Usually the idea of a weekend in a tent with our nearest and dearest, surrounded by thousands of other people and loud music,would fill us with utter horror. Our days of drug fueled bad dancing and staying up for days at a time are well and truely over, but it doesn't mean we don't still love music or know how to enjoy ourselves.
The Latitude festival in Suffolk is the perfect combination of music, culture and beautiful scenery to keep all your family members happy. A friend described last years event as 'like a weekend in Stoke Newington on Sea,' cool 20 somethings, laid back mums and dads, scruffy little kids and hip teens, all having a great time.
There really is something for everyone, with a great music line up, which includes 80's favourites and recently hip again, Grace Jones, The Pet Shop Boys and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds.
On the Uncut stage, Bat For Lashes and Gossip will headline and Spiritualized, Squeeze and Newton Faulkner will also play.
We are particularly looking forward to Regina Spektor and one of our old favourites, Magazine.
The festival has more than its fair share of culture which includes theatre, poetry, film, literary, cabaret and comedy arenas. Highlights include a dance performance by the lake from Sadlers Well's, the RSC will mix Shakespeare and flowers, and a performance by outgoing poet laureate Andrew Motion.
BBC Radio 2 and BBC 6 Music will be broadcasting live from the festival for the first time and Radio 4 will once again record some of their popular shows in front of a live audience.
Accommodation options include basic camping, ready pitched tents in the Tangerine Fields, Myhabs and Podpads (small Hobbit like spaces) Or if you really fancy a treat, try a luxurious Yurtel.
For £1150 you get a double / twin room for 4 nights. The spacious 14ft yurts come carpeted with a king size / twin bed and a real mattress, duvet with white Egyptian cotton linen, hanging clothes storage, bedside table & lamp, central electric light, towels and miniature toiletries, chocolates on your pillow, flowers at your bed side, and of course, the magical (almost camping like) experience of sleeping in a yurt!
Set in the beautiful Henham Park, minutes away from the glorious Suffolk sunrise coast, Latitude has something for everyone and is the only festival we will be attending this summer.
Latitude Festival
Henham Park,
Southwold,
Suffolk,
Thursday 16th – Sunday 19th July