The Village Easter Festival 2026

The Village Easter Festival returns from Thursday 2 April to Monday 6 April 2026

This will be the tenth Village Easter Festival to be held in Reading. The Lyndhurst, The Retreat and Sip ‘n’ Spin are the main venues. Piwnica/The Polish Club is the location for the After Party.

All events are free entry. All events are subject to change or cancellation, check with the venues or artists.

Cash donations to the bands are appreciated!

Thursday 2 April 2026

Phil Braithwaite & Friends
@ The Retreat
21:00 – 23:00
Guests to be confirmed.
#Blues #Funk #Indie #Jazz #Rock #Soul

Friday 3 April 2026

Café Zazous
@ The Lyndhurst
13:00 – 15:00
Swing Gypsy Jazz, “An evening of Parisian illusion and dancing.”
#Swing Gypsy Jazz

Stuart Maxwell’s Blues Raiders
@ The Retreat
15:00 – 17:00
An evening of lively Blues music with vocalist and harmonica player Stuart Maxwell.
#Rock, #Soul, #Blues

Gillie & The Darlings
@ Sip ‘n’ Spin
17:00 – 19:00
Gillie and the Darlings perform an eclectic mix of jazz, blues and rock with just a touch of Tina and are known for lively audience participation.
#Jazz, #Blues, #Rock, #Soul

David Gray & John “Dusty” Dunsterville
@ The Retreat
19:00 – 21:00
Always good music, and accompanied by a fair dose of humour, this is a gig to enjoy.
#Americana, #Blues, #Rock, #Soul

Paul Glover & Friends
@ The Lyndhurst
21:00 – 23:00
A one-off gig for this special line-up of musicians, brought together by local drummer Paul Glover.
#Blues, #Funk, #Jazz

Saturday 4 April 2026

The Mark 11
@ The Lyndhurst
13:00 – 15:00
8-piece band blasting out soul and Motown classics to dance the night away to.
#Soul, #Motown, #Northern Soul, #60s Soul

Jackie Doe & The Uncertainty of Passion
@ Sip ‘n’ Spin
15:00 – 17:00
An eclectic mix of original songs with a European flavour.
#English Chanson

The Acetones
@ The Retreat
17:00 – 19:00
The Acetones are a London 4 piece Blues Band, playing standard blues songs with an individual twist.
#Blues, #Chicago Blues

Heather Jayne & The Red Shoes
@ The Lyndhurst
19:00 – 21:00
Berkshire based 5-piece playing soul, jazz, blues and swing.
#Soul, #Jazz, #Blues, #Swing

Rufus Ruffcut
@ The Retreat
21:00 – 23:00
Great musicians playing an eclectic mix of blues and soul.
#Blues, #Old school R’n’B, #Rock, #Soul

Sunday 5 April 2026

Ma Bessie & her Pigfoot Band
@ The Retreat
13:00 – 15:00
Classic blues and jazz tunes from the inter-war years with a selection of original songs and hand-picked covers.
#Blues, #Jazz

Fleur Stevenson & Hugh Turner
@ The Lyndhurst
15:00 – 17:00
The alluringly graceful and charismatic jazz singer Fleur Stevenson is joined by the talented guitarist Hugh Turner.
#Jazz

Steve Morano & Friends
@ Sip ‘n’ Spin
17:00 – 19:00
The ever-popular Steve Morano and Band playing his own style of Folk Country/Blues.
#Blues, #Folk, #Folk Rock, #Pop, #Rock

The Cohen Perry Band
@ The Lyndhurst
19:00 – 21:00
The Lewis Cohen and Adam Perry band will deliver some great down home Rhythm and Blues.
#Rhythm, #Blues

HybridPIG
@ The Retreat
21:00 – 23:00
Folk-rock with original material, rock and pop covers and even a little community singing.
#Folk, #Folk Rock, #Pop, #Rock

Monday 6 April 2026

Acoustic Beatles Shambles
@ The Retreat
15:00 – 17:00
A group of musicians who put equal emphasis on “acoustic”, “Beatles” and “shambles”. A wonderfully uplifting sing-along experience.
#Acoustic, #Beatles, #Rock

After Party: Limpopo Groove
@ Piwnica (The Polish Club)
19:30 – 22:00
Limpopo Groove will be playing out and closing The Village Easter Festival 2026.
#Afro-jazz dance, #Funk

Venues

Piwnica (The Polish Club)
81 London Road, Reading, RG1 4DX
Phone: 0118 958 9908

The Lyndhurst
88-90 Queen’s Road, Reading, RG1 4DG
Phone: 0118 950 3888
www.thelyndhurstreading.co.uk

The Retreat
8 St John’s Street, Reading, RG1 4EH
Phone: 0118 376 9159
www.theretreat.pub

Sip ‘n’ Spin
19 Eldon Terrace, Reading, RG1 4DX
Phone: 0118 915 2093
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