I went to the BEST family-friendly festival in the UK with secret forest raves, mega star shows & bright pink sheep

HUGE headliners. Gorgeous Suffolk countryside. Woodland spas. Entire fairgrounds, theatre and comedy tents. Oh, and fluffy pink sheep.

If you’re looking for the UK’s best family festival, you’ve found it at Latitude.

I visited the festival this year to celebrate its 20th birthday, and as a first-timer, it truly surprised me.

This year I sang my heart out to sets from Tom Odell and Lewis Capaldi, but over the years, the festival has hosted artists like The 1975, Liam Gallagher and Florence + The Machine.

Pair those headline sets with DJ sets from Dermot O’Leary and Gok Wan, and you’ve got yourself a pretty interesting line-up across the festival’s six music stages.

The thing that struck me the most about this festival was just how family-friendly it is.

At the very front of the main stage, you’ve got dedicated superfans stood against the barrier.

Zoom to the outer edges of the crowd, and you’ve got multi-generational families sat on camping chairs and picnic blankets, with pully trolleys packed with snacks, toys and games.

And when I say this is an all ages festival, I mean ALL ages.

I saw pairs of grandparents slow-dancing together as well as tiny toddlers grooving on the grass.

Those who wanted to stay out late or head to over 18’s zones could do just that, whilst those who want to peel off early to put the kids to bed can easily do so, too.

It was refreshing to find a festival where you can enjoy huge headline acts such as Lewis Capaldi and David Byrne, and not get caught up in the pushing, shoving and moshing that comes with other UK festivals.

Although – if you are wanting that vibe – head to the Trailer Park late at night, where alternative and up-and-coming acts like Grooveline put on incredible, high-energy sets.

This is also the area of the woods that’s best for exploring, where you’ll find everything from a redneck oracle offering life advice, to a rat-themed caravan hosting a rat-themed rave.

I won’t lie, this exploration was done during the early hours of the morning and I was starting to question my own eyes. But I can assure you that the Trailer Park, in all of its randomness, is real.

There’s even a secret, apres-ski themed stage that plays dance music and blasts fake snow over the crowd – accessible only by crawling through an unsuspecting ski shed.

Forgetting the chaos of the nighttime escapades, this festival experience can also be as relaxed as you want it to be.

Maybe it’s the chilled Suffolk countryside that puts everyone at ease, but this festival has an incredibly relaxed and friendly atmosphere.

There’s even free punting trips along the river, where you’ll cruise by a floating stage that puts on experimental art performances and classical music from a live orchestra.

And if you really want to unwind, there’s an entire wellness area dedicated to just that.

Slip through sparkling streamers into the zen zone and find food trucks serving nourishing smoothies, massage tents, saunas and daytime yoga sessions.

My favourite part of this zone was the “peace tree”, draped in flowers and colourful hangings, with soft cushions scattered across the grass beneath it.

It’s the ideal spot for a quick moment of meditation (or, let’s be honest, to retreat to when you’ve had one too many drinks).

Here, you can simply lie back on the earth, rest your head on a cushion, and breathe – and don’t worry, no one will judge if your quick lie-down turns into a full afternoon snooze.

To the left of the zen zone you’ll find the comedy tent, where you can catch a stand-up show from both budding talent and big names.

I managed to catch a set from the hilarious Sue Perkins, which started with all things Bake Off and ended on embarrassing, behind-the-scenes moments from her Netflix travel show.

Just a few minutes’ walk from the comedy tent will take you to the massive dedicated kids area, which is packed with free workshops, theatre shows and more from 10am – 6pm daily.

The baby and toddler tent offers a sheltered soft play plus areas to feed, change and even bathe the little ones.

For older kids, there’s a fairground with a giant helter skelter, plus a kids theatre tent with song and dance workshops, arts and crafts activities and pop-up Punch and Judy shows.

Over in the forest, you’ll find bushcraft skills, pop-up museums and interactive space and science stations. All in all, it’s pretty impossible for kids to get bored here.

When it comes to camping, there’s plenty of options.

There’s general weekend camping, plus dedicated family camping zones, ideal if you have children aged 16 and under in your group.

The family camping zone has its own ‘Enchanted Garden’ area with extra activities, plus it’s only a short walk from here into the main arena, which is ideal for those with little legs.

I stayed in the Pink Moon glamping area, which is well worth it if you’re looking to treat yourself.

Here there’s plenty of sparklingly-clean loos and showers, plus lounge zones with sofas and a dedicated pamper tent, complete with mirrors, hairdryers and straighteners that are yours to use.

As for food and drink, you’re pretty spoilt for choice here.

Stonebaked pizzas, macaroni cheese bowls, loaded jacket potatoes, coconut curries, duck wraps, fluffy Biscoff pancakes…my mouth is watering just thinking back to the meals I had.

Expect food festival prices, but my top recommendations would be to grab a salted maple iced latte from Pantha Coffee (£5), and indulge in home comforts with a full-on roast dinner from Roasthost (£18).

You can even just grab a side of roasties with gravy and cauli-cheese for a cheeky snack (£10).

Or head to The Local Larder by the kids zone to pack your own picnic, where you can put together a lunch of scotch eggs, sausage rolls, cheese twists, salads, pastries and more.

Ultimately, Latitude Festival can be whatever you make it.

Want a wholesome family camping weekend where the kids have a fairground and woodland workshops on their doorstep? Sorted.

Or days of drinking at waterfront wine bars, going punting, catching a few DJ and comedy sets thne ending the night by dancing to drum and bass? That’s easily done, too.

All of this in a fantastical woodland setting dotted with pink sheep, hidden forest raves and floating river stages – I’d say that’s a recipe for a pretty magical weekend.

Latitude 2027 Early Bird tickets go on sale on August 13 at 10am.

Day tickets start from £110 for adults and £18 for children.

General weekend camping tickets start at £308 for adults and £28 for kids, which covers four nights of camping plus entry to all free performances, workshops and activities.

Pink Moon camping starts from £285 per adult for the weekend, excluding a festival entry ticket.

See latitudefestival.com.