Deep in the heart of Suffolk, Latitude festival has had plenty of hype being favoured by The Guardian and praised unanimously by those who attended in the past. Being a rather unhappy camper it's with trepidation that I embark on the voyage to the twee village of Halesworth - the closest rail link - with images of grubby Glasto goers and yobbish beer drinkers flattening each other in the name of music in mind. Thankfully Latitude is the kind of festival that Glastonbury wishes it could be, the woodland setting is truly magical with a lake and brightly coloured sheep, who I can't help imagining would be constantly harassed at the Carling Weekend. The whole atmosphere is chilled with plenty of families wandering around and picnicking on brightly painted benches in the shade of illuminated trees; it's this attention to detail like a giant magnetic poetry board and an area where people can make origami cranes that makes Latitude seem so utterly individual. It's a harmonious atmosphere where even at the front of the stage people are amazed at how "civilised" everything is; there are no beer drinkers crushing everyone as they traipse in and out from the bar or launching themselves at each other in a haphazard fashion, but that's not to say that there's no fun - far from it!
A noticeable theme in band's banter is how friendly the festival seems and perhaps this is why the kind of act attracted is of a high calibre, and they play such great shows. From the majesty of Arcade Fire headlining Sunday night and Patrick Wolf stunning on Friday, the fun pop of CSS who should have headlined Saturday night (they were robbed by The Not Very Good, The Bad And The Queen) to the fine display of singer/songwriters like Elvis Perkins and Julian Velard in the Uncut Arena, there's something for everyone. There are even seats at the back of the Obelisk stage for those who can't find a patch of grass, and yes, there is still grass at Henham Park unlike the dust or mud bath of most festivals, and a cup recycling initiative means there's even less litter - hurrah!
Aside from the music there's a massive array of other tents boasting comedy, film, poetry, literature and cabaret, from fan dances to beat poetry you can't fail to be amused, the only problem is fitting in these smaller tents which seem to be constantly jam packed! Even walking around the site is a thrill as you find yourself winding in and out of trees in the wood, which is truly breathtaking at night, one family remarks that it's more like Center Parcs than a festival, which if you take Center Parcs to be a haven of tranquility and activity at the same time, is perfectly true.
I admit to going to Latitude hoping to overcome my festival phobia of missing a wash for three days and being covered in beer by hooligans, but neither of these things happened and after this weekend I'm pretty sure that I wouldn't want to go to any festival other than Latitude.
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