GENERAL INFORMATION
SITE MAP
ARENA OPENING TIMES
Saturday 25 August - Arena opens 11am
Sunday 26 August - Arena opens 11am
Any changes to the running order are passed on to the Information Tent and will be published in locations onsite, e.g. the campsite zone managers' caravans.
SEATING
ON SITE SERVICES
There is an onsite fire fighting team who are fully equipped to deal with any fires. There are fire observation towers located around the campsites. There are fire extinguishers located throughout the site and many of the stewards and security staff have been trained in fire safety in addition to the onsite fire fighting team.
Your campsite zone manager and the team of CAT people will also be easily available to help.
There are medics onsite who are fully equipped to deal with all situations.
The main medical centre is based at Piccadilly Circus. There is also a first aid point in the green campsite by HenryÃs Gate and in white campsite. The medics also have roving patrols and provide an Accident and Emergency facility with full resuscitation, GP facilities and surgeries and psychiatric treatment.
There is an onsite Police Station in Piccadilly Circus staffed by Thames Valley Police throughout the event.
WELFARE: The Welfare Tent is situated on G4 and is open 24 hours from noon on Thursday to noon on Monday and offers general welfare, assistance and advice, a drugs advisory service, a needle exchange, counselling, a messages service and they will help distressed / missing people. The Welfare Tent also offers a recovery area for patients from medical and emergency shelter in a Crash tent with camper mats and sleeping bags.
LEFT LUGGAGE: The left luggage facility is open 24 hours from noon on Thursday to noon on Monday and is located at Reaper Bridge outside the Arena Entrance. This is also the point where any Lost Property found during the festival is sent.
The address for queries for lost property post event will be available from the Left Luggage Tent onsite and will be posted on the website after the event.
INFORMATION TENT: The Information Tent is open from noon on Thursday to 9am Monday morning and is located close to Piccadilly Circus, off road G4. The Information Tent handles a large variety of queries from festival goers, runs a message board and has details of all local transport services etc. The latest information on the running order is available at the Information Tent.
LOST CHILDREN / PEOPLE: Lost children are looked after by the Welfare team and all relevant agencies are contacted. Lost people should go to the Welfare tent.
SAMARITANS: The Samaritans operate confidentially providing an ear and support for the distressed Festival goers. They are available 24 hours per day during the event from noon on Thursday to noon on Monday and are situated on G4. They offer a confidential, non judgmental, listening service for anyone passing through a crisis who needs to talk. They are particularly there for people who may be considering taking their own life.
The Salvation Army: The Salvation Army are alsoon site and are there to offer your support should you need it.
CAT TEAMS (CAT Campsite Assistance Teams): This was a very successful new service for Reading last year and there will again this year be a large number of CAT volunteers providing an information service for ticket holders in the campsites. The CATs are on duty 24 hours and are there to help you - please use them for general information and assistance and to report back on any litter and sanitation issues.
For more information please visit www.hotboxevents.com
Or you can email info@hotboxevents.com
ZONE MANAGERS: Zone managers were also very successfully introduced into the campsites last year and they will be back for 2007 too. They are permanently there to patrol the campsites with their DC and CAT staff and to ensure that everyone has a safe time. Their caravan will hold all the most up to date information on running orders, a large site map and more useful information for your use.
BARS : There are several bars in the arena and one in the Village area, between Arena Entrance and Reapers Bridge. They are all cash only.
The Carling Carry Out bar has now moved from the Box Office area and is now based in the Purple CafÈ area in the purple campsite.
Bar staff will ask for proof of age ID whenever the customer appears to be under 18. The proof of age will need to be evidenced by a Portman Proof of Age Card, Citizen Card, valid UK card or by a full or provisional photo card driving licence issued by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority or by a passport. If there is any doubt as to the age of the customer they will be refused service. The onus is on the individual to demonstrate unequivocally that they are 18 years old or over and if the individual cannot do so they will not be served.
FOOD STALLS: There are food stalls throughout the site selling a variety of food, from burgers to baguettes, noodles to milkshake. There will be the 23 hour cafÈ in the Purple campsite, along with a wood stall, juice bar, camping supplies shop and a carry out bar.
TOILETS AND SHOWERS: There are toilet blocks in the arena and throughout the campsites. There are free, hot, male and female showers based at the end of G4, close to Cow Lane. They seem to be our best kept secret as there never seem to be queues so please make the most of them and use them. Much cheaper and more hygienic than using the Rivermead swimming poll!
LITTER: Please help keep the Reading Festival tidy by cleaning up after yourself, using the Recycling Points and Litter Drop Points. Please donÃt drop or burn your rubbish; there are plenty of bins onsite. Free bin bags will be available from the Recycling Points which will be based in all campsites. WeÃve introduced more of these this year to make it even easier for you. YouÃll also be able to get a free beer for bringing your litter to the exchanges.
WATER: There are drinking water points throughout the campsites and arena. They are all signed as suitable for drinking and the supply is tested. Any broken taps or flooding should be reported to the nearest steward.
CINEMA AND LATE NIGHT ENTERTAINMENT: There will be more late night entertainment this year for you to enjoy after the bands have finished. We will have the Silent Disco until 3am, the Cabaret Tent will open until 3am and the Cinema Tent will stay open until 4am on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. We'll also have Nokia back in the arena again this year.
In the village, Carling's Cold Beer Amnesty will be open uintil midnight Thursday and 2am Friday, Saturday and Sunday and the Action Aid Tent will be open until 3am on Thursday, Friday, Saturday AND Sunday. Check the website and register for updates.
MEETING POINT: There is no official meeting point and so when you get to the festival find a landmark and organise to meet your friends here if you get split up during the weekend.
BANKS AND CASHPOINTS: There are ATM machines available onsite. Situated in the Market, off road G4. There is a surcharge of £2 per transaction. They are open 24 hours.
The nearest cash point apart from those onsite is at the Snax 24 Garage at the end of Richfield Avenue.
The Information Tent has details of all the telephone numbers for reporting lost cards.
PROGRAMMES: Programmes are available from programme sellers situated throughout the site.
MERCHANDISE There are 5 official merchandise tents. Four in the arena and one stall at the wristband exchange point.
FOOD / CATERING
The following items may not be brought into the arena: Cans, Alcohol, opened plastic bottles, Illegal Substances, Portable Laser Equipment and Pens, Unauthorised Professional Film or Video Equipment, Audio Recorders, Fireworks and Flares. All Items will be confiscated. Water points on site are drinking water safe.
BARS
If there is any doubt as to the age of the customer they will be refused service. The onus is on the individual to demonstrate unequivocally that they are 18 years old or over and if the individual cannot do so they will not be served. Proof of the attainment of 18 years of age will be required before you are able to buy alcohol. This must be evidenced by a Portman Proof of Age Card, Citizen Card, valid UK Card or by a full or provisional photo card driving licence issued by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority or by a passport.
CHILDRENS FACILITIES / INFO
DISCOUNTS / CONCESSIONS
- Children under 13 (12 and under) are admitted free when accompanied by a ticket holding adult.
- Passport to Leisure cardholders are entitled to 10% discount on the face value of the ticket.
- These tickets are only available from the Reading Tourist Information Office in person and are limited to one per cardholder and are subject to availability.
- Disabled customers please see 'DISABLED FACILITIES'.
- No other discounts are available.
- Only tickets purchased from authorised agents will be admitted.
Tickets purchased from other sources will be refused admission. - No other discounts are available, click here for ticket page.
WRISTBANDS
Wristbands removed from your wrist or tampered with will be rendered invalid and will not be replaced.
CAR PARKING
Car Parking will be in nearby fields and a park and boat service will run between the car parks and the festival site Only cars arriving at the car parks with an official festival car-parking pass will be allowed to park in the official festival car parks Follow the colour-coded signs to your car park.
To book your car park pass go to the Book Tickets section of website
CAMPERVANS
There will be a £10 charge for bringing your campervan to the festival Campervan passes will be strictly limited and the access to the site with a campervan will be via White Gate this year for the first time Campervans will NOT be permitted access into Red Gate, by the Rivermead Centre, this year The exact directions to White Gate will be on the back of the campervan/caravan pass that we will send you nearer the event and on the AA road signs.
Please note that we have revised the terms and conditions for access into the campervans field.
Click here for the T&Cs
COACHES
CROWD SURFING
Please don't crowd surf at this year's festival Not only could you hurt yourself but you may injure someone else and ruin their weekend too You will be ejected from the festival if you're found to be persistently crowd surfing.
ANIMALS
CRIME REDUCTION
Crime prevention at Carling Weekend: Reading Festival 2007
Festivals are full of young, fun loving and like-minded people but beware they are also an easy patch for career criminals and opportunists who know how festival goers tick, and the Reading Festival is sadly no exception and so please read through the advice below and plan ahead for the event.
Festival Republic, the Carling Weekend: Reading Festival organisers, and Thames Valley Police (TVP) have teamed up together to provide information to both festival goers and parents alike that may help those who will be attending the Carling Weekend: Reading Festival this year.
For 2007 TVP Crime Reduction Advisor John McNicholas has set up a specially created e-mail address that festival-goers and parents can use in advance of the show, as well as during, to seek receive further advice from police officers who will actually be attending the event.
Emails to readingfestival@thamesvalley.pnn.police.uk will go directly to the TVP team who will be policing the festival.
TVP have for many years had, as part of their large on and off site operation, a fully functioning on site police station, which is based at Piccadilly Circus, and this will again operate during the event for anyone wishing to use it.
As with each year, we are all keen to ensure that the festival goers do what they can to prevent themselves from becoming a victim of crime and we have compiled the following festival savvy tips – some tips probably wouldn’t work anywhere else but at a festival!
1. VALUABLES
Quite simply – please DON’T BRING THEM! Don’t be flash. Ipods, MP3 players etc - you don’t need them here – there is enough going on for you to be entertained without them.
If you have to bring them please use the left luggage facility rather then store them in your tent.
Campsite Assistance Teams (CATs) in the campsites have UV pens that you can use to write your postcode or name onto any valuables for easy identification.
Split your cash and cards into two hoards so that if one lot goes – you have back up
Don’t carry anything valuable in your programme pouch or on a lanyard – unless it is kept hidden under a shirt or jumper.
Don’t carry anything in back pockets – the event is busier than Oxford Street, especially at the stages, and chances are you have had a drink and so you will be less aware than usual and pick pockets love it. Pockets with zips are better.
Don’t leave anything valuable in your car – maybe go and check on your car twice during the show? Shuttle boats are free for off site car parks and the trip on the river is very nice. Leave your glove compartment empty and also open.
2. CAMPSITES
If you have any concerns about your safety in the campsites camp somewhere well lit, go near a fire tower or by your zone managers caravan.
Introduce yourself to campsite staff, show them where your tent is, stick a funny flag on it so it’s easy for them to see, and ask them to keep an eye out. They will.
Introduce yourself to your neighbours and set up a neighbourhood watch system, it may sound naff but experience shows that the best and friendliest campsites are the ones with people in that make the effort to do so. More friends to party with too.
Report anything or anyone suspicious to campsite staff – you can do this anonymously if you wish and that is what the staff are there for.
Don’t put a padlock on your tent as this will invite thieves.
Don’t bury your valuables by your tent as someone is bound to be watching.
3. PERSONAL SAFETY
Make sure your mobile is charged up on a daily basis - in the early afternoon - so that it is ok for the night when it’s dark, the stages get busy and you are more likely to lose each other. Traders sell battery operated phone charges if you need them. Ask at the information tent (on road G4) for exact locations of these traders. Plan ahead. Festival time is slow and it can take a long time to get from A to B.
Keep your phone well hidden – how annoying would it be to lose all your contacts?
Stay in groups and be tolerant of friends slowing you down.
At night stay on the main roads in the campsites – don’t go exploring darker, quieter areas –you can do that in the day
Arrange an easy meeting point with your mates before you get to the event and also three times a day (eg. 2pm, 6pm and 1am) that you will be there if you get split up. No one likes to be left to have fun on their own for long.
If you do become a victim of crime – DO NO RESIST – give them what they want and make sure you get a good look at them or their clothes, so that when you report them we have a good head start. Also, make a note of exactly where you are if you can – look out for loos, fire towers, unusual tents, what colour the bunting is and what the road name is etc
The welfare tent is there for you on road G4, as is the onsite police station at Piccadilly Circus. These facilities are there to help you if you need it.
If you have an incident with a security guard, steward or any other member of our staff that you want to tell us about – please make a note of their tabard number, or the name on their pass. Without this information we can do very little as identifying them without this number or name is very difficult.
Please don’t be alarmed by our advice – just be warned that it does happen to some people and we don’t want it to be you. Plan ahead.
Oh, and have the most memorable festival of your life for all the right reasons!
Further Crime Reduction advice can be found at the Thames Valley Police website at http://www.thamesvalley.police.uk/reduction/index.htm
CRIME PREVENTION
Large Gatherings of people such as this can provide easy pickings for thieves. If you present them with easy opportunities they will take them. If you are reporting the theft of a mobile phone you will be required to first contact your network provider and have the handset blocked. This will ensure that its use will be blocked across all UK networks even if the SIM card is changed, and will render it useless to the thief. A list of contact numbers for UK network providers is available at the Information and Welfare Tent."
Thames Valley Police have an onsite police station based at Piccadilly Circus should you need to report a crime.
Please use the left luggage point near the entrance to store your belongings.
DRUGS
There are covert police and security onsite who will take action as appropriate.
Neither anti-social nor illegal behaviour will be tolerated and participants will leave themselves liable for eviction from the site. Experimenting with drugs can lead to adverse reactions.
Drugs can kill. The crowds and the sheer size of the festival can be very frightening and disorientating and taking drugs could spoil your enjoyment of the event. If you do take drugs and you become ill, depressed or frightened please ask a steward to direct you to one of the many facilities on site which can help and support you, like our welfare tent on road G4.
You may be body searched at the entrance. Persons suspected of carrying items which may be used in an offensive or dangerous manner, or carrying out illegal activities within the arena or other parts of the site may be searched.
LOST PROPERTY
Waves,
Carling Weekend: Reading 2007,
PO Box 150,
Droitwich Spa,
WORCS
WR9 0WX
Email: lostproperty@wavesltd.org
LOVE NOT RIOTS CAMPAIGN
This is how they describe their campaign:
Whether you have been a victim of the events previously present at the festivals or just think it is wrong to risk putting people's safety in danger, we need your support and you need a free "Love Not Riots" badge to join the massive following of Carling Weekend: Reading & Leeds Festival Fans that we have already hooked!
We are not trying to be the "fun police" and stop people having a laugh we are talking about the kind of behaviour that scares people and puts the welfare of others in danger! If we make one possible rioter listen and change their views of how to enjoy the festival then the campaign will have worked and been worth every second!
There WILL come a time when the authorities take into account the destructive behaviour of previous festivals and say enough is enough and the Carling Weekend: Reading Festival will be no more.
More information on how to get hold of this years campaign T shirts, vest tops and badges will be made available shortly on their website and myspace page - visit www.lovenotriots.com / www.myspace.com/lovenotriotscampaign