GRID FAERIES X ECOTRICITY TO POWER READING FESTIVAL'S BALLROOM STAGE WITH FOSSIL FREE POWER
Photo credit: Luke Dyson
First-ever partnership brings fossil fuel-free power to the fore at one of the UK's biggest festivals
Grid Faeries X Ecotricity are partnering with Reading Festival for the first time this year to power brand-new stage The Ballroom, bringing renewable energy from the wind and sun to the fore.
In a major step towards decarbonising live events, The Ballroom stage will be powered using Grid Faeries X Ecotricity’s advanced battery technology, charged with 100% green energy supplied by Ecotricity. The system replaces the need for traditional diesel / biodiesel generators, helping to cut carbon emissions, reduce noise pollution, air pollution and demonstrate a cleaner future for festival power. The rest of Reading Festival will be powered by Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil and other sources of renewable energy. Reading Festival has been committed to reducing emissions from power use since 2014, where a percentage of HVO was used and now it is at 100%, aligned with the Green Nation Charter goals.
Photo Credit: Emily Marcovecchio
The Grid Faeries battery system is packed with 3,000 units of stored energy, topped up with solar and wind, that helps recharge the batteries while the stage is live, avoiding more than 1500 litres of diesel.
To put that into perspective, the battery system and additional renewable generation could power an average UK home for around 425 days.
Partnering with Reading Festival for the first time marks another major milestone in bringing large-scale renewable power to one of the UK's most iconic music festivals. By powering one of the festival's newest and most innovative stages, Grid Faeries X Ecotricity are demonstrating that clean energy can reliably support world-class live music while helping reduce the environmental impact of major events.
Making its debut at Reading Festival 2026, The Ballroom is one of the centrepieces of the festival's biggest staging overhaul in 37 years. Reimagined from the former Festival Republic stage, the chandelier-lit venue features dramatic draping and an immersive indoor aesthetic, creating a striking new home for some of the most exciting breakthrough artists in music. The stage will host a genre-spanning lineup including YT, Florence Road, Niko B, Paris Paloma, Bassvictim, Overpass, Speed, Frost Children, Bleech 9:3, Westside Cowboy, Chloe Qisha, Radio Free Alice, Dexter In The Newsagent, Whatmore and Clementine Douglas.
Photo credit: Matt Eachus (The Manc Photographer)
Dale Vince OBE, Founder of Ecotricity, said: "Festivals have relied on diesel generators for decades, but that's changing. We're delighted to be partnering with Reading Festival for the first time to power The Ballroom stage with renewable energy from the wind and the sun. Every festival that switches away from fossil fuels shows that there's a cleaner, quieter and more sustainable way to power live music."
Claire O'Neill, Co-Founder of A Greener Future, said: "Seeing battery-powered stages becoming a reality at major festivals is a huge milestone for the events industry. Grid Faeries X Ecotricity are demonstrating that clean alternatives to diesel are not only possible, but practical at scale. The transition away from fossil fuels at live events is accelerating, and partnerships like this help show what the future of festivals can look like."
Melvin Benn, Managing Director of Festival Republic, said: “Using a battery to power the Ballroom Stage at Reading Festival for the first time marks an important milestone in our journey towards more sustainable festival operations, embracing new technologies as part of our Green Nation efforts. It's particularly fitting that a stage championing the next generation of emerging artists is being powered by what we believe is the future of festival energy.
By continuing to explore alternatives to traditional generators, we're demonstrating how large-scale events can reduce their environmental impact while delivering the world-class experiences our fans expect.
This project reflects our shared commitment to looking out for our planet and building a more sustainable future for live music and in Grid Faeries we couldn’t have a better partner to do it with.”
Grid Faeries X Ecotricity are on a mission to remove diesel generators from events for good, so audiences hear only the sound of music, not engines. Since 2024, the company has powered some of the UK's biggest stages and events, including the Arcadia Dragonfly Stage at Glastonbury, the Charlie Gillett Stage at WOMAD, Massive Attack's ACT 1.5 event on Clifton Downs in Bristol, Love Saves The Day, LIDO Festival and All Points East in London.
