Let’s be honest: Glastonbury it ain’t. But unlike all the other festivals on the British summer calendar, Latitude doesn’t involve itself in the annual shitfight for The Killers, Arctic Monkeys or whoever is NME’s soup du jour that year. And that’s why Latitude stands out from all its competitors.

Bigger isn’t always better
Latitude fits somewhere between 20,000 and 25,000 punters into the leafy surrounds of Henham Park, which is roughly 30 minutes from Ipswich in Suffolk. And while you might have to fight for every square inch of tent space at Reading, Latitude allows much more room for you to spread your stuff out.

The bands the bands the bands
While many of the bands played plenty of festival slots in June, July and August, Latitude gives the bands more generous set times, which allows them to treat their slots like headline shows. Arcade Fire opted to invite a string quartet on stage for an extended version of In the Back Seat on the final night, while The Good the Bad and the Queen played their debut album from start to finish on the Saturday. CSS had time to start a huge party complete with balloons, and acts like Bat for Lashes and The Hold Steady got the rare chance to play a lengthy main stage set.

Take the kids
The weird thing about Latitude is all the kids. Billed as ‘The UK’s first boutique festival’, there are plenty of middle-aged hipsters there with their young children. There’s a kids’ area in the main arena if you want to put your colouring-in skills to the test and there’s also a ‘family area’ in the campsite where the partying is kept at a minimum.

In the forest
The best thing about Latitude is the Sunrise Arena. Set under a big top in a forest clearing, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better concert venue. Hosting some of the smaller bands, the Sunrise Arena made appearances from those lesser-known acts stand out. I’m From Barcelona (Sweden’s answer to The Polyphonic Spree) bounced massive Flaming Lips-style balloons off the low ceiling as audience members pressed forward onto the stage. Despite being billed at the same time as Arcade Fire, Aussie expats Howling Bells pulled a healthy crowd – quite possibly there just as much for the setting as they were the band.

You don’t have to be into your music
The ‘boutique’ thing means there’s a lot of non-music entertainment to keep you busy when you want to give your ears a rest. This year, punk filmmaker Don Letts held a fascinating Q&A session in the literature tent and shared 30 years of stories on The Clash and the Sex Pistols, as well as leading a discussion on the current state of world politics. Next door was the comedy tent, where Bill Bailey and Black Books star Dylan Moran adjusted their usual routines to include the mud, the music and the general festival madness. There’s the cabaret tent, the music and film arena and last but not least, the poetry arena, where anyone’s welcome to take the mic and share their thoughts.

The sheep
The lasting image of Latitude 2007 for just about everyone present was the lakeside sheep pen full of multicoloured sheep. Yes, you read that correctly. Someone somehow managed to spraypaint or dye a dozen sheep all colours of the rainbow. Plenty of punters had a crack at climbing in for a photo with the decorated ewes, much to security’s dismay.

Getting there
National Express runs buses directly to and from most major cities, starting from the Thursday. There are buses leaving every night right up until midnight, allowing you to stick around until the end of the last act (if you’re a fast runner). Alternatively, there are plenty of trains running to and from Ipswich, the nearest train station. There are shuttle buses going between the station and the festival throughout the day, making things nice and easy.

Wanna rock out at Latitude Festival? Grab yourself an early bird ticket from Virgin Atlantic for just $1760 including taxes. Click HERE to book now.

Check out the Porter Report from this year’s Latitude, featuring an exclusive campsite performance from Kate Nash.

And here’s Arcade Fire performing Tunnels.