What's on in Reading this month

September means a new school term for the kids – and a new season for our wonderful cultural community. From big-name bands to international acts, funny women to powerful theatre, there’s lots of live shows to get stuck into. And there’s plenty of big celebrations of local tipples, vegan food and local heritage, too. We struggled to narrow down the highlights of What’s On in September in Reading – do head to whatsonreading.com for so much more!

Fun Lovin’ Criminals – 4 September

The acclaimed NYC band is back, with founding member, multi-instrumentalist and producer Brian ‘Fast’ Leiser, drummer and producer Frank Benbini and guitarist Naim Cortazzi hot on the heels for a new album. They’ll be bringing all the big hits like ‘Scooby Snacks’ and some deeper cuts to Sub89to get the month off to a funking good start.

Heritage Open Days – 12 -21 September

The annual celebration of our buildings, natural and cultural heritage returns for 2025 with more walks, talks, tours and other events that give you a “peek behind the curtain”. From the chance to explore some of Reading’s oldest buildings or places and collections that aren’t often open to the public, to exhibitions that celebrate this year’s theme of “Architecture”, there’s so much to get stuck into.

Funny Women – various dates

Some of the best female comics are coming to town this month. South Street welcomes Lou Sanders for a special warm-up show on 12 Sept, and the award-winning Helen Bauer the next night. Meanwhile, Mates Rates Comedy Club present another edition of Comedy in the Taproom headlined by the Queen of Crowdwork Laura Lexx on 20 Sept.

Readipop Fiesta – 13 September

With the main Readipop Festival taking a fallow year, the team are putting on something different for 2025 – a one-day fundraising event taking over Reading Students’ Union with music on five stages, headlined by local-boys-dun-good The Amazons, drum & bass legend Roni Size, Liverpudlian synth pop trio Stealing Sheep, and Mr C – best known as a member of 90s dance outfit The Shamen.

Reading Raga Resonance – 14 Sept

A spellbinding slice of the Kala Festival 2025 comes to The Great Hall, Reading University - a grand setting for an evening where ancient Indian ragas meet contemporary creativity.  Experience performances from Pandit Debasis Chakroborty on Indian slide guitar, Raaga Pianist Deepak Shah, Tabla masters Hanif Khan & Ustad Akram Khan, and rising sarangi virtuoso Vinayak Sahai.

The Last Five Years – from 19 September

Reading Rep Theatre kick off their new season with this hit musical which explores the rollercoaster journey of two New Yorkers as they navigate their five-year marriage. Written by Tony award-winner Jason Rober Brown and starring two lead actors with heaps of West End experience, The Last Five Years is a moving and thoughtful musical that will have you laughing one minute and full of emotion the next.

Reading Vegan Festival – 20 September

The Reading Vegan Festival will take over the town centre once more, with of 50 stalls offering all manner of vegan wares, from dairy-free cakes and artisan cheezes to homeware, unique gifts and more. There’ll also be talks, entertainment, kids activities and much more throughout the day!

Oktoberfest at Double-Barrelled – 26 & 27 September

One of our town’s wonderful breweries will once again bring the festive atmosphere of Munich right to your doorstep. Across three sessions, explore a fantastic line-up of beers that will transport you straight to Bavaria! And, for the first time ever, they’re brewing up a special DB Oktoberfest beer!  Plus Bavarian street food, live music and classic Oktoberfest games!

Reading Card Show – 26 April

After their inaugural event earlier this year, the Reading Card Show returns, this time at a larger venue with room for even more collectors, enthusiasts, and traders of all types of collectible cards. Whether you're passionate about Pokémon cards, other TCGs, or rare and vintage collectibles, this show is the perfect place to buy, sell, and trade with fellow collectors and vendors from all over the area.

The Dinosaur That Pooped: A Rock Show – 27 September

Adapted from the number 1 best-selling books by Tom Fletcher and Dougie Poynter, the whole family will have a poopy good time enjoying this wonderful stage production at the Hexagon. Featuring new songs by Tom and Dougie, a lot of laughs and a whole lot of poo!

World Groove Festival 2025 – 27 September

A night of non-stop world music, dance and fun comes to Reading Minster. Headliners Ganda Boys – soulful, contemporary Afro-fusion songs and chants – lead a packed line-up of international acts serving up Traditional Chinese Pipa (Lute) and Guqin (Zither), Persian Daf Drumming, Afro-Peruvian rhythms and more.

Tim Peake’s Astronauts: The Quest to Explore Space Tour – 30 September

Astronaut Tim Peake is back on tour and back at The Hexagon. But this time he’s not telling his own story, but sharing the remarkable stories of some of his fellow astronauts and explore the spectacular evolution of space travel. From the first forays into space in the 1950s, to the first human missions destined for Mars, Tim will recount the awe-inspiring endeavours of astronauts across the ages and reveal what spaceflight is truly like.