Sexual health charity Brook will have specialists available on site every day during the morning and afternoon. They’ll be providing free condoms as well as advice and guidance on contraception, STIs and safer sex.

If you require emergency contraception, this is available from the Welfare Tent.

We take the security and safety of our festival goers very seriously – it is a real priority.

Please help us by bringing as little as possible. We do not allow large bags (large backpacks, luggage bags etc) into the arena. We understand that some families with children will need to bring in supplies and this will be at the discretion of security, who will make reasonable allowances.

We will facilitate fast track lanes into the arena for those with small (bum bags or similar) or no bags.  Please be patient while we carry out our security checks and searches, which take place at the campsite gates, the arena entrance and may also happen at any time at any location onsite.

Our security staff are there for your safety – please co-operate with them as they work to keep us all safe and sound. Some are covert, but most are obvious by their numbered tabard. Always go to them if you need help. The medical tent is fully staffed, open in line with the festival opening times and located in the Village. There is a second tent stage right of the Obelisk Arena (Main Stage).

There are security measures you will see and of course ones that you can’t. The whole site is monitored throughout by staff on the ground along with an extensive CCTV system watched round the clock by a team of monitors in a fully staffed Event Control.

We work very closely with Suffolk Police and members of the security services to ensure our security procedures are up to date and we are following best practice. We put a lot of time and effort on briefing and training and run emergency exercises. Please help us by reporting anything that doesn’t look right to you and also please let us know if you spot an area where we can do better and we will get on it.

Latitude Festival is a weekend of huge fun and enjoyment. We don’t want that experience spoiled by anything happening to you or your stuff, so here’s some tips on how to make sure you’re safe throughout the weekend.

The festival’s relaxed atmosphere can offer an easy target for criminals. Take the same precautions as you would on any other night out, and please read through the advice below and plan ahead.

We don’t accept any discrimination towards any individual or groups of individuals. Irrespective of the background of the individual, be that gender, race, disability, age, religion or belief, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, marital or civil partnership status, pregnancy or maternity. We are proud of the diverse nature of our festivals and their customers, if you see or experience anyone undermining this – no matter the severity – please report it immediately to one of our onsite staff.

Valuables

Quite simply – please don’t bring anything you can’t afford to lose.

Don’t leave valuables in your tent. Remember that tents are impossible to make secure even if they’re zipped. Take advantage of either the lockers or the Property Storage Tent, both of which can be found in the Village open 24 hours. The Property Storage service is completely free.

Move anything of worth away from your tent door as you sleep. Don’t put a padlock on your tent as this indicates there are valuables inside. Don’t bury your valuables by your tent as someone is bound to be watching.

When walking through the festival – especially at the stages – don’t put money in your back pocket. Use pockets with zips or buy a money belt.

Mobile Phones and Tablets

There are free apps to track your phone/tablet if it goes missing or gets stolen. Your device is tracked by GPS and can be located online and in some cases be locked remotely. If the phone/device is stolen you can pass this information to the police to help their enquiries.

All Apple devices include an app that can keep track of its whereabouts should it go missing. It can remotely lock your device, display messages, play an alert sound (even if the device is on silent) or even erase all of your personal data at your request. The app needs to be set up in advance, so look out for the ‘Find My…’ app icon on your device to get started.

If using an Android phone, download the ‘AntiDroid theft’ app for free before you arrive. It has features such as GPS tracking, email alerts if the SIM card or number is changed, and even allows you to view the photos taken should your phone go missing. The app is available to download from the Google Play Store.

Marking your device with a UV pen makes it easier for police to identify its owner. Visit our CATs who can assist you. Register your devices on the free Immobilise Database before you come to the festival. It takes a couple of minutes, just register your device’s serial number. Every item recovered by the police or handed in is checked against the database. If you report the phone stolen, your mobile phone operator should then be able to bar your SIM card.

Keep a record of your phone’s unique IMEI number. You can find it by keying in *#06#* on your keypad. This number will help the Police trace ownership quickly. Utilise your phone’s security lock or pin number.

Keep your phone well hidden when you are not using it. Don’t keep it exposed for any longer than needed – especially in crowds when taking photos. There are career criminals who target mobile phones stolen at festivals.

Make sure your mobile is charged up on a daily basis and has plenty of charge for later in the day. The stages get busy at night and you are more likely to need your phone to meet up with friends should you split up. It can also double up as a torch for finding your way back to your tent, though do not use it for longer than necessary.

Vehicle Crime

Don’t leave anything valuable in your car – including sat navs, car stereos, cameras, or mobile phones. Leave your glove compartment empty and open so that thieves can see there is nothing inside.

Flares

Being found in possession of a flare or firework at a music event is now a criminal offence. Anyone found in possession will be removed from site and could face up to 3 months in prison and / or a fine.

If you do become a victim of crime, or if you see a crime happening, lease then report the issue as soon as you can to a member of staff. Information coming in live helps us act quickly.

Try to remember as much as possible so you can report it. Try to remember what clothes they were wearing and any facial features. Make a note of exactly where you are if you can – look out for notable locales like loos, fire towers or unusual tents.

All crime reporting forms at the festival are filed at the Welfare Tent to avoid duplication. It is open 24 hours a day in the Village and also offers victim support.

If anyone you don’t know comes into your tent – even if they say they are lost – please tell our staff immediately. Thieves often use this excuse when they enter a tent to steal but find people inside. If they are genuinely lost our staff will be able to help them find their tent.

If you are reporting the theft of a mobile phone, you will be required to first contact your network provider and have the handset blocked. This will ensure that its use will be blocked across all UK networks even if the SIM card is changed, and will make it useless to the thief. A list of contact numbers for UK network providers will be available at the Information Tent and at the Welfare Tent.

Before reporting it, visit our Property Storage Tent (open 24 hours a day in the Village). They run the festival’s lost property service and it may have been handed in.

Introduce yourself to campsite staff, show them where your tent is, stick a flag on it so it’s easy for them to see, and ask them to keep an eye out.

Please take guidance from the stewards in where is best to pitch your tent, if your tent is found blocking the fire lanes and emergency exits your tent may be removed for safety reasons.

Say hello to your neighbours and set up a neighbourhood watch system so you can look out for each other’s pitches. Experience shows that the best and friendliest campsites are the ones with people in that make the effort to do so. It also means you’ll have more friends to party with too!

Remember, by comparison with many day to day environments, the Latitude site is a very safe and friendly place. We have employed staff to be there for you. Be sure to help them to do their job by reporting anything or anyone suspicious to make this a safe and happy, crime-free festival.

If you have any concerns about your safety in the campsites, camp somewhere well lit, go near a fire tower or on the edge of an emergency access lane.

The Welfare Tent is situated in the Village and is open 24 hours. It provides experienced, caring and confidential help for all kinds of practical and personal problems, as well as offering general assistance and advice, counselling, a messages service and help for distressed/missing people.

The Welfare Tent also offers a recovery area for patients from medical and emergency shelter with camper mats and sleeping bags.

You can call the Welfare Tent directly on site. The phone number will only be available during the festival and will be released closer to the festival.

Ask for help if you or your friends become unwell immediately. We are here to help you.

FESTIVAL PASTORS / PASTOR’S PRAYER TENT

As part of the welfare provision at Latitude, Festival Pastors are there to offer support and care over the course of the festival.  From welcoming people onto the site, to patrolling the camping areas we bring our unique form of care and unconditional love to anyone who needs us.  All Festival Pastors are trained Town Pastors with plenty of experience in the streets of Suffolk around the clubs and bars of the nighttime economy.

Also do look out for our ‘Pastors Prayer Tent’ in the Village. Discover our comfy reflection and chill out space with its inflatable sofas. You can find a quiet spot to relax, or have a chat with our pastoral volunteers, participate in a Christian meditation, have a hand massage, or some free face glitter for the kids, explore your spirituality, or watch an artist create some live art. The choice is entirely yours! The ‘What three words’ location of the Pastors Prayer Tent is ///intersect.unearthly.custodian and is open 10:00-18:30 (Thursday) and 08:00-18:30 (Friday-Sunday)

• Look after yourself, don’t overdo it, and look out for others.
• Remember there is more chance of catching an infection in a field than at home so make sure you use the water points and hand sanitizer stations at the toilet blocks to wash your hands regularly.
• Latitude takes place on uneven parkland with stone tracks and metal track way. Take care, especially at night. Strong shoes for walking are a good idea – as is a torch after dark.
• Please do not climb on any trees onsite. It is dangerous and may damage the tree.
• Due to the beautiful lake onsite in the arena, there may be some midges, especially at dusk. Cover up and bring insect repellent with you. Insect repellent will be available for purchase onsite at the Village shop.
• Please don’t dig holes. After the festival, the site is home to cattle and sheep.
• Illegal drugs are no more legal onsite than off.
• Give any passing security or emergency vehicles plenty of space to pass and don’t ride on vehicles.
• Serious sunstroke, sunburn or cancer can be caused by the sun on unprotected skin – wear a high factor sun cream.
• Prolonged exposure to high volume noise can cause severe hearing damage. Ear plugs are available at the Welfare Tent.

Carbon monoxide (CO) is a colourless, odourless, highly poisonous gas that can kill in minutes. Carbon monoxide poisoning can be caused by ANY fuel that burns or smoulders so take extra care when cooking at the festival.

We suggest you make sure your camping light and stove are clean and properly looked after, you don’t take a portable barbecue – or lit charcoal – into an enclosed space and make sure exhaust from generators is properly vented away from occupied areas

If you think you have potentially be exposed to carbon monoxide gas whilst at the festival, please contact a steward immediately. Symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning include:

• Headache
• Dizziness
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Tiredness and confusion
• Stomach pain
• Shortness of breath and difficulty breathing

In an emergency, please contact the nearest member of security or Campsite Assistance Teams (CATs), Helpful Assistance Teams (HATs) or your Zone Manager for help.

There is a festival fire fighting team who are fully equipped to deal with any fires, backed up by Suffolk Fire and Rescue service if required. There are fire observation towers located in the campsites.  There are fire extinguishers located throughout the festival and many of the stewards and security staff have been trained in fire safety in addition to the festival fire fighting team.

There are medics at the festival who are fully equipped to deal with all situations along with a hospital in the Village area. The medics have roving patrols and provide an accident and emergency facility with full resuscitation, GP facilities and surgeries and psychiatric treatment. There is a landing point for air ambulances if required.

Heavily pregnant visitors are advised to make contact with the medical team on arrival at the event to ensure you are aware of services on offer over the weekend. Visitors with medical conditions are similarly advised.

• Decide on a meeting point with your friends. Choose a time and place to meet up later in case you get separated from each other.
• Learn the layout of the site – particularly your camping area so you can easily find toilets and stewards.
• Pick out memorable points near your campsite to help remember where your camping spot is located. Are there landmarks nearby that can help you find it?
• Get to know the people who are camped around you. It makes for a nicer environment and it means you’ll be familiar with who should be coming and going in your area.
• Keep your phone charged in case you’re separated from your friends.
• Stay hydrated. There are tested drinking water points throughout the arena which are free to use.
• For a full list of what you can and can’t bring into the campsite, please view the What You Can and Can’t Bring chart under Camping.
• Keep your wits about you. Drink responsibly and know your limit.
• Carry a torch with you or enable the torch on your phone to use for when it gets dark.
• Festival stewards are here to help you. Don’t be worried about asking for help in any situation, whether it’s asking for directions or to report something or someone you’re worried about.
• Don’t leave valuables like your phone, purse or car keys in your tent or unattended vehicles. Lockers are available to rent to store your belongings.
• The Welfare Tent is open 24 hours and is staffed by experienced and supportive people. They can provide confidential advice about drugs, alcohol, legal highs and sexual health, and offer support if you need to talk. They offer a monitored rest and recovery area if you’ve overdone it. Please go to the Welfare Tent if you experience any problems or need to talk to someone for any reason.
• Those with chronic conditions such as epilepsy, asthma and diabetes should bring all their usual medications to cover the festival period, and to be aware they may require hospital treatment if they don’t take it.
• Strobe lighting – pyrotechnics, lasers, smoke machines, strobe lighting/special effects may take place during some performances.
• Mixing drugs with other drugs and/or alcohol/prescription drugs can be a significant danger with risk of death.
• Ask for help if you or your friends become unwell immediately. We are here to help you.

Further information is available online – talktofrank.com, bluelight.org and the Know Drugs app.

Campfires and disposable barbecues are no longer allowed anywhere at the festival, including the campsites. This decision has been made in conjunction with Suffolk Fire & Rescue Service. and in consideration of local impacts as set out in our Green Nation Charter.  Anyone seen creating or fuelling a fire will be evicted from the festival site. We have to continue to protect our future on this planet.

Wild swimming in cold water for many of you is a pleasurable experience, but it can also be extremely dangerous if not handled safely. The water is untreated, opaque and cold with deep silt and there are areas of reeds which create the risk of entanglement. Please take time to read this guidance before your swim.

Restrictions:

• The water is 2.9m deep at its deepest point in the middle of the lake – you need to be a competent swimmer.
• It is not permitted to swim while intoxicated.
• Children over 8 are permitted to swim in the company of an adult over 18 with a 1:1 ratio.
• You should not swim if you have a reduced immune system, as your risk of developing serious health complications from contracting a water-borne illness is much higher.
• It is not permitted to jump or dive into the water.

Staying warm:

• Warm up before your swim and bring warm clothes to put on afterwards.
• Don’t push your time in cold water if you are not used to it – limit the time you are in the lake for.
• Cold water will reduce your swimming speed so don’t be overambitious.
• Don’t jump or dive in but use the platform step – if you jump in you can suffer “cold water shock.”

Staying safe:

• Cover up any cuts and wounds with a waterproof plaster.
• Swim within your limits and don’t swim if you are not fit and well.
• Team up with a swimming buddy and watch out for each other.
• It can take a while to get used to the look and feel of natural water. Keep breathing normally and focus on the sky above or the feel of the fresh water and you will soon relax into it.
• Avoid the areas of visible reeds and keep at least 2m from the lake edge.
• If you do encounter some reeds, slow your swim speed right down, don’t kick or thrash, and either float through them using your arms to paddle or turn around slowly. Keep your body as close to the surface as you can.
• If you need help, raise your arm in the air.

The level of micro-organisms within this untreated water will fluctuate. Water quality tests have been carried out and are posted on nearby signage. Swimming will not be permitted if the water quality should fail the tests, but the levels will vary so:

• Avoid swallowing the lake water.
• Avoid putting your whole head and particularly ears, mouth, nose and eyes under water.
• Wash your hands after your swim and before eating.
• Have a shower after your swim. The nearest hot shower is in the village back through the arena entrance towards the campsites.
• If you develop any symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhoea, dehydration, severe headaches, muscle pain, a rash around your stomach and/or fatigue within three weeks of your swim, visit your doctor and mention your lake swim.
• If you develop an ear infection, or an itchy, inflamed ear, discharge from the ear or temporary deafness, visit your doctor, mention your lake swim and the possibility of “swimmer’s ear.”

Latitude Festival does not condone the use of drugs. Drugs enforcement laws are as applicable onsite as anywhere else in the UK. It is illegal to buy, sell or take drugs. All drugs are potentially dangerous, there are no harmless drugs. The only way to avoid risks is to not take drugs at all. This goes for new psychoactive substances (formerly known as “legal highs”) as well. But we want our festival goers to know above all else that you can come to us for help if you or your friends need it without fear of getting in trouble at any time. Always be honest with medics and welfare teams about what you have consumed so that they know how best to help you.

Visit our Drugs Policy and Advice page for more information.

Any lost property found during the festival is taken to the Property Storage Tent, open 24 hours throughout the festival. For any lost property queries please email latitudelostproperty@gmail.com.