Reading & Leeds 2026 have teamed up with Spotify to help fans discover new artists they’ll love at the festival through personalised playlists based on their listening habits.
The new launch comes just over two weeks before this year’s festival kicks off, featuring headline performances from Florence + The Machine, Charli XCX, Fontaines D.C., Dave, RAYE and Chase & Status.
In the partnership, a new in-app experience has been launched on Spotify which analyses users’ listening data and reveals the five artists on the festival line-up who best suit their tastes.
There is also a percentage to show how closely their music taste aligns with acts on the wider 2026 bill.
Spotify will then curate a specifically-made playlist for each user, allowing visitors to check out music from the artists they are most likely to like ahead of festival gates opening later this month.
“With such a huge and diverse line-up at Reading & Leeds this year, we wanted to give fans a new way to discover the artists they’ll love,” said Lucy Edwards, Co-Head of Marketing for Spotify UK and Ireland. “ By putting their own listening habits at the centre of the experience, we’re making the festival line-up feel more personal than ever.
“There’s nothing quite like discovering that one of your favourite artists is playing, but this takes it a step further. It’s all about the thrill of discovery, helping fans uncover their next favourite artist before they even arrive at the festival.”
The new feature launches today (Tuesday August 11) and will be on offer to fans across the UK up until the festival weekend. It is also the first launch of a wider partnership between Spotify and Reading & Leeds, and upcoming projects include an official playlist, on-site content and interviews and more. More details will be shared soon.
This year’s dual event is set to take place at Little John’s Farm in Reading and Bramham Park in Leeds between August 27 and 30. The Leeds event has now got permission to perform music on the Thursday, and will do so for the first time this year with Kasabian headlining their main stage.
Other artists on the 2026 line-up include Skepta, Sombr, Role Model, JADE, Kneecap, Geese, Skye Newman, ADELA, Violet Grohl, Holly Humberstone, Gurriers, Westside Cowboy, Declan McKenna, Maisie Peters, Paris Paloma, Cruz Beckham, Overpass, and Duke Dumont.
In June, 13 more acts were added to the bill including Gene Gallagher-led band and NME 100 stars Villanelle, as well as December 10 and Beth McCartney.
Loyle Carner, Viagra Boys, Men I Trust, Men I Trust and Gunna will perform in Reading only, while The K’s and The Lathums will only be performing in Leeds. Visit here for remaining tickets.
This year will see a massive staging and arena overhaul at R&L, which has been described by the organisers as the biggest in the events’ history.
With the changes, there will be improvements to the Main Stage – now known as The Grid – along with new stages The Gallery and The Warehouse. It has also been confirmed that the BBC Introducing Stage will be axed after 18 years.
Speaking to NME about the changes, festival boss Melvin Benn explained that the move had made him “as excited about Reading & Leeds as I’ve ever been”.
“I’m as excited about Reading & Leeds from when I started Leeds, in fact, in 1999. This really is the next phase of Reading & Leeds festivals,” he shared.
Benn also spoke about how the focus on UK and Ireland headliners this year, and shared whether or not that was a conscious decision.
“We happen to have found ourselves this year in a position where we have six-seven headliners that wanted to play Reading & Leeds that are all UK and Ireland-based,” he said. “When you add people like Kneecap, for instance – who headlined their own show just two weeks ago down in Crystal Palace, with 25,000 people at it – it shows the strength of UK and Irish music. I do think festivals like Reading & Leeds have played their part in developing that.”
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