Reading & Leeds 2026: The most magical moments from the bank holiday bash

And that’s a wrap! The final notes of music have rung out, the last tents have been packed up, and this year’s Reading & Leeds Festivals are officially over. With big changes implemented across both sites, this year’s edition had a new look – from fancy new decorations in The Ballroom tent to new stages like The Warehouse, which never seemed to be empty, judging by the notifications from the official app. With more of a focus on younger, fresher artists, the line-up this year felt like an exciting portrait of the megastars of the future, whether that was ADÉLA serving up the first proper moment of the weekend in The Gallery on Reading’s first day, or Westside Cowboy shaking The Ballroom’s chandeliers in Leeds. That’s without even mentioning the headliners – all superstars worth a bill-topping highlight of their own. Check out what made Team NME’s weekend from both sites below, and catch up with everything else we got up to in the field and backstage here. Words: Jordan Bassett, Rhian Daly, Tom Skinner, Andrew Trendell Jamie T kicks Reading off in style Jamie T backstage at Reading 2026. Credit: Andy Ford for NME “Reading Festival, do you think I can get on the bill at the last ...