Reading, PA Special Events & Permits: Park Event Permits (2026)

The Reading Park Code, Chapter 396 Part 3, first adopted in 2003 and rewritten several times through 2023, bars a long list of acts in city parks, playgrounds, preserves and public spaces without a permit. Section 396-305(A)(12) specifically prohibits holding any ceremony or any musical, theatrical or other entertainment event without a permit, and lets police seize, under Section 396-312, any device used to broadcast music or sound without the required permit during the specified period; a vehicle involved can also be impounded under Chapter 576, Part 8.

The same subsection bars unpermitted vending, soliciting, gambling, alcohol possession without a state Liquor Control Board license, and food trucks lacking health and business licenses, alongside the entertainment-event permit. Section 396-310 spells out what a permit requires: the City, Recreation Commission or Pagoda Foundation can demand liability insurance, a bond, or other guarantees as a condition of issuance, the permittee is liable for any loss or injury their negligence causes, and the permit must be produced on request and never altered. from May through September under Section 396-304, except for permitted activity, and law enforcement can clear the area once those hours end.

Section 396-312 puts enforcement with the Reading Police Department, plus the Central Berks Police Department and State Police within City-owned areas including the Mount Penn Preserve; seized broadcast equipment is returned unless it is a third citation, and any unclaimed item is forfeited after 45 days.