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The Reading and Leeds Festivals are a pair of annual music festivals that take place in Reading and Leeds, England. The events both happen on the bank holiday weekend in August (on Friday, Saturday, Sunday), and share the same bill (occasionally with one or two exceptions). The festival's origins date to the Beaulieu Jazz Festival (1956–1961) which became the National Jazz Festival in 1961 (The National Jazz and Blues Festival in 1963) and settled in Reading in 1971. In 1999 a second leg was added at Leeds.

The following is a list of acts that have played at the festival.

1961

Main stage

1962

Main stage

1963

Main stage

Notes

The third NJF Festival saw the first non-Jazz acts appear, notably the Rolling Stones and Long John Baldry on the Sunday afternoon. The Sunday afternoon session featured the final heats of the National Amateur Jazz Contest featuring twelve jazz bands chosen from semi-finals held across Britain.

1964

Main stage

Notes

The Festival expanded to three days with the addition of a rhythm & blues themed Friday evening session. The Sunday afternoon session featured the fourteen best jazz bands from a National Amateur Jazz Contest chosen from regional contests held nationwide.

1965

Main stage

1966

Main stage

Notes

The Festival moved to the larger Windsor Racecourse venue in 1966 after five years at Richmond Athletic Ground. Cream were billed as 'Eric Clapton – Jack Bruce – Ginger Baker' as the band were still unnamed when promotional posters & advertising were printed.

1967

Main stage

Marquee stage

Notes

Pink Floyd pulled out on Saturday evening due to singer/guitarist Syd Barrett's health problems and were replaced by The Nice. The Nice also acted as backing band for P P Arnold. A second "Marquee" stage was added on Saturday and Sunday evenings. Four bands played sets each night, three of which also appeared on the main stage on the same day.

1968

Main stage

1969

Main stage

1970

Main stage

Village stage

Notes

The 1970 Festival was a four-day event for the only time in its history, with a South of England Local Talent session in the main arena on the Thursday evening. A 'Village' stage was added on Saturday and Sunday running from later afternoon to mid-evening.

1971

Main stage

Notes

In 1971 the Festival moved to its permanent home at Little John's Farm on the south bank of the River Thames in Reading, a venue it has remained at ever since (with the exception of two years in the 1980s when the Festival was banned by the Conservative Party controlled Reading Borough Council).

1972

Main stage

1973

Main stage

Notes

Roy Buchanan and Bert Jansch were scheduled to appear, but they did not play.

1974

Main stage

1975

Main stage

1976

Main stage

1977

Main stage

Notes

Frankie Miller, Widowmaker, Racing Cars, Blue, Tiger, and Hand Reef all made appearances, but their place on the lineup is unclear.

1978

Main stage

1979

Main stage

Notes

Thin Lizzy were scheduled to headline on Saturday but cancelled. After the Fire and The Ramones were also scheduled to play but cancelled.

1980

Main stage

Notes

Angel City withdrew and were replaced by Grand Prix, Q-Tips also pulled out, being replaced by White Spirit. Gary Moore's G-Force were also originally scheduled to play but cancelled. Headboys (replaced by Quartz) and Ozzy Osbourne's Blizzard of Ozz (replaced by Slade) were also cancellations, while The Pencils pulled out at the last minute when all of their equipment was stolen the night before.

1981

Main stage

Notes

Thompson Twins, Midnight Oil, Outlaws, The Marshall Tucker Band and Alex Harvey Band were originally scheduled to play but cancelled. Stan Webb's Chicken Shack pulled out due to illness and were replaced at short notice by Atomic Rooster.

1982

Main stage

1983

Main stage

1984

The 1984 Festival was cancelled when the Conservative Party took control of Reading Borough Council. The announced line-up was due to be:

Main stage

1985

No festival held this year

1986

Main stage

1987

Main stage

1988

Main stage

1989

Main stage

Mean Fiddler stage

1990

Main stage

Mean Fiddler stage

1991

Main stage

Mean Fiddler stage

Comedy stage

1992

Main stage

Melody Maker stage

Comedy stage

1993

Main stage

Melody Maker stage

Comedy stage

1994

Main stage

Melody Maker stage

Comedy stage

Notes

Soundgarden were due to play but cancelled when Chris Cornell was diagnosed with polyps on his vocal cords.

1995

Main stage

Melody Maker stage

Carlsberg stage

Comedy stage

1996

Main stage

NME stage

Dr. Martens Stage

Notes

Despite being billed as headliners on the Friday night, Rage Against the Machine played their set before The Prodigy

1997

Main stage

Dr. Martens Stage

Melody Maker stage

Vans Warped Tour stage

1998

Main stage

Melody Maker stage

Dr. Martens Stage

Carlsberg Export stage

Notes

Curve were due to play on the Melody Maker stage on the Sunday but were replaced by Theaudience at short notice.

1999

Main stage

Radio 1 Evening Session stage

Carling Premier stage

Liberty 37 (unknown position)

Also included Big Leaves, Black Box Recorder, Cha Cha Cohen, Chicks, Cube, Cyclefly, Dark Star, Dawn of the Replicants, Experimental Pop Band, The Jellys, Jim's Super Stereo World, Linoleum, Llama Farmers, Medal, Mercedes, The Motorhomes, Muse, Peeps Into Fairyland, Quasi, Rico, The Rocking Horses, Rosita, Seafood, Silt, Sonia Fariq, Stroke, Venni, The Webb Brothers, Witness

Dance stage

Vans Warped Tour stage

Notes

Orgy were due to open the Main Stage Reading Sunday/Leeds Monday, but pulled out days before the event. Lit filled in their spot.

2000

Main stage

Radio 1 Evening Session stage

Dance stage

Carling Premier stage

Notes

Rage Against the Machine played their last UK gig at Reading before their break-up. They played their last gig three weeks later. Originally booked play on the mainstage Eminem had to pull out a few weeks prior for legal reasons in America. Elastica pulled out of their Leeds appearance.

2001

Main stage

Radio 1 Evening Session stage

The End Dance stage

The Concrete Jungle stage

Carling stage

Notes

This was the year that the Concrete Jungle Stage made its debut. Weekend tickets cost £80, day tickets £35. The Strokes were moved from the Radio One stage to the Main Stage.

2002

Main stage

Radio 1 Evening Session stage

Third stage

Carling stage

Notes

Guns N' Roses played only in Leeds as they had a prior touring commitment in London on the day of the Reading event. In Reading they were replaced by Raging Speedhorn who appeared much lower on the bill. A weekend ticket cost £90, a day ticket was £39. Reel Big Fish pulled out of Leeds for undisclosed reasons. Antipop Consortium cancelled their Dance Stage appearance after they disbanded earlier that month. Feeder were invited by Melvin Benn to headline the main stage on the first day at Reading and the second day at Leeds. They later turned this down, as they did not want to play such a high-profile slot so soon after the death of their drummer Jon Lee in January of that year. As a result, Feeder would instead headline the Radio 1 Evening Session Stage.

2003

Main stage

Radio 1 stage

Smirnoff Dance Arena

The Concrete Jungle stage

Carling stage

Notes

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club played as a replacement for The White Stripes, who pulled out after Jack White was in a car crash with his then-girlfriend, Renée Zellweger. Although they played second on the Main Stage, it was billed as with Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, reflecting their smaller status. Jay-Z also pulled out, with The Darkness moving further up the bill to replace him. The Libertines were without Pete Doherty, who was at that time estranged from the band; he also missed their 2004 appearance. Other drop outs included Courtney Love, Lostprophets and Godsmack. A weekend ticket cost £95, a day ticket £40.

2004

Main stage

Radio 1 stage

Dance Arena

Concrete Jungle stage

Carling stage

Notes

On the Radio 1 Stage, the Super Furry Animals headlined on the Leeds Saturday, with Graham Coxon second. This order was reversed when the bands played the Reading Friday. New Found Glory pulled out a few weeks before the festival. A weekend ticket cost £105, a day ticket £45.

2005

Main stage

NME/Radio 1 Stage

Dance Arena

Radio 1 Lock-Up Stage

Carling stage

Notes

In 2005 My Chemical Romance played Reading and Leeds on the same day, in an alteration from the original schedule, due to the MTV Video Music Awards. The Transplants were originally booked to play the festivals but pulled out in mid-August due to illness. Jimmy Eat World also pulled out due to other commitments. Other drop outs included Willy Mason, Simple Plan and Fall Out Boy (also due to the VMAs). A weekend ticket cost £125, a day ticket £60.

2006

Main stage

Radio 1 stage

Dance Arena

Radio 1 Lock-Up Stage

Carling stage

Nokia Tent

Notes

Shortly after the first line-up announcement, Feeder and Yeah Yeah Yeahs switched days, meaning that Yeah Yeah Yeahs would play Reading on Friday and Leeds on Saturday, and that Feeder would play Reading on Saturday and Leeds on Sunday. Audioslave pulled out of their slot due to the band being busy recording new material, The Shins pulled out for undisclosed reasons, and From First to Last pulled out due to the then lead singer (Sonny Moore) needing throat surgery, Paramore had to pull out because their singer (Hayley Williams) had throat problems and were replaced by Sonic Boom Six lower in the bill. Story of the Year and Bleeding Through also pulled out for undisclosed reasons. Flogging Molly played twice at both festivals, once in the punk tent and once on the main stage. Tickets were £135 for a weekend ticket and £60 for a day ticket.

2007

Main stage

Radio 1 stage

The Dance Arena

Radio 1 Lock-Up Stage

The Carling stage

Notes

Kaiser Chiefs played a secret slot on the Carling Stage at the Leeds leg of the event under the pseudonym of 'Hooks for Hands'. Peeping Tom were due to perform on the dance stage, but pulled out. +44 also dropped out. A weekend ticket cost £145 (plus a maximum of £7 booking fee).

2008

The line-up for the Reading and Leeds 2008 festivals was announced on 31 March 2008, and tickets were made available thereafter.

Main stage

Radio 1/NME Stage

Festival Republic stage

The Dance Arena

Radio 1 Lock-Up Stage

Alternative stage

BBC Introducing Stage

Notes

• The festival ran from Friday 22 – Sunday 24 August 2008. Weekend tickets cost £155. Day tickets cost £65.
• Set Your Goals pulled out of the festival. Alkaline Trio pulled mainland festival appearances but still appeared at Reading/Leeds.
• The Pigeon Detectives appeared on the Dance to the Radio Stage (an alias for the BBC Introducing Stage in reference to their label) on Thursday 21st at the Leeds Site.
• Slipknot pulled out of the festival after drummer Joey Jordison broke his ankle. Feeder were their replacement as far as the slot was concerned, as almost every act below them were moved up a slot, with Bring Me the Horizon being booked instead, although not taking their slot and being at the bottom of the schedule.
• Avenged Sevenfold performed a shortened set at Leeds and pulled out of the Reading leg due to illness. Due to the short notice, they were not replaced and the schedule was re-arranged. This meant Mindless Self Indulgence playing before Feeder, although this not an official 4th and are still retroactively listed as the second band to play.