My first time at Latitude Festival, a happy place for posh people
If 'overheard at Waitrose' was a festival...
Ahead of my first ever trip to Latitude Festival this weekend, I thought I’d have a look on TikTok for some videos of what to expect. Weirdly, I couldn’t see an awful lot of them. Why weren’t there the usual ‘come with me’ style videos from a load of 20-year-olds in thrifted clothes? Then I got there and it all made sense.
I think Latitude might be one of those best kept secrets. Yes, it’s a hugely popular festival and attracts tens of thousands of people, but I can’t say I see the same Instagram appetite for it as the likes of Mighty Hoopla. Latitude, and I mean this in the kindest possible way, is pretty much a festival for the middle class. It’s like they only sent the ticket link to the Waitrose customer database.
It’s not like everyone is ridiculously dressed up or anything (those people are at Coachella), in fact it was quite the opposite. People truly seemed to unwind here and I barely noticed any iPhones waving about which was lovely. I just got the sense that most people here are accustomed to the finer things in life. I’d imagine they’ve grown up going on skiing holidays and having M&S picky bits as the norm, not just as a special treat.
Something that marked a notable point of difference about Latitude is that people of all generations were there. I know that’s true of any festival, but this one seemed to over-index on children and those around retirement age. What that meant for me is that I felt completely safe, nothing ever felt rowdy, and there was a wholesomeness to the entire weekend. (I made a video asking everyone if they had any advice for their younger selves which you can watch here.)
The vibe at Latitude was one of casually milling around. If you wanted to, you could watch the music headliners sat down. Some people used the tiered seating on the grounds where droves of others packed their own deck chairs. At other festivals I’ve been to, deck chairs feel like more of a luxury. Let’s take Glastonbury, for example. Yes, lots of people bring chairs to lounge by their tents, but I don’t recall seeing many at actual stages. At Latitude, rows upon rows of foldaway seats were taken to each performance, allowing for any kind of viewing experience that you pleased.
Outside of the musical acts, there was a huge variety of things to do. Known and loved faces performed in the comedy tent, up and coming theatre stars shared Fringe festival performances, and minds were opened by chats all over the shop. Everything from feminism to the power of magic mushrooms was up for discussion throughout the day.
For me, the pottering about was the best part. I loved exploring the woods and finding art installations, or that Christmas caravan I found that was a secret entrance to a rave. Fairies waved you into the festival each morning and blew bubbles all around. It was quite a simple and magical space, not too big, not too small, just perfect. Scale wise, walking was really manageable. I’d say it took me a 20-minutes from being right by the main stage to being back inside my tent each night. I did between 15-25,000 steps each day, but keep in mind I was taking it easy as I hadn’t been feeling too well that week.
I was attending as a guest of Boots who were a festival partner. They had the most amazing pop-up space on site that anyone could visit free of charge. The premise was simple – GHD will do your hair, or MAC will do your makeup… for free! It made for such a lovely experience because each day you spent the day feeling your best.
In addition (and I appreciate how lucky I am), Boots kindly arranged for us to stay in the Pink Moon camping facility. I have to say, it was the very best glamping experience I’ve ever had and I’ve had a few now. We had rows and rows of hot showers (I queued for a mere 10 minutes at peak time), always an abundance of clean, flushing toilets, and a pamper tent equipped with Dyson hairdryers. If you can glamp and you want to, I do feel it would massively enhance your experience.
My favourite part of the weekend was a chance encounter. I’d sat on the floor in the shade and was eating a chicken chow mein for my lunch. (That’s one of the joys of a festival, isn’t it? You lose all sense of time and just mince about, having whatever you fancy.) A woman about my age sat down next to me with her young daughter, and I quickly realised her little girl was beaming up at me with a big smile and lots of curiosity. She was so clever, and only four years old! Within a few minutes, she had kindly invited me to do any and all of the following:
· Go and play at their house
· Attend her birthday party next March
· Examine a bracelet that she had made that morning
· Go on holiday with the entire family
· Become best friends (which I accepted and taught her to pinkie promise on so that it was life-long affirmed)
She made me feel as special as Jude Law’s daughters made Cameron Diaz feel in the Holiday. I loved chatting to them both. She explained that her brother, a baby, was coming to join them tomorrow and that it would be lovely for me to meet them. Her mom and I were clearly both mindful not to make any promises we couldn’t definitely keep, so I struck a bargain with her.
“I’ll be wearing my red and white checkered jeans tomorrow. Let’s keep an eye out for one another, and hopefully we’ll see each other again and get to say hello.”
40,000 people and 24 hours later… I found them again. It was a Latitude miracle. I went running over to them, got to meet the baby, and we all had a big reunion. It really meant a lot to me because I’d had such a lovely lunch with them and they seemed just as happy to see me again. This is the lovely thing about spending time by yourself. More often than not you feel a little bit more confident, quite reaffirmed that you can do big things and have fun, without needing anyone else.
If you’re considering a trip to Latitude I would definitely recommend it, and I’d keep in mind the kind of time you’re going to have. Expect civilised camping sites (no coming home drunk and disorderly), lots of fun for early risers, food that feels like a treat (the apple crumble hut was my favourite) and very kind, do-gooder types all around.
Thank God for the Waitrose customer base, because they joined me for what was a very special weekend. And above all, I want to say the hugest of thanks to the Boots girls for having me as their guest. I’ve shared quite a lot over the years that my 30s have been a bit of a funny one, as my peers my own age are all in wildly different life stages to me. My main priority is caring for older parents with complex needs and making the most of down time like this, whereas they’re in the just married and new parent phases of life, no down time for friends. It was such a treat to go away in a group of girls, share lip gloss, hide from the downpour with a Whispering Angel (only at Latitude would that be the house rose), and generally have a ball together.
I loved every minute and if you’re hoping to go I think you would too. Have a scroll through my TikTok and Instagram pages for more festival ideas. I’ve been to Glastonbury, Primavera and Coachella this year too (all in my own time and self-funded). I have a few more up my sleeve this summer, some for the day, Electric Picnic for the weekend, and when I’ve been to them all I’m going to make a big comparison to help us navigate the 2026 potentials.
I hope if anyone posh from Latitude sees this you know I have written it from a place of love! My life might be a bit different to yours but you made me feel very welcome <3.