The Centenary Community Festival brings a full day of live music across two distinctive stages, each with its own character.
We’re thrilled to welcome back some familiar faces as well as introduce exciting new performers making their festival debut. Wander between the two and discover the soundtrack of this year’s Centenary Community Festival.
The Main Stage in the Orange Zone, set inside our Big Top, offers a classic festival feel with great sound and uplifting performances in a relaxed, family-friendly atmosphere. It will host a vibrant mix of bands and ensembles throughout the day, from blues and folk to rock, steel pan, jazz and more.
Start time: 12:15
GEM are a brand new, Southampton-based, five-piece pop-funk band performing originals and covers with sultry saxophonic tones, ready to brighten up any stage they play!
Start time: 12:55
Mai Carter and the Blueberry Jam play a range of classic blues songs (from Bessie Smith to BB King) and other soulful tunes.
Start time: 13:25
Start time: 13:35
WolfNote are a modern original folk band based in Berkshire. They are Bex Rennie on cello, recorder and vocals, Gillian McCoy on guitars, dulcimer and vocals, Ceri Rushent on violin, recorder and vocals, Melani Schroeter on drums and James Smith on Bass.
WolfNote blends multi-instrumental and vocal harmonies to create a semi-orchestral feel. Their original material, written by different members of the band, and shared lead vocals reflect the diversity of creative input.
WolfNote produces songwriting that speaks to the wealth of their collective experience, travelling a musical spectrum from upbeat to melancholy, but always with a sense of fun.
Start time: 14:20
Reading’s own The Stretch have been turning heads since bursting onto the scene in 2022 with their high energy shows, explosive melodies, and an unmistakable love of live performance. After making waves with standout tracks like Painted Red (Wash Me Away), the band are back this year with new music, including the atmospheric and hard-hitting “Lost My Head”. Get ready for a set that’s loud, lively and impossible to ignore.
Start time: 15:00
Reading All Steel Percussion Orchestra, also known as RASPO Steel Orchestra is an award-winning steel band providing entertainment for events, parties, carnivals and festivals at home and abroad. RASPO has performed at The Royal Albert Hall, WOMAD festival, Glastonbury, for the London 2012 Olympics, live on BBC and ITV, and annually at London’s Notting Hill Carnival.
Start time: 15:20
The University of Reading Big Band brings the unmistakable energy of jazz, swing, funk, and contemporary big band music to the festival stage. Made up of talented student musicians, the band delivers a vibrant, feel good set inspired by legends like The Count Basie Orchestra, Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, and Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band. Expect tight grooves, bold brass, and plenty of musical flair from the University’s dynamic ensemble.
Start time: 16:10
Mazawattee are a five-piece indie outfit bridging the gap between North and South, 90s nostalgia and modern innovation. At the core of their sound is a signature blend of rich male and female harmonies, weaving a layered energy that feels like a classic you’ve known forever, yet sounds entirely fresh.
In just their debut year, the band has moved at breakneck speed from the stages of Glastonbury to the airwaves of BBC Radio 6 Music. With a debut EP now out in the wild and a recent nod as Featured Artist for BBC Introducing Shropshire, Mazawattee are quickly becoming impossible to ignore.
Start time: 16:55
Join Professor Robert Van de Noort, Vice‑Chancellor of the University of Reading, as he brings the festival to a close.
The Palmer Stage in the Pink Zone showcases artists in a stripped-back setting that puts the focus on voices, instruments and musical connection. The Palmer Stage features joyful choirs, acoustic folk, and emerging solo performers.
Get ready – our full stage lineup will be announced here soon. Keep an eye on our social media to stay updated.
Start time: 13:00
Open Voices Reading is an inclusive and open adults' choir, celebrating the joy of singing together.
They sing contemporary music in a wide range of styles, and the choir is led by ex-West End performer Jamie Read. Fun, friendly and full of joy!
Start time: 13:40
Meet Rose Holt, one of the freshest new voices to emerge from the UK’s independent music scene. A talented vocalist and multiinstrumentalist, Rose moves effortlessly between soul, pop and blues, bringing raw honesty and huge musicality to every performance.
Whether she’s belting out big numbers like Chandelier or spinning a stripped-back, smoky take on Feeling Good, she has a knack for stopping an audience in its tracks.
After standout sets at the Pippin Festival and intimate gigs across Berkshire, Rose is a rising talent to watch as she heads toward Berkshire’s Got Talent 2026. Catch her now, and say you saw her early.
Start time: 14:20
Whimsical Creature are a Reading-based acoustic folk/prog duo. Get your ears ready for lashings of jangly 12-string acoustic guitar, rhythmic piano, soaring flute melodies, shimmering autoharp and rich vocal harmonies.
Whimsical Creature’s all-original music explores quirky and unexpected themes including the Cottingley Fairies, the Channel Tunnel, the manufacturing of stained glass windows, and generative AI taking over the world.
A joyful and uplifting performance, not to be missed!
Start time: 15:20
Find out how to get here, whether you plan to travel by bike, car or public transport.
