Latitude Festival 2019: cool and unique things that made it stand out

Photo: David Smith/Festileaks

Latitude Festival prides itself on being more than just a music festival, boasting more than 20 stages/areas with music, drama, poetry, dance, comedy, and more.

Here’s what we thought were some of the cooler and more unique things you could see and do across the site of the 2019 edition away from the two main music arenas, which featured headline performances from Lana Del Rey, George Ezra, and The Stereophonics.

Catch some Dance On The Waterfront

Photo: David Smith

The Dance On The Waterfront stage floats on the lake, next a bridge that joins the woods to the arena which fills with as many people as on the banks during performances. Whilst the stage does feature much dance, this year singer-songwriter Ben Folds played an hour solo piano set on Saturday afternoon, and on Sunday the Suffolk Smart Sinfonia played a classical set including William Tell’s Overture.

Get lost in The Woods

Photo: Graham Howlett

Much of Latitude Festival is hidden in The Woods, from musical stages to gin bars, large- scale collaborative dance pieces to performance art, and pamper sessions to pink sheep. The forest really comes alive at night when beautiful lighting hits the leaves and trunks.

See a rising band at the Sunrise Arena

Foxing playing the Sunrise Arena. Photo: Graham Howlett

“It’s like we’re playing in Pandora!”, says Conor Murphy, lead singer of Foxing. One of the cooler musical stages is also deep in The Woods, the Sunrise Arena. Here you can catch acts on the rise, surrounded by trees and ferns. After hours when most of the other music stages stop, the Sunrise Arena continues with live music late into the night.

Get a book signed at The Listening Post

Photo: Graham Howlett

The Listening Post is a relatively new stage that combines the previously separate Poetry Tent and Literature Tent. This year, recently appointed Poet Laureate Simon Armitage topped a varied bill of writers. In the front right corner of the tent is a bookshop where many of the authors sign books after their set.

Be surprised at the BBC Introducing Stage

Photo: David Smith

Also in the woods, the BBC Introducing Stage this year featured, alongside a host of rising acts, surprise ‘secret’ sets from Pale Waves, Tom Grennan, and Freya Ridings. And on Saturday morning, Dermot O’Leary hosted his BBC Radio 2 show live from the festival.

Have a laugh at The Comedy Arena

Photo: David Smith

The Comedy Arena is a vast space, often with audience numbers larger than that of the main Obelisk Arena. This year Nish Kumar, Katherine Ryan, and Jason Manford made Festileaks laugh, with other acts including Frank Skinner and Michelle Wolf. The mostly liberal middle-class audience lapped up a weekend dominated by Brexit and Boris jokes.

Take a dip in The Lake

Photo: Graham Howlett

Whilst Latitude 2019 had a fair share of wet weather, the final day of the festival was scorching and The Lake was filled with punters taking a refreshing dip. The festival provides changing rooms next to the tent and lifeguards meaning the lake swimming experience is safe and comfortable.

How did you enjoy Latitude 2019?

Were you at Latitude 2019 too? We would like to know how you experienced the festival. Below, you can rate the festival in seven different categories.

[awards poll=”festileaks-festival-awards-2019″ festival=”latitude”]

Latitude Festival 2020

George Ezra at Latitude 2019.
George Ezra at Latitude 2019. Photo: David Smith.

Latitude started in 2006. Apart from live music artists, the family-friendly festival hosts a variety of art, poetry, carnival, and dance performances. Latitude won Best Major Festival of 2017 at the UK Festival Awards.

  • Date: 16-19 July 2020
  • Location: Henham Park, Suffolk, UK.
  • Tickets: Details for 2020 TBA
  • For more information, visit the official website.
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Latitude 2024

Locatie
Verenigd Koninkrijk
Southwold, Verenigd Koninkrijk
Datum 25-28 juli 2024
Line-up
Kasabian
Keane
London Grammar
Tickets Kopen