Freight Island is taking its hospitality model into the UK festival and major events market for the first time with an appearance at Reading Festival from 27 to 30 August.
The move will see the business bring the food, drink and entertainment approach developed across its permanent venues to a major festival audience.
At Reading Festival, Freight Island will operate a dedicated covered seating area alongside several bars and a selection of food concepts from its existing hospitality portfolio.
The food line-up will include Brasa Brazilian BBQ by chef Caroline Martins, Greek souvla and gyros concept Pita, Korean fried chicken brand K-Bird and LA-style smash burger concept Patty Queen.
Guest kitchens Los Gordos and Little Bao Boys will also form part of the offer.
The festival appearance follows a period of expansion for Freight Island, including the opening of Freight Island Newcastle in June.
The Newcastle venue welcomed more than 80,000 visitors during its first two months, supported by sold-out World Cup fan zones.
The business also operates established destinations in Manchester and Brixton, with a Leeds location planned to open in 2027.
Reading Festival represents the next phase of Freight Island’s growth strategy, with the company exploring opportunities to take its hospitality concepts and large-scale operating model into festivals, sporting events and cultural events across the UK.
Dan Morris, CEO of Freight Island, said: “Freight Island has always been about bringing together brilliant food, drink, music and entertainment at scale. Reading gives us an opportunity to take what we’ve built and learnt through our venues into a completely different environment.
“We think there is a significant opportunity to bring the Freight Island approach to festivals and major events around the UK.
“Reading is an exciting first step for us and, importantly, a chance to demonstrate that the experience, premium food brands and operating model we’ve developed can work well beyond our permanent venues.”
The Reading Festival operation will provide Freight Island with an opportunity to test its food concepts and operational model in a large-scale temporary setting as it considers further expansion across the UK events market.
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