Reading and Leeds Festival 2026 on BBC
August 27, 2026



BBC Music will return to Reading and Leeds Festival from August 28th to 30th with dedicated coverage across TV, radio and digital platforms, including BBC One, BBC iPlayer, BBC Radio 1, BBC Radio 6 Music, BBC Music on YouTube and BBC Sounds.

Audiences will be able to experience some of the standout moments from the festival, with headline performances, live sets and festival highlights available across the BBC.


TV

BBC One will broadcast four special shows featuring performances and highlights from this year’s festival.

Fontaines D.C. at Reading Festival will broadcast on August 28th at 10.40pm on BBC One. The Irish rock band will headline the Main Stage at Reading Festival, bringing their distinctive sound and electrifying live show to audiences.

RAYE at Reading Festival will broadcast on August 29th at 11.35pm on BBC One. She takes to the Main Stage following a landmark few years which have seen her become one of the UK’s most celebrated artists.

Chase & Status at Reading Festival will broadcast on August 30th at 11.40pm on BBC One. The drum and bass duo will headline Reading Festival with their high-energy show, bringing some of their best-known tracks to the Main Stage.

Reading Festival Highlights 2026 will air on September 2nd at 10.40pm on BBC One, bringing together standout performances and memorable moments from across the weekend.

iPlayer

BBC iPlayer will be the place to catch the biggest moments from Reading and Leeds Festival across the weekend, with Radio 1’s Sian Eleri and Jack Saunders guiding viewers through the festival highlights and headline performances.

On August 28th, coverage will begin at 3.30pm with archive highlights from Reading’s Ultimate Performances and Arctic Monkeys’ 2022 set, before Eleri and Saunders go live from site at 6pm, introducing headline sets from Charli xcx and Fontaines D.C.

On August 29th and 20th, coverage will run from 6pm-11.30pm, with Eleri and Saunders bringing viewers performances from across the festival, including headline sets from Dave, RAYE, Florence + The Machine and Chase & Status.

Performances and highlight tracks will be available on-demand via iPlayer for 30 days following the festival, with some of the biggest tracks also available on the BBC Music YouTube channel.

Radio

Radio 1 will broadcast live from Reading from 10am-4pm on August 28th and 11am-4pm on August 29th and August 30th, bringing listeners live performances from the festival. Vicky Hawkesworth, Nat O’Leary, Minah Shannon and Sam and Danni will lead the coverage, with listeners able to tune in on Radio 1 and BBC Sounds.

On August 31st, Radio 1 will look back at the weekend with a special Reading and Leeds Festival show from 6pm-1am, featuring performances and highlights from across the festival.

Radio 1 Dance will continue the festival celebrations on September 3rd from 6pm-10pm with the best of The Warehouse Stage.