New arena layout with two main stages - Reading

[sameimpala]

solved the congestion issue

[CG31]

12 hours ago, sameimpala said:

solved the congestion issue

Which ones which?

[sameimpala]

Main stage east is the one with Liam Gallagher hanging off the edge

[Brandohoff]

Side by side I guess, leeds anyways 

[Andre91]

11 minutes ago, Brandohoff said:

Side by side I guess, leeds anyways 

Excellent spot!

[CG31]

1 hour ago, Brandohoff said:

Side by side I guess, leeds anyways 

How does that work rhen

[OnlyRevolutions]

Don't understand how side by side will be possible, how are they going to be able to fit at least 14 different sets into one day if the acts on each stage don't overlap

[Cammers]

Can't see a later curfew being legally possible but maybe a much earlier start? 

Side by side stages scare me where overlaps are concerned. Even if they are slightly pointing away from each other, you'll get so much noise bleed from the other stage that you'll never enjoy the end of someone's set. 

I'd imagine it would piss off the acts as well, with each one requesting their sound engineers TURN IT UP! 😄

[Andre91]

How are people not understanding how side by side stages will work? I genuinely don’t get it. It works the world over. It worked two weeks ago at the Download Pilot. 

[FloorFiller]

1 hour ago, OnlyRevolutions said:

Don't understand how side by side will be possible, how are they going to be able to fit at least 14 different sets into one day if the acts on each stage don't overlap

Because there won’t be any setup time between acts, or at least not the 45 minutes-hour there usually would be. One act finishes, five minutes later the next act on the other stage comes on. Boom, loads more main stage acts per day. 

[LowerMead]

Reading resident and multi-time veteran here, I live about a mile from the site. We're not going this year for the first time since the 90's (I'm 49, not really the demographic they are after!) so having a year off to go elsewhere, but hope to b back in future. 

My biggest concern is the noise issues; currently the main stage points Westwards, so any noise complaints generally come from a small number of well-healed residents of The Warren (the big houses the opposite side of the river) and Caversham Heights, or the more Average Joe types in West Reading and Tilehurst, but the noise has to travel a decent way before it hits the latter. 

If FR don't go 'side-by-side' and decide to put a main stage at what we currently know as the back of the arena, facing eastwards towards Caversham, then I can imagine there is going to be a significant increase in noise complaints from the local NIMBYs.  It's already a very sensitive issue, people often complain, it gets turned down, etc etc. 

It's a fairly divisive issue. Loads of people love the festival for what it does for the town, but there is a fairly large vocal minority who don't, who will already be up in arms about (I paraphrase) "all these unvaccinated kids coming to town, spreading their Covid" etc etc etc. Dumping a load of additional noise on their doorstep is a recipe for getting said NIMBY's hackles up. 

Call me a traditionalist, but now is not the time to be experimenting with new layouts. 

[andyrhodes24]

On 7/26/2021 at 1:38 PM, LowerMead said:

Reading resident and multi-time veteran here, I live about a mile from the site. We're not going this year for the first time since the 90's (I'm 49, not really the demographic they are after!) so having a year off to go elsewhere, but hope to b back in future. 

My biggest concern is the noise issues; currently the main stage points Westwards, so any noise complaints generally come from a small number of well-healed residents of The Warren (the big houses the opposite side of the river) and Caversham Heights, or the more Average Joe types in West Reading and Tilehurst, but the noise has to travel a decent way before it hits the latter. 

If FR don't go 'side-by-side' and decide to put a main stage at what we currently know as the back of the arena, facing eastwards towards Caversham, then I can imagine there is going to be a significant increase in noise complaints from the local NIMBYs.  It's already a very sensitive issue, people often complain, it gets turned down, etc etc. 

It's a fairly divisive issue. Loads of people love the festival for what it does for the town, but there is a fairly large vocal minority who don't, who will already be up in arms about (I paraphrase) "all these unvaccinated kids coming to town, spreading their Covid" etc etc etc. Dumping a load of additional noise on their doorstep is a recipe for getting said NIMBY's hackles up. 

Call me a traditionalist, but now is not the time to be experimenting with new layouts. 

It's an interesting point that I'd not considered. It's much the same at Leeds - the villages around Bramham Park are fairly sleepy and their residents tend to be on the older side. I could hear the main stage when I lived about 10 miles south of Bramham Park so I can't imagine what it's like for the local residents. I doubt the discounted tickets for locals will do much to appease them.

You can see the arena plain as day from the roadside at Bramham, I'm planning on walking down unless the maps are released this week

[TalkShow Bob]

On 7/26/2021 at 1:38 PM, LowerMead said:

Reading resident and multi-time veteran here, I live about a mile from the site. We're not going this year for the first time since the 90's (I'm 49, not really the demographic they are after!) so having a year off to go elsewhere, but hope to b back in future. 

My biggest concern is the noise issues; currently the main stage points Westwards, so any noise complaints generally come from a small number of well-healed residents of The Warren (the big houses the opposite side of the river) and Caversham Heights, or the more Average Joe types in West Reading and Tilehurst, but the noise has to travel a decent way before it hits the latter. 

If FR don't go 'side-by-side' and decide to put a main stage at what we currently know as the back of the arena, facing eastwards towards Caversham, then I can imagine there is going to be a significant increase in noise complaints from the local NIMBYs.  It's already a very sensitive issue, people often complain, it gets turned down, etc etc. 

It's a fairly divisive issue. Loads of people love the festival for what it does for the town, but there is a fairly large vocal minority who don't, who will already be up in arms about (I paraphrase) "all these unvaccinated kids coming to town, spreading their Covid" etc etc etc. Dumping a load of additional noise on their doorstep is a recipe for getting said NIMBY's hackles up. 

Call me a traditionalist, but now is not the time to be experimenting with new layouts. 

TBF I think noise complaints are quite a small amount of the flack festivals get. It's the traffic that most locals really hate - and FR have done a lot over the last decade or so to keep traffic out of the town center.

Main stages have to shut off reasonably early and you can be much more directional about sound nowadays than you used to be so I think this probably won't cause too much issues. Other than those people who want to complain because they hate the festivala and love to moan. 

[gooner1990]

Heading to Reading Festival this year (just on the Sunday) having not been since 2015 when I gave it up going after 17 years (none of my mates were interested anymore and there are other things to do in life as well)

Has the 2021 map come out yet?

I travel past Reading when I go into London for footvall and I will no doubt go past it before the festival is on but like others I just cannot see how this two main stage thing is going to work with only 5 mins changeover between each act.

Edited July 30, 2021 by gooner1990

[Andre91]

1 hour ago, gooner1990 said:

Heading to Reading Festival this year (just on the Sunday) having not been since 2015 when I gave it up going after 17 years (none of my mates were interested anymore and there are other things to do in life as well)

Has the 2021 map come out yet?

I travel past Reading when I go into London for footvall and I will no doubt go past it before the festival is on but like others I just cannot see how this two main stage thing is going to work with only 5 mins changeover between each act.

That stages will likely be side-by-side and as one band is playing one stage, another band sets up on the other. It’s a system that works perfectly the world over, we’re just not used to it on such a large scale over here.
 

Slam Dunk successfully did the same with a few smaller stages back in 2019. 
 

It’ll work just fine 🙂 

Edited July 30, 2021 by Andre91

[gooner1990]

27 minutes ago, Andre91 said:

That stages will likely be side-by-side and as one band is playing one stage, another band sets up on the other. It’s a system that works perfectly the world over, we’re just not used to it on such a large scale over here.
 

Slam Dunk successfully did the same with a few smaller stages back in 2019. 
 

It’ll work just fine 🙂 

I shall wait with baited breath on the day. 🙂

[Benj]

Need that fella who posted a pic from the Warehouses South of the site to post another pic so we can see whats up.

Should be very easy to tell by now if the current main has shifted at all. If not, then its hard to imagine them having 2 side by side at all

[Benj]

 

[Benj]

2 minutes ago, Benj said:

 

Seems logical, esp with the removal of the pit tent at the north of the site, although I have a feeling the dance stage may move up where the 1extra is as there’s more space up there

Edited July 31, 2021 by Benj

[foolee]

3 minutes ago, Benj said:

Seems logical, esp with the removal of the pit tent at the north of the site, although I have a feeling the dance stage may move up where the 1extra is as there’s more space up there

That would make sense actually. 1extra is a similar size to FR/Pit etc. so would make sense being next to the new FR/Pit stage like the old FR and Pit were. 

[Andre91]

14 minutes ago, Benj said:

 

The people running that account don’t know anything. 

[andyrhodes24]

On 7/31/2021 at 11:59 AM, Andre91 said:

The people running that account don’t know anything. 

All they seem to do is take random stuff said on here and Reddit and package it as legit rumours. Muted them ages ago. Sure they mentioned that Kanye is rumoured to do a secret set a few months back

[Padjeq]

It's definitely doable. Advantages are it creates movement. Imagine 60% of the attendees in front of the right hand stage anxiously and loudly waiting for Post Malone's set, while some bland rock band dies a death on the left hand one.

Obviously this would also put the second stage at the top of a hill.

[Padjeq]

Just now, Padjeq said:

It's definitely doable. Advantages are it creates movement. Imagine 60% of the attendees in front of the right hand stage anxiously and loudly waiting for Post Malone's set, while some bland rock band dies a death on the left hand one.

Obviously this would also put the second stage at the top of a hill.

I do expect a left/right set up though. But with no Radio 1 tent, there is room up there now.

[TalkShow Bob]

Went past the site on a train on Saturday. They're putting up the normal main stage, no signs of work on the new one yet.