hozier and Bring Me the Horizon on the bill.

Last year’s festival brought 90,000 people to the town.

In addition to this year’s headliners the bill includes Limp Bizkit, AJ Tracey, Becky Hill, and Trippie Redd.

Other artists confirmed for the line-up are Sammy Virji, Enter Shikari, The Kooks, Bloc Party, Conan Gray, Amyl and The Sniffers, Heartworms, and Wunderhorse.

Rudim3ntal, Suki Waterhouse, The Dare, Example, Lambrini Girls, Leigh‑Anne, Lola Young, and Pale Waves are also set to perform.

But that is still only skimming the surface.

Also taking to the stages will be:

• Aki Oke
• Alessi Rose
• Antony Szmierek
• Any Young Mechanic
• Artful Dodger
• Artio
• Badger
• Bakar
• Balming Tiger
• Balu Brigada
• Bartees Strange
• Been Stellar
• Bilmuri
• Blanco
• Burt Cope
• BVNQUET
• The Chats
• D-Block Europe
• Del Water Gap
• Demae
• DRIIA
• Déyyess
• Ecca Vandal
• Girls Don’t Sync
• Glixen
• Good Kid
• Good Neighbours
• High Vis
• IN PARALLEL
• Issey Cross
• James & The Cold Gun
• jasmine.4.t
• Jazzy
• Johnnie Hartmann
• Lancey Foux
• Late Night Drive Home
• Lili
• The Linda Lindas
• Lu.Re
• Luvcat
• Lyvia
• Mannequin Pussy
• Matilda Mann
• Megra
• Mouth Culture
• Nell Mescal
• Nemzzz
• Nieve Ella
• Omar+
• Origami Angel
• Oversize
• The Pill
• Pozer
• Radio Free Alice
• Red Rum Club
• Rifle
• Royel Otis
• The Royston Club
• Sea Girls
• Skye Newman
• SNAYX
• Snow Strippers
• Sofia Isella
• Soft Play
• Songer
• South Arcade
• Still Woozy
• Stresshead
• Sunday (1994)
• VLURE
• VOILÀ
• Wallows
• Waterparks

The festival is a 15 to 20 minute walk from Reading train station.

Reading Borough Council says the quickest walking route is via the northern side of the station. People arriving by train can also get a hackney carriage to the site, or use the shuttle bus service via Reading Buses.

There will also be a temporary taxi rank on Tessa Road, near Red Gate, opposite the Rivermead Leisure Centre.

You can check train times and service providers on the National Rail website. There will be no CrossCountry train service from Reading on Monday because of industrial action.

GWR has advised travellers book tickets in advance and allow extra time for their journeys because of the crowds.

According to the organisers, the last trains leaving Reading train station are often “incredibly busy” and do not run late on Friday and Saturday night. Festival goers are also advised to give themselves an hour to get back to the station from the festival site exit gate.

The peak exit times are between 8:00 and 13:00 BST on Monday.

A number of road closures and other strategies will be used to manage the number of people over the weekend.

Big Green Coach is the festival’s official travel partner, a “carbon neutral coach” which arrives at the festival on Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday, and returns on Monday.

There is also a day return coach on Friday, Saturday, and/or Sunday.

You can also travel to the festival by boat. Shuttle boats will run from Green Gate to Green Car Park and from Green Car Park to Green Gate, operated by Thames Rivercruise at the following times:

• Wednesday: 13:00 – 22:00
• Thursday: 08:00 – 0:00
• Friday: 08:00 – 01:00
• Saturday: 08:00 – 01:00
• Sunday: 08:00 – 02:00
• Monday: 08:00 – 14:00

Bearing in mind the public transport options, the organisers recommend revellers do not travel by car to the festival, though there are two public car parks open at the same time as the campsites.

Colour-coded AA signs lead the way and car park passes must be displayed.

Passes can be booked in advance via Ticketmaster UK, with day car park passes available on the gate, subject to availability.

Alternative parking options may be available at Q-Park Chatham Place and at Broad Street Mall Carpark, where festival validation tickets can be purchased from the office.

Weekend and early entry ticket holders can arrive at 18:00 on Wednesday, and weekend ticket holders at 08:00 on Thursday.

The campsite is open 24 hours a day, and closes at midday on Monday. Festival goers are advised to get their hands stamped if leaving and returning after 20:00 on Sunday to be able to return later on.

The arena opens at 11:00 on Friday to Sunday.

Day ticket holders cannot re-enter the arena once they have left.

Campfires and disposable BBQs are banned from both the campsite and the arena.

Other banned items include:

• Aerosols over 250ml
• Air horns
• Animals (other than registered hearing dogs or guide dogs)
• Blow torches
• Catapults
• Lanterns
• Clothing, garments or items that promote cultural appropriation
• Drones and other flying devices
• Firewood, fireworks, pyrotechnics, or flares
• Glass bottles, jars, or containers over 100ml
• Drugs and legal highs, herbal highs, new psychoactive substances including Nitrous Oxide, and and any items associated with them
• Megaphone
• Penknife
• Perfume and make up over 100ml
• Petrol burner
• Portable laser equipment and pens
• Single-use vapes
• Skateboards, rollerblades, hover-boards, scooters, or bicycles
• Sound systems
• Spray cans
• Unauthorised professional film or video equipment, radios, or walkie talkies
• Unauthorised handbills, flyers, or stickers
• Weapons, or anything that could reasonably be considered for use as a weapon, including oversized lighters

Allowed in the campsite but not in the arena are:

• Alcohol for personal consumption for those aged 18 and over (only before 18:00 on Sunday)
• Cutlery and tin openers
• Cans
• Chairs, stools, and inflatable loungers
• Flat based cooking stoves
• Gas canisters for cooking stoves (250ml or less)
• Fitted gas canisters and cylinders in campervans
• Flags
• Sealed drinks bottles, not glass
• Gazebos and parasols
• Selfie sticks

Non-professional video equipment, personal-use cigarettes and cool bags, empty reusable plastic and metal bottles, medication, and trolleys or prams for younger children are allowed on both the campsite and in the arena.

Confiscated or surrendered items will not be available to collect after the festival.

Be sure to use the BBC website to check the latest weather forecast for Reading, which is currently forecasting sunshine and temperatures in the 20s.

But it never hurts to bring waterproofs just in case, and some drizzle is forecast by Monday afternoon.

As with all festivals, it is always worth being aware of the health risks so you can enjoy the event safely – there are some top tips here.