Latitude at 20: Why organisers say the Suffolk festival is about far more than music
The festival's Arts Programmer says audiences want more than just music.
As Latitude Festival celebrates its twentieth edition this weekend, the people behind the Suffolk event say its success has come from offering audiences much more than headline music acts.
Founded by festival promoter Melvin Benn in 2006, Latitude has grown from around 4,500 people at its first event to around 40,000 today. Despite that growth, Benn says its original vision has remained unchanged.
"It changes in the way... Tate Britain keeps going," he said.
"The doors are in the same place, the walls are in the same place... what they keep going with is refreshing the art and the culture that they're showing.
"That's really what I'm doing here at Latitude. Year on year I refresh that culture, I refresh that art, I refresh that music and people still keep coming back."
Rather than focusing solely on music, Latitude has built its reputation around bringing together theatre, literature, poetry, comedy and dance alongside its headline performances.
Benn said that idea was unusual when the festival first launched.
"I set about creating what I thought would be a really interesting arts and music festival and nobody else was doing that anywhere," he said.
"Everybody thought I was a bit bonkers."
'It's in our bones'
That philosophy continues to shape the festival today.
Kirsty Taylor, Latitude's Arts Programmer, said combining different forms of culture has always been central to the event.
"It's in our bones," she said.
"The festival began with this idea that people who go to gigs don't go home and only put on that album. They have televisions, they read books, they go to comedy gigs.
"It's about reflecting the expansiveness of the cultural lives of our audience and offering a place for discovery."
This year's programme included a new debut fiction strand, showcasing first-time novelists alongside established writers.
Taylor said festivals also provide opportunities for people to discover new ideas and artists they might not otherwise encounter.
"It's not just about seeing your current self reflected, but about seeing potential future selves in the performances that you see on stage and about those ideas that you might encounter with us for the first time."
Planning never stops
While this year's festival is still taking place, work is already underway on the next one.
Music Booker Ed Lido said planning each edition takes around eighteen months, with conversations for the 2027 festival already beginning.
"It's the most complicated, beautiful jigsaw puzzle full of art that exists in the whole world," he said.
"I have a breakdown of all the areas of music I want to touch, and that's how I try to assemble the show."
Lido said Latitude has evolved alongside changing musical tastes while staying true to its original principles.
"We've grown hugely.
"It's a different event, but still based on the same principles of great art and great comedy and great music... and a real escape in a beautiful park."
A festival that continues to evolve
Looking back over two decades, Benn said one of Latitude's greatest achievements has been creating a festival that appeals across generations.
He said festivals were once considered counterculture, but Latitude had helped make them a place where children, parents and grandparents could enjoy a weekend together.
"It has become bigger than my dream," he said.
"It's become a really important festival on a global scene."