Reading traditions, hacks, routines and general fun stuff

[m4tt]

Interested to know the things people do year in, year out to make the fest even more enjoyable.

[m4tt]

Things we do:

• Get breakfast from Toby Carvery, you get a huge cooked breakfast for about £7
• Get to the arena when it opens and have a poo in nice clean toilets
• Get a few bags of ice from coop and it seems to keep the drinks cold till Sunday (in a cool bag/box)

[Benj]

4 hours ago, m4tt said:

Interested to know the things people do year in, year out to make the fest even more enjoyable.

As this will be my 24th Reading mine have obviously changed over the years!

Back in the late 90, early 00s glory days, when you could park 5-10 mins from your car and drive in and out at will, we used to go out to the big Sainsburys by the M4 everyday for a wash etc, provisions and a maccas breakfast. 
 

That all changed in 04, when the camp suddenly got busy, it shat it down all weekend and it was miserable as hell!

We moved into hotels from then and maintained a tradition of meeting at Clapham Junction for the train up. Always having a pint in the Pitcher and Piano near where we normally stay. 

We normally always hit the Clifton Arms for the Sunday early football match too
 

Things changed again when I emigrated to the US in 2015 but I still fly over for it each year!  We now always meet in the pitcher and piano, everyone turning up at different times. Will be especially sweet to see them this year, for the first time in 2 years!

[m4tt]

3 minutes ago, Benj said:

Always having a pint in the Pitcher and Piano near where we normally stay. 

I met my wife in there on NYE almost 10 years ago.

[Andre91]

5 hours ago, m4tt said:

Interested to know the things people do year in, year out to make the fest even more enjoyable.

Blackcurrant Diarolyte in a bottle of water. Neck it as soon as you wake up. It’s not the most enjoyable beverage but it makes the rest of the day more enjoyable. Then drink another bottle of water over the next half an hour and you’ll be set.
 

Grab something for breakfast and then begin your liquid breakfast of choice. In 2019, I found that the boxes of passionfruit martini they do in Tesco go down really well in the morning! 
 

 

Edited August 19, 2021 by Andre91

[m4tt]

6 minutes ago, Andre91 said:

Blackcurrant Diarolyte in a bottle of water.

Grab something for breakfast and then begin your liquid breakfast of choice. In 2019, I found that the boxes of passionfruit martini they do in Tesco go down really well in the morning! 
 

 

I do 2 berocca , 2 sports re hydration tablets and 2 paracetamol.

After a couple of years drinking shortly after getting up I realised i enjoy the day more if i wait till i get in the arena before drinking (always in when it open).

[andyrhodes24]

5 hours ago, m4tt said:

Interested to know the things people do year in, year out to make the fest even more enjoyable.

Not really traditions but things like going to the arena early on and not leaving till the headliner has finished, supping bottles of wine in the arena rather than queuing for beer every two minutes, taking extra wine bottle caps for when the bars take them off you. A water for the arena this year in case there’s a water shortage like last year.
 

On the topic of Berocca etc, I chuck mine in with my morning cider, wasting time otherwise!

[Andre91]

11 minutes ago, m4tt said:

I do 2 berocca , 2 sports re hydration tablets and 2 paracetamol.

After a couple of years drinking shortly after getting up I realised i enjoy the day more if i wait till i get in the arena before drinking (always in when it open).

Sounds effective! I always take a couple of paracetamol with the Dioralyte too. 

[Andre91]

7 minutes ago, andyrhodes24 said:

On the topic of Berocca etc, I chuck mine in with my morning cider, wasting time otherwise!

Excellent. 

[Quorn]

My favourite hack from 2019 was to skip the water queues in the arena just go to the front of any quiet stage, introducing/FR etc, and get the stewards to fill your bottle up from the buckets. Not sure if they’ll still be doing that this year with covid but I expect they’ll still be giving out water at the stages in some form

[m4tt]

Another water hack. Dont use the basins in the arena, theres some other taps at about knee height, the water gushes out of them (they're right next to the basins)

Edited August 19, 2021 by m4tt

[Andre91]

If you’re smoking in a crowd (I do), blow the smoke straight up into the air. Be courteous. 

[m4tt]

Anyone got any particularly good arena food finds?

I tend to find the vendors between the pit and FR are a better than elsewhere in the arena.

[andyrhodes24]

3 minutes ago, m4tt said:

Anyone got any particularly good arena food finds?

I tend to find the vendors between the pit and FR are a better than elsewhere in the arena.

That roast dinner place is sensational, giant Yorkshire pudding with sausages, mash, mushy peas, gravy and veg for under a tenner is unreal after a few pints. That and the Chinese place that does 10 spring rolls for £4ish

[jump]

If it's pissing down and you're smoking, put the cig in between your thumb and finger and so it’s pointing into the your palm of the same hand, then use the rest of your hand as a shelter for the cig. At least 3 people have seen me do that at fests over the years and they come up to tell me how amazing it is that I can smoke in the rain, I’m assuming it’s because I am amazing rather than they are very stoned and easily impressed.

[Benj]

10 minutes ago, Andre91 said:

If you’re smoking in a crowd (I do), blow the smoke straight up into the air. Be courteous. 

I try to do the same.  Will be the first time smoking for me in 2 years too!

 

[m4tt]

5 minutes ago, andyrhodes24 said:

That roast dinner place is sensational, giant Yorkshire pudding with sausages, mash, mushy peas, gravy and veg for under a tenner is unreal after a few pints. That and the Chinese place that does 10 spring rolls for £4ish

Every year i mean to get a giant yorkshire.......this will be the year.

[Andre91]

4 minutes ago, jump said:

If it's pissing down and you're smoking, put the cig in between your thumb and finger and so it’s pointing into the your palm of the same hand, then use the rest of your hand as a shelter for the cig. At least 3 people have seen me do that at fests over the years and they come up to tell me how amazing it is that I can smoke in the rain, I’m assuming it’s because I am amazing rather than they are very stoned and easily impressed.

There’s people who don’t know to smoke like that 😂? That’s how the chavvy kids at school used to smoke. 

[andyrhodes24]

3 minutes ago, m4tt said:

Every year i mean to get a giant yorkshire.......this will be the year.

You won’t regret it, they might look pricey but they are absolutely worth it! Found a video from Leeds 2019 this morning of me shovelling down a Yorkshire while watching  Foo Fighters in the sun. I think life peaked that day

[m4tt]

For those that venture into Reading city centre you should check this place out: https://www.bluegrass-bbq.com/menu

[gfa]

56 minutes ago, m4tt said:

For those that venture into Reading city centre you should check this place out: https://www.bluegrass-bbq.com/menu

This place is amazing, went here every week in eat out to help out! Prices normally aren’t bad either less than £10 for a massive burger and fries + the oh so important salad!

1 hour ago, jump said:

If it's pissing down and you're smoking, put the cig in between your thumb and finger and so it’s pointing into the your palm of the same hand, then use the rest of your hand as a shelter for the cig. At least 3 people have seen me do that at fests over the years and they come up to tell me how amazing it is that I can smoke in the rain, I’m assuming it’s because I am amazing rather than they are very stoned and easily impressed.

Noting this - fingers crossed no rain haha

[m4tt]

Does this mean on site nandos?

 

[LilEgg]

Random one, anyone know what time i can park in the white carpark on Thursday? Want to be there as early as poss

[m4tt]

19 hours ago, LilEgg said:

Random one, anyone know what time i can park in the white carpark on Thursday? Want to be there as early as poss

Not sure it closes once it opens on weds.

[CG31]

On 8/19/2021 at 4:11 PM, m4tt said:

For those that venture into Reading city centre you should check this place out: https://www.bluegrass-bbq.com/menu

Absolutely brilliant place, the Brisket Chilli is a fucking meal and a half

On 8/19/2021 at 3:50 PM, m4tt said:

Anyone got any particularly good arena food finds?

I tend to find the vendors between the pit and FR are a better than elsewhere in the arena.

The Ostrich Burger place between pit and FR last year has always been lovely, can’t remember how pricy but that and the massive nachos thing with all the toppings are the 2 things me and my dad make sure we have every year