‘I knew that this was the place where I could create what I wanted to create. It is incredibly unique and we’re really lucky’
‘When society is constantly putting pressure on communities and individuals every day, festivals bring light and enjoyment to people’s lives’
It’s an idyllic scene: a vast country estate of rolling fields and woodland, with a lake glistening and sparkling in the hot summer sun. Birds are singing, sheep are bleating and leaves rustle in the gentle breeze. An oasis of peace and tranquillity.
But for three days in July, 40,000 people gather here to experience all the best in music, arts and cultural entertainment – a vibrant and exuberant melting pot that is the Latitude festival.
Headliners such as Sting, Snow Patrol, Fat Boy Slim, Alison Moyet, Kaiser Chiefs, Elbow, Billy Bragg and many more will take to the main stage, while new and emerging talent, including local artists Lottie Gray, Jazmine Honey Banks, Chest and Arthur Black, will perform in an eclectic mix of venues of all shapes and sizes throughout the 3,500 acre site.
Melvin Benn at Latitude. Photo: Latitude Though music is at the forefront, there are hundreds of different shows and events over the weekend with each one considered important and valuable in their own right. These different elements of the festival are what has defined it, says Melvin Benn, its founder. This has made it arguably the biggest and best multi-arts festival in the UK.
‘I wanted to create a festival that represented the arts pages of a broadsheet newspaper, the Sunday supplement,’ he says. ‘I’m interested in books and literature, film, theatre and dance, as well as music. I took the view that I wasn’t the only person on the planet who felt that way.’
Of course he was right. Though only around 4,000 people joined him for that first year in 2006, the festival grew quickly and is now not only hugely popular but highly regarded too, for the quality and scope of the programme.
The comedy stage is considered the largest in Britain and this year is hosting Greg Davies, Bridget Christie, Paul Sinha, Sophie Duker, and more. Authors and poets such as Patrick Barkham, Brian Bilston and Luke Wright will speak in the book tent and Listening Post. There are performances of drama and dance – everything from Sadlers Wells ballet to circus acrobatics, Shakespearean cabaret to an immersive punk rebellion show.
Paul Sinha will be on the comedy stage. Photo: Andy Hollingsworth The Independent newspaper has supplied a programme of debate and discussion on current affairs and broadcaster Martha Kearney is hosting a day of nature writing. There will also be a new science arena – called the Cosmic Shambles Forest of Science and Culture, spearheaded by broadcaster and writer Robin Ince and featuring space scientist Maggie Aderin-Pocock, oceanographer Helen Czerski and actor Reece Shearsmith among many other experts keen to share their passions.
Talks, exhibitions, family events and performances will explore climate science, AI, particle physics, neurodiversity, space exploration, anything you can think of – including flies and maggots! Just as in the other areas of the festival, it’s an opportunity to be engaged, entertained and informed about issues that are confronting us every day in our ordinary lives.
Latitude is all this plus great food and drink, camping for all pockets and preferences, and a fun, family-friendly atmosphere in the midst of the Suffolk countryside. For Melvin it couldn’t take place anywhere else. ‘The festival didn’t fully form for me until I found the site,’ he says.
‘I believe Suffolk has got great culture and people have time for each other. There’s a gentleness and a calmer way of approaching life.’ And the location at Henham Park, just outside Southwold, has proved to be perfect. ‘It’s just like when you look at a house you’re thinking of buying, you can walk in and immediately know that’s the one. That was how I felt about Henham.
Latitude has a unique atmosphere. Photo: Latitude ‘I knew that this was the place where I could create what I wanted to create. It is incredibly unique and we’re really, really lucky. The site has undoubtedly helped shape the festival.’
Melvin has spent his life building and shaping concerts and festivals from attending his first event in 1972, at the age of 16. He remembers taking a train from his home in Hull and travelling to Reading with no tent, or even wellies, to sustain him for the weekend and no phone to tell his anxious parents of his safe arrival. It was a different time, he says.
The choice of festivals then was just Reading or Glastonbury, and they appealed to a particular demographic. Melvin recognised the potential for doing something more, with a wider appeal, so quickly made his way to London and spent the 70s and 80s creating and producing his own festivals.
For 10 years he worked on concerts for political causes, then he partnered with the Mean Fiddler Music Group to focus on music festivals. In 2005 the business was sold to Live Nation and in 2007 renamed Festival Republic with Melvin as managing director.
Sting is headlining at Latitude. Photo: Carter B Smith Considered the UK’s leading event promoter, Festival Republic is responsible for Reading & Leeds Festivals, Download, Wireless, Wilderness, Electric Picnic in Ireland, and many more, as well as Latitude.
Melvin is also a director of Glastonbury, sits on the Concert Promoters Association and has contributed to government and industry guidelines advising on best practice for large events. He is considered an indomitable presence, not only for what he achieves in his own business, but also his contribution to the industry as a whole, notably highlighting the value and importance of large gatherings when this was challenged during the pandemic.
‘When society is constantly putting pressure on communities and individuals every day, festivals bring light and enjoyment to people’s lives,’ he says. ‘It’s a great feeling, a cultural uplift.’ Latitude in particular, Melvin hopes, provides creativity, community and positivity, something we need more than ever at present.
The status of Festival Republic also means that there is an opportunity to set standards and best practice, he says, not just in the practicalities of running the events but also showing the festival-goers themselves what is possible. This is particularly the case with environmental concerns. ‘I grew up when you didn’t have waste, you recycled everything, that was a natural thing,’ Melvin says. ‘I’ve never let go of that. I am someone who walks around with rubbish in my pocket until I find the right bin to put it in.
Boating at the festival. Photo: Latitude ‘I think at Latitude we might have been the first festival in the world to measure our own carbon footprint. I started doing that from 2006 onwards at every single one of my festivals, and continue to do it now. I take the view that I’ve got that responsibility to show the right way to do things.’
Quietly spoken, warm and friendly, while being attentive, focused and seemingly unhurried, though clearly driven, Melvin is an accommodating figurehead and leader of the business. He attends every one of his festivals and never stops looking for new ideas and new ways of working to ensure each festival is distinct, while pushing forward in excellence and innovation.
‘I really like bringing communities together. But I also have a constant desire to discover more, and new, and better. The saying that “if you stand still, you die,” never, never leaves me. I want to discover new things and try new things and listen to new things.’
This he encourages in his festival-goers too. Though there are always fabulous headliners, Latitude is still a place to discover new talent with many safe and supportive places to perform. There’s the Alcove Stage for musicians who are seeking the first rung of the ladder, Melvin says, but he’s particularly proud of another very special setting.
Wellbeing is part of the festival. Photo: Latitude ‘I have a free-standing piano in the woods that people just play,’ he says. ‘There are a lot of good musicians who may not be professional but, by gosh, they can play the piano. This year, I’ve decided that I’m going to amplify that piano for two or three hours each day, and I’m going to invite festival-goers to submit their music to us. It’ll give them an opportunity to play Latitude.
‘Little things like that get me excited because they help to make the festival what it is – passing by, seeing something new, or talking to your friends later about what you’ve seen or heard, reliving that moment of discovery.’
It’s where everyone can feel relaxed and at ease, Melvin says. Even the headliners ask if they can stay for the full weekend with their families. ‘One of the joys of the festival is that when festival-goers see the artist, they might nod their head, but they won’t bother them, they just acknowledge that they’re there and let them enjoy it. It’s a warm and friendly place!’
Latitude takes place at Henham Park from July 24-27. For more details, visit latitudefestival.com