Reading Festival 2026 – Day 3 Review

Words by Martyna Rozenbajgier

The final day of the Reading Festival started relatively calmly. The weather was windy, but thankfully the rain stayed away for most of the afternoon. That all changed when Florence + The Machine took to the Main Stage. As the headliner began her set, the heavens opened, and the rain quickly turned the festival site into one enormous mud field. Puddles became unofficial swimming pools, people were slipping and sliding through the mud, and festival-goers seemed to embrace the chaos rather than let it ruin the night.

Photos by Wiktoria Wolny

Before the weather took a turn, though, there was plenty to enjoy across the festival’s stages.

54 Ultra opened up the day with a solid performance on The Grid, finishing with the familiar fan favourite ‘Talk To You’. It was an energetic way to get the final day underway before the crowds began spreading across the site.

Over at The Canopy, Minneapolis shoegaze band She’s Green created one of the day’s most atmospheric sets. Their dreamy but heavy sound filled the tent, with softer, hazier passages giving way to much louder and crunchier guitar sections. There was something particularly effective about hearing their music in a packed festival tent, where the layers of guitars and vocals seemed to surround the audience. Rather than simply providing background music for people passing through, She’s Green created a world of their own for the duration of the set, making them a real highlight for anyone looking for something a little different from the bigger festival acts.

Photos by Wiktoria Wolny

Holly Humberstone also drew a packed crowd at The Gallery. Her performance was built around her voice, which sounded just as vulnerable and powerful live as it does on record. Fans sang along throughout the set, creating an intimate atmosphere despite the size of the festival and the number of people packed into the tent. There was a real sense of connection between Humberstone and the audience, with quieter moments allowing her songwriting to come through before the bigger choruses gave the crowd something to shout back.

Photos by Wiktoria Wolny

Julia Wolf had a similarly strong reception at The Gallery. Making her Reading Festival debut, Wolf brought a heavier edge to her pop sound, combining vulnerable lyrics with fuzzy guitars and powerful vocals. Tracks such as ‘Wishbone’ and ‘Jennifer’s Body’ had the crowd singing along, while Wolf herself looked genuinely overwhelmed by the size of the audience.

Photos by Wiktoria Wolny

Her performance also showed why she fits so naturally into a festival environment. There is a rawness to Wolf’s music that can sometimes feel very personal, but live, those emotions became something communal. The crowd knew the words, reacted to the bigger guitar moments and gave Wolf an incredibly warm reception for her first appearance at Reading.

A surprise set from Lola Young at The Grid gave fans another unexpected highlight. Young has become one of the most talked-about British artists of her generation, and the reaction to her surprise appearance showed just how much interest surrounds her. Rather than feeling like a small extra set squeezed into the schedule, her appearance quickly became one of the moments people were talking about across the site.

There was an immediacy to Young’s performance that suited the festival perfectly. Her distinctive voice and emotionally direct songwriting translated naturally to a large crowd, with fans singing along and giving her a huge reception. The surprise element only added to it — the crowd had not necessarily planned to see Lola Young that afternoon, but plenty of them ended up gathered around The Grid to watch.

Chloe Qisha brought a completely different kind of energy to The Ballroom. Her performance combined strong vocals, choreography and a confident stage presence, turning the set into something that felt bigger than a straightforward introduction to a newer artist. She looked completely at home on stage, moving between the different elements of her performance without losing the connection with the audience.

There was a real sense that Qisha was using the festival as an opportunity to show exactly what she can do. While some performances rely heavily on the songs themselves, hers had a visual and physical energy that kept the crowd engaged throughout. The Ballroom proved to be a perfect setting for it.

Men I Trust provided one of the day’s more chilled-out performances at The Gallery. Their dreamy, synth-heavy sound was perfectly suited to a festival crowd looking for somewhere to escape the chaos outside. The Canadian band’s set created a calm, almost hypnotic atmosphere, with Emmanuelle Proulx’s vocals floating over the band’s instrumentation.

One of the biggest surprises of the day came from Violet Grohl at The Canopy. The tent was absolutely packed, proving that the interest in her solo career goes well beyond her famous surname. Her sound is heavier and darker than the Foo Fighters connection might suggest, with tracks such as ‘Bug In The Cake’ hitting particularly hard live. Her vocals carried plenty of grit and emotion, while the band’s jagged guitars gave the songs an even bigger presence. 

Photos by Wiktoria Wolny

Then came Role Model.

Performing on The Grid, Role Model was one of the day’s most entertaining sets, balancing songs from his new album ‘Chuck Timely & The Hourglass’ with older fan favourites. His entrance began with ‘Chuck’s Mantra’ playing in the background before he launched into ‘High Hopes 3000’, immediately showing off the energy and little moves that would carry through the performance.

The stage production reflected his new era, with lights surrounding him as he moved between his newer material and songs from ‘Kansas Anymore’. ‘Look at That Woman’ and ‘Writing’s on the Wall’ were particularly well received, while ‘Some Protector’ created one of the more emotional moments of the set as fans sang the song’s bridge back to him.

During ‘Love I You’, Role Model left the stage to interact with the crowd, allowing fans to take over the famous dialogue in the song. But everyone knew what they were waiting for. ‘Sally, When The Wine Runs Out’ closed the set, and by then the crowd was completely invested. Fans were singing along, people were climbing on each other’s shoulders, and the atmosphere around The Grid was enormous. After a day filled with different sounds and styles, Role Model proved just how well his mix of pop, country influences and theatrical performance works on a festival stage.

And then there was Florence.

Florence + The Machine’s headline performance was already going to be one of the defining moments of the festival. It was also Florence Welch’s 40th birthday, making the occasion feel even more special. She walked onto the stage in a long black dress, surrounded by dancers dressed in white, creating an almost witchy, ritualistic atmosphere.

Her vocals were, unsurprisingly, incredible. The set moved between newer material and the songs that have made Florence + The Machine one of the UK’s most recognisable festival acts. ‘Spectrum’, ‘Rabbit Heart’ and ‘You Got The Love’ all received huge reactions, while ‘Dog Days Are Over’ became the defining moment of the night.

During the song, Florence asked the crowd to put their phones away and simply experience the moment together. For the second chorus, thousands of people followed her instruction, creating a rare festival moment where the audience wasn’t looking through a screen. Instead, the entire crowd was singing, dancing and experiencing the song together in a rain.

It started pouring so heavily that the festival site rapidly became a mud field. People were sliding through puddles, covered from head to toe in mud, while others simply embraced the ridiculousness of the situation. Somehow, the weather only added to the sense that everyone was experiencing the same unforgettable moment together.

Florence gave everything to the final stretch of the set, ending with huge energy and a spectacular festival atmosphere. It was a fitting way to celebrate her birthday and close out the weekend.

There was still time for one final performance at The Ballroom, where Paris Paloma delivered one of the strongest vocal performances of the day. She had the entire tent jumping and dancing, despite Chase & Status already performing on the Main Stage. Closing with her hugely popular ‘Labour’, Paloma turned The Ballroom into one of the liveliest places on site.

Day three ultimately had everything you could want from a festival finale: packed tents, surprise sets, huge singalongs, artists making their mark and, eventually, absolutely biblical rain. The final day was chaotic, emotional, muddy and thoroughly unforgettable.

Sometimes, the messiest festival days make the best memories.