About The City Brief Reading
Your Personal Newsletter For All Local Events in Reading
Reading grew from a Saxon settlement into one of Berkshire's most important towns. From the medieval period onwards, it has been a place where commerce, culture, and community life converge. Today, The City Brief helps residents and visitors across neighbourhoods like Whitley, Calcot, Earley, and Shinfield stay informed about what’s happening across the town each week. We cover local events, from the annual Reading Festival attracting music lovers from across the UK, to intimate street food markets and seasonal open-air film screenings. Whether it’s the Hocktide Festival celebrating Reading's medieval heritage, Jane Austen anniversary events, or the regular flea market and Blue Collar Street Food Market, our weekly coverage ensures you're aware of what’s on. Reading’s landmarks tell the story of its past and present. The Reading Abbey Ruins host cultural programming, whilst Forbury Gardens provides a setting for summer concerts. The Oracle Riverside is central to the town's retail and leisure landscape, and Reading Station remains the gateway for many arriving to explore the area each day. **We focus on events that define local life**: the weekly markets, the seasonal festivals, and the performances and food events that bring neighbourhoods together. Our role is to connect you with what’s happening in your community, whether you live in Whitley or commute from further afield. Reading changes week to week, and The City Brief exists to help you keep pace with those changes. Our coverage is rooted in the neighbourhoods themselves. We understand residents want to know about events nearby, whether that’s cultural programming at historic sites, street food arriving in town, or festivals that shape the calendar year. By pulling together weekly events across all of Reading, we help you discover something new and stay connected to the civic life of your town.
What we Cover
Each week The City Brief highlights events happening across Reading – live music, theatre, food, family activities, markets and more.
Have a look at what's happening this week and this coming weekend.
About The City Brief
The City Brief is a global network of local newsletters. We succeed in sending the best of local information to local people. To learn more, visit our main website.
About the editor
The City Brief Reading is edited by Dean Withey, founder of The City Brief. A former RAF pilot turned founder and investor, Dean has built and sold two technology companies, including ubisend, a conversational AI platform used by the NHS and BAE Systems, and has shipped more than thirty enterprise AI systems over twenty years in tech. He is based in Norwich, England.
Why this site exists, in Dean's words: "In an AI-powered world, you can no longer trust what you see and hear online. The future is local: trusting only what you can see for yourself. The City Brief is the trusted brief for what's happening in your city."
Listings are gathered from venue websites, official box offices and event platforms, then checked and curated before publishing. AI tools assist with drafting; every published page follows our editorial policy.
Spotted an error? Tell us and we'll fix it.