ONE OF Reading’s independent festivals has set out the schedule for its return this summer.
Readipop Festival returns to Christchurch Meado ws in Caversham this July, bringing headline acts Ash, Goldie Lookin’ Chain, Pip Blom, A Certain Ratio, and Echobelly.
The Friday of the festival will see Fabio & Grooverider, Dub Pistols, The Wise Bloods, and Reading Community Gospel Choir take to the stage.
It will also feature Marble Sun, Leopard Boy, and Martha and The Fairy performing as part of the BBC Introducing programme.
The Saturday will see performances from Ash, Republica, A Certain Ratio, Pip Blom, and a DJ set from Goldie Lookin’ Chain.
Joining them will be Butch Kassidy, Hats TM, Brioche, Glitterwound, Glass Half Broken, and Adomania, as well as Reading’s own K.Kayne and Colours & Fires.
Sunday will feature performances from Echobelly,l La Mort Subite, International Resque, The, Skangsters, Rila’s Edge, Elucidate, Ilanga, Funkin’ Souled Out, and Readiophonics.
Showcases from AAA Takeovers are set to return, alongside Readipop’s own XOX Project Live, which will perform a set of classicc tracks the vintage drum machines and synths from its upcoming museum project.
As well as the schedule, organisers have announced that Reading Indie Market is returning to the festival on Saturday and Sunday, bringing stalls for clothes and arts.
The family area is also back with workshops, activities, and immersive performances from arts and music organisations such as Jelly, Dance Reading, Tankata Percussions, and MiniMixers DJs.
The team from the Purple Turtle will be on hand at the Purple Turtle Bar to serve craft beer and real ale.
Festival Producer Molly Banbury said: “We’ve been blown away by the response so far–we’ve seen our highest ever ticket sales to date for this point and are so grateful to everyone that has already shown their support for this year’s event.
“Not only will it be our biggest Readipop Festival so far but also our most sustainable”
“Although we are an incredibly small team, we are determined to see our charity festival flourish with community and sustainability at the heart of everything we do.” Molly continues, “As part of us taking sustainability seriously, I am proud to share that this year we created a sustainability “pathway” plan.
She explained: “This pathway maps out our ambitions creating achievable steps for us to reach our green goals over several years, helping us to make continuous environmentally conscious improvements.”
“A huge positive worth mentioning is the incredible location of the event. Today, the single biggest contributor to carbon emissions for festivals, as much as two thirds, is audience travel.
“With our Readipop Festival site only a 10 minute walk from Reading train station, and even less from nearby bus routes, it is incredibly easy to get to without any need for a car.
She added: “In fact, most of our audience walked to the site from their homes last year which means we are already massively ahead of other festivals in reducing our overall carbon impact.
“We want to continue to improve upon this by encouraging travel by bike this year and offering secure bike storage inside the grounds.”
Day tickets currently cost £20 for adults and weekend tickets cost £60.
Readipop returns to Christchurch Meadows, Caversham, from Friday-Sunday, July 12-14.
Full details and tickets are available via: readipop.co.uk/festival
