Reading Thames Festival

About

The third year of Reading Thames Festival, Reading’s newest festival has an exciting 4 day event programme to celebrate Reading’s stunning waterways. It includes walks, theatrical performances, waterway light displays, food and drink stalls, children's activities, river writing, talks, exhibitions dedicated to Reading's waterway history and much more.

The festival takes place across Reading’s cultural, unusual and outdoor spaces to create exhilarating audience experiences and unexpected encounters. This cultural festival also uses the backdrop of Reading’s wonderful waterways: River Thames and Kennet & Avon Canal. Thames Rivercruise provides a floating literary and musical salon, a riverboat tour showcasing writers and musicians.

The internationally acclaimed line-up includes: Turner Prize Winner Jeremy Deller’s Acid Brass, author and BBC presenter Michael Smith, the UK’s leading circus and outdoor arts performers, Cirque Bijou and Orwell Prize winner and Scottish rapper Darren McGarvey aka Loki.

Reading Thames Festival Programme

• 26 Sep   Can Art Change Society? - A discussion event open to all seeking to explore the role the arts and culture have on society - can art change society? Speakers include: Duckie and Scottish rapper and author (The Poverty Safari – Understanding the Anger of Britain’s Underclass). Great Hall, Reading University
• 26 Sep   Never closer to midnight - A meditative, rhythmic outdoor live art installation, exploring our felt sense of urgency in the face of climate change by artist Janine Harrington Never closer to midnight will also feature as part of Art After Dark. WhiteKnights Campus, Reading University.
• 26 Sep   Art After Dark - The Art After Dark trail will bring Reading’s waterways, town centre, heritage quarter and University alive with artworks and pop up performances in a wide array of locations. All events in the programme will be free and open to all without tickets. Each venue or site will be within walking distance of the next event on the trail
• 26 Sep   Oracle Cinema Screenings - Curated by Reading Rep Theatre and Reading Film Theatre, shoppers, eaters, drinkers and passers-by will have the opportunity to watch some of the world’s favourite films, completely for free. To coincide with Art After Dark, on the Thursday evening there will also be the special opportunity to watch several short films made specifically for and about Reading, including the centrepiece: Reading 2050, produced by Reading Rep. Reading Rep and Reading Film Theatre, The Oracle Centre, Reading
• 27 Sep   In A Wonderland They Lie – A Riverboat Salon - a floating literary and musical salon, a riverboat tour showcasing writers and musicians whose work is haunted by a certain spirit of place: that strange, enchanted and often unnerving collision between the pastoral and the Ballardian that seems peculiarly English, an atmosphere that is particularly pronounced along this stretch of the Thames Valley. Thames Rivercruise, Caversham Pier.
• 29 Sep   Cirque Bijou - Set against the beautiful and historic backdrop of Reading Abbey, Cirque Bijou bring the party to Reading with an immersive evening of the most contemporary of circus. Combining traditional skills and daredevilry with modern technology, live music and sophisticated styling, you will witness beautiful, graceful and inspiring performances.
• 29 Sep   Acid Brass Fairey Brass Band - Acid Brass visits Reading for a special one-off performance of Acid House classics with introduction from Dave Haslem.

Why not spend a few days in Reading?  It’s full of surprises with great shopping, restaurants and nightlife. Beautiful stretches of river, acres of parkland and ancient woodland with over eight hundred listed buildings and monuments; boutique hotels; a world-renowned red-brick university; family friendly museums; two National Trails and two great rivers on its doorstep.

The Abbey Quarter covers the former precinct of one of Europe's largest royal monasteries and dates back over 900 years. The impressive Reading Abbey ruins were reopened in June 2018 after vital conservation work was undertaken.