University Community Festival returns for 2024

A one-day, family-friendly festival is set to return to the University of Reading’s Whiteknights campus on Saturday 18 May 2024.

Following on from the success of last year’s first ever Community Festival, this free event will run between 11am-5pm and promises to be even better than last year.

The Community Festival will bring together residents from across the Thames Valley for a day of outstanding live music, theatre and performance, incredible street food and a packed programme of hands-on activities for children and grown-ups to get involved with.

Featuring multiple indoor and outdoor venues, this event will feature local artists, performers, community organisations and vendors. Visitors can also get active with a host of sports taster sessions or a stroll around the stunning Whiteknights lake and gardens. 

The Community Festival will once again showcase some of the world-leading research currently taking place at the University. One of the highlights of the 2023 festival was the opportunity for people of all ages to interact with researchers, who offered dozens of hands-on activities, children’s talks and research presentations to inspire people to be excited by science and learning.

Get involved

The Community Festival is organised by the University of Reading and Reading Students’ Union, in collaboration with partners from across the town. A call has been put out for local partners to get involved in this year’s Community Festival.

If you are part of a local community group or organisation and would be interested in performing, offering a workshop or exhibiting, the University is accepting proposals via the online community activity expression of interest form. All submissions need to be made by Monday 12 February.

Molli Cleaver, Community Engagement Manager at the University of Reading, said: “The Community Festival is the perfect opportunity to bring together the University and the local community. We are particularly excited to be working together again with local partners to provide a jam-packed programme of exciting activities and entertainment!”

The full festival line-up will be announced soon. More information can be found on the University’s Events page.