By Nathalie Chi
East Reading Festival, a community-focused celebration that aims to foster local connections, returned to Palmer Park on Saturday, June 22, with more than 20 charity stalls and community groups taking part.
This year’s event also featured a music stage, spoken word and poetry platform, and a number of food stalls, alongside family-friendly activities such as cycling track experiences and face painting.
Matt Foster, a volunteer member of the festival’s planning committee, described the event as a “community festival”, setting up to bring people together, to enjoy food and music on a sunny day.
He added that many stalls have returned year after year, some for over four years, and the festival continues to meet new faces every year, allowing fresh connections to form.
The scale of the festival has remained consistent, “we keep it manageable so the committee members can enjoy organising it,” he said.
Charity aims to connect and eliminate loneliness — just like the festival itself
One of the regular participants was Sadaka, a charity supporting anyone in need without judgment or bias, now in its fifth year at the festival.
Sadaka brought donated food and drinks to share with the community, all proceeds from their food sales go directly back into funding the charity’s work.
Zalim, a volunteer and the charity’s treasurer, said the festival is a valuable opportunity to promote their services, fundraise, connect with other charities, and reconnect with service users.
She added that the charity is proudly diverse, with volunteers from all over the world, and welcomes everyone without judgement, a message she feels aligns with the spirit of the festival: bringing people together to improve each other’s lives.
Sadaka runs every Saturday, providing food, wellbeing sessions, and skill-building activities like English lessons.
She said: “We offer more than food, we help people build a sense of belonging and gain skills that support them to seek new opportunities in this country.”
Meeting, building trust, reconstructing Reading’s history
Among the community stalls was one from Reading Old Cemetery undertaking Project (#ROCuP), a collaborative initiative between the University of Reading and local volunteers, aims to uncover the forgotten stories of those buried in Reading Cemetery by connecting with their families or researching historical records.
Yota Dimitriadi, a professor from the University of Reading, said: “The festival is a great opportunity to meet the public, build trust, and invite them to be part of the project.”
She shared a moment from the event, where a man approached them and said he might be able to share his story, as he thinks his grandfather might be buried in the cemetery.
“By being here, we get to know each other. People ask questions, and they decide whether to trust us with their stories — and we’ve already heard some wonderful ones,” Yota said.
Participation is open to everyone, she said, “It’s not just about connecting, anyone can help reconstruct the lost history of Reading, it gives people a sense of accomplishment.”
A New Start for Local Creators
Alongside charities and community groups, small businesses also took part — including Suki Balloons, run by Ray and Suki, a couple from Hong Kong. This was their first time at the East Reading Festival, just a year after settling in the area.
Ray, a former stage performer, now uses his performance skills to create balloon art.
“Even though the event isn’t focused on selling crafts, it’s been really nice to be part of the community,” he said. “Seeing children appreciate our balloons makes us happy, even if they’re not buying, we’re still spreading joy.”
The festival offers affordable stall rental compared to other events in the region, something Ray and Suki appreciate, as they think it lowers the threshold for small businesses like them to promote themselves.
