Reading and Leeds Festival 2022: do stars get paid to play festivals, how much do they get and biggest earners

Music fans rejoice as the huge Reading and Leeds festivals have officially returned.

If you are in the north or in the south, you will be able to enjoy the absolutely stacked line-up for 2022.

The festivals have exactly the same acts playing - just swapping which day they are scheduled on the bill.

But with Reading and Leeds Festival being among the biggest in the UK each year, you might be wondering if the acts are paid and who gets the most?

Here is all you need to know:

When is Reading and Leeds Festival?

The festivals will take place over the August bank holiday weekend.

Running from Friday (26 August) to Sunday (28 August).

Do acts get paid to play the festivals?

All of the singers, bands and acts who play Reading and Leeds get paid to play the festivals.

It is common practice for all acts to be paid at festivals across the UK.

However the exact amount they will earn varies dramatically.

GetReading reports that “it has been said for major UK festivals, payments have ranged from £1 million (in some cases per band member) down to £25,000 for lesser acts playing a supporting role”.

Who gets paid the most for playing Leeds and Reading?

The payments for acts playing the festival vary depending on their status, popularity and demand.

Headliner acts will often be paid the highest fee for appearing at a festival.

It is likely that Arctic Monkeys, Dave, Megan Thee Stallion, The 1975, Bring Me the Horizon, Halsey, will be among the highest paid acts performing at Reading and Leeds Festival in 2022.

Who decides the fee for acts at the festivals?

GetReading reports: “Usually, the promoters would reach out to the artists’ agents and upon negotiation, an initial fee would be agreed

“Then, the agent will discuss directly with the band or artist and from there, the contract would be agreed or declined, possibly leading to further negotiations.”

Are Leeds and Reading Festival the same?

Both of the festivals take place at the same time between Friday 26 August and Sunday 28 August and there are many similarities between the two festivals - but they are not quite the same.

Among the differences are the locations of the festivals.

Anyone who has attended both festivals will know that there is a big difference between the sites at Reading and Leeds.

The Reading site is Richfield Avenue which is situated in the centre of the town. Reading Festival is relatively easy to travel to by train or bus as it is based on the doorstep of the town centre.

Leeds Festival is held at Bramham Park which is 10 miles away from Leeds city centre. To get to Bramham Park, festival goers would have to get a 30 minute bus to the festival, so there is no possibility of heading to a pub or restaurant for dinner during the festival.

The other big difference is the curfew times. At Reading Festival there is usually a curfew in the later hours of the evening for loud music to not disturb the locals.

Whereas at Leeds fest you can expect to hear DJs or smaller stages playing music into the early hours of the morning with sets going on until 6am.