Richfield Avenue · Reading · Berkshire RG1 8EQ · August bank holiday
Reading Festival transport, often booked by somebody's parent
Reading is where a great many people have their first festival, straight off the back of exam results. That shapes the whole job: a lot of our bookings here are made by a parent, paid by a parent, and worried about by a parent.
The August bank holiday weekend, which means the busiest roads of the summer in both directions and a Monday exodus that catches out anyone who has not planned the return.
What parents booking this actually want
Roughly the same four things every time, and none of them are about the vehicle.
Driver and registration in advance
Confirmed to the booking adult before travel, with a number to reach us on. That is usually the part that settles it.
Monday, agreed in advance
The collection is booked at a set time and place rather than left to be arranged from a field with a dead phone.
The group stays together
Six or eight friends in one minibus rather than scattered across trains and lifts. They arrive together and they leave together.
The price is set
Agreed when you book. It does not change because it is a bank holiday or because they come out later than planned.
The weekend, and when to travel
Gates open Wednesday for early entry and Thursday for most, with the main stages running Friday to Sunday. Monday is the exodus.
| Day | What happens | Travel note |
|---|---|---|
| Wednesday | Early entry camping opens | Quietest arrival. Suits groups who want a good pitch. |
| Thursday | Main arrival day | Busy from mid-morning. Leave Kent early. |
| Friday – Sunday | Main stages | No travel unless someone is coming for a day ticket. |
| Monday | Everyone leaves | The hardest leg. Book it in advance or spend the day trying. |
Reading from Kent
Richfield Avenue is just off the M4 west of London, so from Kent it is the M25 clockwise. A long run made longer by bank holiday traffic in both directions.
| Pick-up area | Distance | Normal | Bank holiday |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gravesend & Northfleet | 80 miles | 1h 50m | 2h 30m – 3h 30m |
| Dartford & Bluewater | 74 miles | 1h 45m | 2h 25m – 3h 20m |
| Bexleyheath & Bromley | 65 miles | 1h 35m | 2h 15m – 3h 10m |
| Sevenoaks & Tonbridge | 66 miles | 1h 35m | 2h 15m – 3h 10m |
| Rochester, Chatham & Gillingham | 90 miles | 2h 5m | 2h 45m – 3h 45m |
| Maidstone & Aylesford | 87 miles | 2h | 2h 40m – 3h 40m |
| Sittingbourne & Faversham | 100 miles | 2h 15m | 3h – 4h |
| Canterbury & Ashford | 114 miles | 2h 30m | 3h 15m – 4h 15m |
Practical notes for the weekend
The Monday collection is the important booking
Getting to Reading is easy. Getting eight tired people and their tents out of Berkshire on a bank holiday Monday, when the entire site is doing the same thing, is not. A pre-arranged collection at a set point removes the whole problem, and it is the leg parents most often book on its own.
Kit, and what usually gets abandoned
First-time festival-goers overpack, then abandon half of it. Encourage soft bags over suitcases, one shared gazebo rather than four, and a realistic view of how much anyone wants to carry from a car park. Tell us the volume and we will size for it.
Booking on someone else's behalf
Entirely normal here. The parent books and pays, the young adults travel, and we send the driver's name and registration to whoever is actually going. The booking adult stays our point of contact throughout, and hears from us if anything changes.
Our conditions
No alcohol is consumed in our vehicles, and the driver takes passengers to the destination that was booked. If a change is requested during the journey, we contact the person who made the booking. Worth knowing before you book rather than after.
Reading Festival travel questions
Mostly asked by parents.
Can I book for my son or daughter and their friends?
Yes, and a great many of our Reading bookings work exactly that way. You book and pay, we send the driver's name and registration to whoever is travelling, and you remain our point of contact for anything that changes.
When should we book the Monday collection?
At the same time as the outbound. Monday is the hardest leg of the weekend because the whole site leaves at once, and it is not something to arrange from a field on the day.
How long does it take from Kent?
Around two hours on a clear run and up to three and a half or four over the bank holiday. Reading is west of London, so it is the M25 clockwise from our patch.
How much kit can they take?
Tell us the volume. Six people with tents, bags and a cool box each is realistically an eight-seater with seats folded down, not an MPV. Soft bags travel far better than suitcases.
Is alcohol allowed in the vehicle?
No. Alcohol may not be consumed in our vehicles at any time. Sealed drinks travelling to the site are fine.
What if they come out later than arranged on the Monday?
The driver waits and the fare does not change. Sites clear slowly and we plan for it.
Can you collect from several addresses across Kent?
Yes. Picking a group up from their own homes on the way out is standard and costs nothing extra when built into the quote.
How far ahead should we book?
Early summer at the latest. The August bank holiday competes with weddings and the rest of the festival season for the same vehicles.
Other festivals and guides
Everywhere else the summer goes.