Having secured 2,500 bands for Reading and subsequently Leeds, booker Neil Pengelly is leaving Festival Republic.

Pengelly joined the company on April Fool’s Day 1990 as a promoter. He went on to look after the comedy and second stages at Reading before stepping up to book all the music at the festival from 1994, and at Leeds when it launched in 1999.

Over 19 years at the creative helm, Pengelly has seen the August weekend move from selling 35,000 weekend and/or day tickets to some 200,000 across the two sites.

“The man is a legend and will be a tough act to follow,” Melvin Benn, managing director at Festival Republic, said. “To say he will be missed by me and the rest of the team is an understatement.”

Pengelly will stay in post through October and has committed to an advisory and consultative role until March next year to support his yet unnamed replacement, who starts on November 9.

Having secured 2,500 bands for Reading and subsequently Leeds, booker Neil Pengelly is leaving Festival Republic.

Pengelly joined the company on April Fool’s Day 1990 as a promoter. He went on to look after the comedy and second stages at Reading before stepping up to book all the music at the festival from 1994, and at Leeds when it launched in 1999.

Over 19 years at the creative helm, Pengelly has seen the August weekend move from selling 35,000 weekend and/or day tickets to some 200,000 across the two sites.

“The man is a legend and will be a tough act to follow,” Melvin Benn, managing director at Festival Republic, said. “To say he will be missed by me and the rest of the team is an understatement.”

Pengelly will stay in post through October and has committed to an advisory and consultative role until March next year to support his yet unnamed replacement, who starts on November 9.