Festival to be a government test event

The Latitude Festival will definitely go ahead with a full capacity audience this year, after becoming the latest government test event.

It means around 35,000 people will descend on Henham Park, Suffolk, on the weekend of  July 22 to 25.

Bill Bailey will become the first comedian to headline the main stage, while the comedy arena  will feature the likes of Katherine Ryan, Jo Brand Reginald D. Hunter and Simon Amstell.

Music headliners  include Wolf Alice, The Chemical Brothers, Bastille and  Bombay Bicycle Clun

Last week Latitude announced it would be the first major festival to take place in 2021, and becoming part of the government event research programme (ERP) guarantees that – and with a full crowd.

Melvin Benn, Latitude’s director, said: ‘We have been working extremely hard to make sure that Latitude Festival can go ahead safely at full capacity.

‘Becoming an ERP event gives us the security of going ahead. Crucially the additional research collected at Latitude  will benefit all festivals and live events moving forward. Everyone will be welcome to attend as long as they have a negative lateral flow test or proof of two vaccinations.

‘After many months without live music and arts, we are ecstatic to return with a full capacity festival. Restarting festivals is crucially important to the wellbeing of everyone in society and we hope that Latitude will be the first of many festivals to take place this summer.’

Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden added: ‘We are working flat out to find a way to get festivals back up and running safely, so it is brilliant that Latitude will go ahead as part of the events research programme and build on the success of our pilots at Download and Sefton Park.’

Latitude Festival will be in touch with all existing ticket holders with further details about how the festival will operate. Tickets are still available here.

• The Balham Comedy Festival has also announced that it will be going ahead at The Bedford - the South London pub that’s also home to Banana Cabaret – from July 9 to 18. However, the event, featuring the likes of Henning Wehn, Rich Hall, Janey Godley and Rhod Gilbert,  will have to be socially distanced. Full listings here.

Published: 25 Jun 2021