July 26 marked the last day of the 2026 Latitude music festival, as well as its 20^th anniversary.Founded by Melvin Benn, Latitude has been “… celebrating Theatre, Literature, Songs, Science, Dance, Poems” (Benn, 2026), continuously challenging what is expected from your typical music festival.

 The 20^th year celebration included performances from music acts such as, Teddy Swims, Billy Ocean, Wet Leg and Lewis Capaldi, as well as alternative modes of art performance like, Mathew Bourne’s Swan Lake and poetry readings. 

UEA student Erin Herffernan attended this year’s festival and was “… lucky enough to make a souvenir documentary for 20 years of Latitude.” For Erin, Latitude is only “… 20 minutes down the road from where I live,” making the festival an easy and accessible way to experience multiple art forms. 

This is particularly accessible to UEA students, given that the festival is based in Suffolk. 

Latitude also offers an eclectic range of genres, ranging from more upbeat genres such as, pop, rock and electronic, to more earthy tones like, indie, folk and classical music. “The atmosphere was so buzzy. There were a lot of families who have been coming since the start [of the festival] excited to bring their kids for the first time and young people celebrating the start of their summer holidays.” It seems to be the perfect outing for music enthusiasts that love to immerse themselves in a wide range of art and is a more affordable alternative to festivals such as Glastonbury.

Founder Melvin Benn reflected on the past 20 years of Latitude at The Listening Post. He was joined by UEA’s George McKay, professor and researcher of festivals, popular culture and music, to discuss Latitude’s impact on UK festival culture and the power of art to audiences. 

UEA’s connection to Latitude runs deep: both establishments hold a creative and academic partnership, offering UEA Journalism students work placements and experiences, where in-person opportunities allow students to interview and gather information from attendees and performers. 

They also host public talks and cultural debates, allowing people to discuss topics such as, democracy, art history, and free speech. Tying it all together, The UEA Beach Hut is stationed at the festival, allowing festivalgoers to discover new books and participate in creative workshops, all while experiencing such vibrant music and art.

The highlight of the festival for student Erin came from “… Lewis Capaldi’s emotional set after working through the night to get the documentary finished.” A festival such as Latitude, which enables you to fully immerse yourself in many artistic mediums whilst also creating art yourself, seems to be exactly what these organisations should be about: bringing people together through creativity.

Being able to share your creative passions in one space with a large group of people — young, old and from diverse backgrounds — seems like an endeavour that positively benefits the unity of communities through something so many people love: music.

Image credit: Erin Heffernan