Humans of Latitude: A First-Time Parent’s Festival Experience

We pride ourselves on being a festival for everyone – whether you’re eight months or 80 years – but we know that taking the youngest ones to a festival for the first time can seem like a daunting challenge!

A seasoned Latitude goer, Emily, shares with us her account of what it was like to attend Latitude as a new parent for the first time, and all the tips she learnt for making sure that even under new circumstances, you can still have the best festival experience. Read on, parents…

I’ve been going to Latitude on and off since 2007 so it’s safe to say I am an old hand when it comes to the festival, but 2023 was a whole new experience for me as my husband and I took our 1 year old baby, Ralphie, to introduce him to the wonderful world of festivals. For those who are nervous about making the move from adult-only festival-going to being responsible for a little human or humans in a field I’m delighted to say that I had as much fun as I’ve always had at Henham Park – just in a slightly different way!

I’m delighted to say that I had as much fun as I’ve always had at Henham Park – just in a slightly different way!

For a start, rather than lugging our tent, sleeping bags and metaphorical kitchen sink across the site, we opted to treat ourselves to a fuss-free weekend by booking a lovely Bell tent in Latitude Luxury. It felt so decadent to stroll up to Reception and be helped to our beautiful home for the weekend  – with plenty of space inside for a double bed AND the travel cot AND our huge wagon! We loved being able to roll out of the aforementioned (comfy) bed, straight into the gorgeous restaurant for breakfast each morning. We’re no strangers to pitching our own tent and we love eating our breakfast out of a mug at festivals but to have waiter service sitting at flower topped tables eating bacon butties was the BEST!!

We had ummed and ahhed about what to do with Ralphie at bedtime and we’d (reluctantly) got comfortable with the idea that one of us would have to go to bed early and miss the headliners, but we didn’t bank on having the most amazing bed-on-wheels for him to snuggle in to after dark. We borrowed a Wonderfold Wagon (basically the Rolls Royce of festival trolleys) which not only acted as a comfy sleeping space but also as his playpen/place to stash our coats and bags/place to sit when he got tired/secure spot where he could be comfy in a five point harness (just like his pushchair, but higher up, so he could see all the action!). We were so impressed we decided to invest in our own and will be taking it to lots more festivals in the future.

I remember when ‘festival food’ meant a dodgy noodle place or cheesy chips but Ralph is growing up in a golden age of gourmet festival experiences! Although I was still breastfeeding (yes mamas, this is a friendly and supportive crowd where you don’t have to worry about feeding anywhere – just make sure someone is on hand to go to the bar for you whilst you’re otherwise engaged!) Ralph was also up for trying all sorts of baby-appropriate food and we found plenty of it. There’s so much choice so we found lots he liked. We also had a stash of Melty Sticks on us at all times of course…

Even though I’d been to Latitude a dozen times I had never really realised just how much there was for littles of all ages. We found the Parent and Baby Chillout Zone in the kid’s area, with it’s 5pm baby bathtime and soft play, an absolute haven. Run by the supportive team from The Loft Youth Centre, they made us feel so welcome. We’d barely stepped through the door before we were offered tea (in real mugs!) and a nice place to sit. We also have to shout out the team at Colourtown who made our day by having a wildly colourful tent in the Enchanted Garden and a terrific shelf of books that were heaven for our story-loving baby.

Latitude’s kids areas are bigger than most entire festivals, so the choice of activities is mind blowing. And it’s all included in the price so you don’t have to worry about budgeting when the kids want to try everything!

I used to be a mega-planner, with a clashfinder printed out in one pocket, the programme in another and my trusty app always on hand. It’s fair to say that I slowed down with Ralphie by my side. Stopping to REALLY look at a beautiful flower by the lake or inspect a feather dropped in the woods has enhanced my appreciation for the smaller things in life. Listening to music on the breeze from a shady spot under a tree and seeing Ralphie’s eyes light up with each new experience filled me with joy.

I feel lucky that I get to see the festival that I adore through new eyes now – yes, it’s different from my previous experiences but it’s still as wonderful as ever. Here’s to many more happy years at Henham Park as a family.

Tempted? Family camping and Day tickets for Latitude are still available. Check out all our Family programme has to offer for 2024 at the link below!