Editing Reading and Leeds Festivals (section)

===1980s===
During the 1980s, the festival followed a similar format to that established in the late 1970s, with leading rock and heavy metal acts performing on the last two days, and a more varied line-up including punk and new wave bands on the opening day.

====Council ban====
In 1984 and 1985, the Conservative-run local council effectively banned the festival by designating the festival site for development and refusing to grant licences for any alternative sites in the Reading area.

In 1984, many acts were already booked and tickets were on sale, with [[Marillion]] due to headline. The promoters tried in vain to find a new site but a proposed move to [[Lilford Hall]] in Northamptonshire failed. The proposed line-up was published in ''Soundcheck'' free music paper issue 12 as: Friday 24 August – [[Hawkwind]], [[Boomtown Rats]], [[Snowy White]], the Playn Jayn, [[Dumpy's Rusty Nuts]], Wildfire, Chelsea Eloy, Tracy Lamb, New Torpedoes; Saturday 25 – [[Jethro Tull (band)|Jethro Tull]], [[Hanoi Rocks]], [[Steve Hackett]], Club Karlsson, [[Nazareth (band)|Nazareth]], [[Twelfth Night (band)|Twelfth Night]], [[Thor (band)|Thor]], [[Silent Running]], [[New Model Army]], [[IQ (band)|IQ]], the Roaring Boys, She; Sunday 26 – [[Marillion]], [[Grand Slam (band)|Grand Slam]], [[the Bluebells]], [[Helix (band)|Helix]], [[Clannad]], [[The Opposition (band)|the Opposition]], [[the Enid]], Young Blood, Scorched Earth, and [[Terraplane (band)|Terraplane]]).

After [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]] regained control of the council in 1986, permission was given for fields adjacent to the original festival site to be used, and a line-up was put together at short notice.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.viator.com/travel-tips/Festivals-and-Fringe|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080616204535/http://www.viator.com/travel-tips/Festivals-and-Fringe|archive-date=16 June 2008|title=Tours, Tickets & Things to do from Tour Operators Worldwide by Viator}}</ref>

The following year saw a record attendance, headlined by [[The Mission (band)|the Mission]], [[Alice Cooper]] and [[Status Quo (band)|Status Quo]].

====Late 1980s / early 1990s slump====
1988 saw an attempt to take the festival in a mainstream commercial pop direction,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.readingmuseum.org.uk/collections/festival/search.asp?year=1988|title=Explore the Collections – Reading Festival<!-- Bot generated title -->|access-date=24 January 2018|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080224023533/http://www.readingmuseum.org.uk/collections/festival/search.asp?year=1988|archive-date=24 February 2008}}</ref> featuring acts including [[Starship (band)|Starship]], [[Squeeze (band)|Squeeze]], [[Hothouse Flowers]], [[Bonnie Tyler]] and [[Meat Loaf]] (who was bottled off stage),<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.virginmedia.com/music/features/worst-festival-sets.php?page=4 |title=Worst Festival Sets: Meat Loaf and Bonnie Tyler |publisher=[[Virgin Media]] |access-date=21 August 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006093129/http://www.virginmedia.com/music/features/worst-festival-sets.php?page=4 |archive-date=6 October 2014 }}</ref> and the subsequent disputes led to the ousting of original festival promoter Harold Pendleton by the [[Mean Fiddler Music Group]] organisation.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://student.independent.co.uk/graduate_options/mbas_guide/article265467.ece | work=The Independent | location=London | title=How I Got Here: Fiddling all over the world | first=Susannah | last=Prain | date=1 February 2001 | access-date=22 May 2010 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071203194931/http://student.independent.co.uk/graduate_options/mbas_guide/article265467.ece | archive-date=3 December 2007 }}</ref>

Pendleton attempted to relocate the festival to a new site near [[Newbury, Berkshire|Newbury]] using the name "Redding Festival", but threats of legal action by the new promoters of the original festival, as well as a reluctance by Newbury District Council to issue a licence for the proposed Newbury Showground venue, blocked Pendleton's plans. Meanwhile, the official Reading Festival, now managed by Mean Fiddler, continued at the Thames-side site in Reading, with a predominantly [[Gothic rock|goth]] and [[Indie rock|indie]] music policy that alienated much of the traditional fan base and saw attendances plummet.

Attendances continued to fall between 1989 and 1991, but began to recover from 1992, when new organisers took over from the Mean Fiddler group, broadening the festival's musical policy.