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Monday, July 16, 2007 | 08:25
 | | The Magic Numbers at Latitude on Friday |
FESTIVAL-goers flocked to the Henham estate, near Southwold, over the weekend as the second Latitude Festival brought four nights and three days of mirth, merriment and music to north Suffolk.
Word of the festival had spread far and wide and all 20,000 tickets had sold out. But rather than twice the number of last year, it seemed more like six times as many revellers had rocked up to enjoy the eclectic range of bands, artists, thespians, poets, comedians and DJs.
From midday until well past midnight, activities and adventures were to be had such poetry recitals, live theatre and cabaret well into the early hours.
The three music arenas boasted a mix of genre-spanning bands and plenty of up and coming new acts.
The comedy arena yet again proved to be a massive pull, with hardly a bare patch of grass to be seen as comic and satirical stars from the world of Radio and TV had the crowds howling with laughter.
Literary types and film buffs were also well catered for, with events including BAFTA screenings, directors' Q and As, new shows in the Theatre Arena, poetry request shows and book clubs, featuring top authors and poets, such as John Hegley, Roger McGough and Louis de Bernieres.
The cabaret tent saw burlesque, risqué, and good old fashioned fifties-inspired singing thanks to the Puppini Sisters.
Die-hard dancers there was music well into the night in the Woods Arena with DJs including Radio One's Rob Da Bank.
Very much a family festival, children were running around sporting fairy tutus and wings while playing by the lake and in the forest, while most were entertained at the two family tents with storytelling, face painting and more.
Despite warnings to the contrary, the weather held out for the majority of the weekend, the only exception being Sunday when two short but heavy showers caught out the early birds and then again at lunchtime, sending thousands running into nearby tents.
The only downside to the increased size this year was the fact the infrastructure did not seem to have grown in comparison. Despite a great effort at recycling, the number of wheelie bins on site seemed to be no more than the amount found in any given Suffolk street, meaning litter was more of a problem. And there was also over-crowding in some arenas, which were the same size as last year.
But with plenty of weird and wonderful sights, such as spray-painted sheep and musicians dressed as mime artists playing wind instruments in the woods, not to mention the eclectic festival fashions, the festival proved to be another great success.
It's still a very new event in comparison to others, but Latitude has put Suffolk firmly on the major festival map.
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