Latitude Festival Reveals Listening Post And Bookshop Artists

Celebrated multi-arts festival Latitude has revealed even more of its stellar 2025 lineup. Taking place from 24th to 27th July in the stunning grounds of Henham Park in Suffolk, Latitude is much more than a music festival-it's a vibrant celebration of creative expression spanning comedy, theatre, spoken word, and beyond. Today's announcement includes the new acts added The Listening Post and The Bookshop joining headliners Sting, Snow Patrol, Fatboy Slim, Basement Jaxx, and Elbow and comedy stars Reggie Watts, Greg Davies, and Bridget Christie. Latitude 2025 promises an immersive, unforgettable experience-a diverse bill where music and the arts collide. Tickets are on sale now.

Melvin Benn, Festival Founder and Director, said, "Today's announcements highlight Latitude Festival's dedication to pushing the boundaries of creativity. From groundbreaking music to thought-provoking spoken word, this year's lineup continues to showcase the festival's commitment to diversity and innovation. The Listening Post will amplify voices that challenge, inspire, and connect, and our expanded programme in The Bookshop, in collaboration with the National Poetry Centre, Martha Kearney and Faber will provide a space where poetry, prose, and performance come together."

Since debuting in 2019, The Listening Post at Latitude has become a festival highlight, celebrating the power of live spoken word. This year, the stage will continue to feature a dynamic mix of poetry, prose, and bold new voices. Notable guests include Brian Bilston, 'the Banksy of the Poetry World' and unofficial Poet Laureate of social media,, known for his humorous verse.

Also appearing is journalist and author Maya Oppenheim, who will join Sarah McDonald, CEO of Tender, for a timely discussion on the growing gulf between young boys and girls. They will explore the impact of Andrew Tate and the manosphere and discuss how we can tackle these issues head-on, tying into themes explored in Netflix's hit drama Adolescence, which sparked a national conversation about social media's influence and the rise of toxic online masculinity. Oppenheim will also draw from her book, Pocket Guide to the Patriarchy, offering valuable insights into gender inequality and the cultural shifts affecting today's youth.

The Bookshop at Latitude is thrilled to announce three major partnerships for the upcoming festival season with Martha Kearney, The National Poetry Centre and Faber & Faber. These exciting collaborations will bring a diverse range of discussions to the festival. Full details of the programmes will be unveiled before the festival, promising a dynamic line-up of renowned authors, poets, and thought leaders.

Martha Kearney will curate a special day of nature writing events at The Bookshop on Friday, bringing together celebrated authors and nature enthusiasts to explore the connection between storytelling and the natural world. A long-time resident of Suffolk, Kearney possesses a profound love for the countryside and frequently walks at Redgrave and Lopham Fen, a wetland landscape owned by the Suffolk Wildlife Trust. After stepping down from The Today Programme last year, Kearney has focused on nature, continuing her work with BBC Radio 4 on Open Country and This Natural Life. In This Natural Life, she invites guests such as Cate Blanchett, Martin Clunes, and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall to significant outdoor locations, where they reflect on wildlife and its impact on their lives. Kearney's deep passion for the natural world is also evident in her television programmes, including The Wonder of Bees and The Great Butterfly Adventure, as well as her live reports from Antarctica and the Arctic for Today, covering scientists' research in remote stations.

Martha said, "I have been coming to Latitude for close to 20 years and love the way the festival has celebrated writing as well as music. It will be brilliant to introduce so many talented nature writers to a broader audience"

For the first time, Latitude Festival will partner with the National Poetry Centre in Leeds. The brainchild of Poet Laureate Simon Armitage, the National Poetry Centre promises to be a national hub for poetry, literacy, and learning. This visionary project will celebrate diverse voices, foster creativity, and make poetry more accessible. As part of its mission, the centre will bring poets to Latitude, taking over The Bookshop and ensuring that poetry continues to inspire, challenge, and connect generations.

Faber, one of the world's great independent publishing houses, is taking over The Bookshop on Saturday. Founded in 1929 with poetry at its core - with T.S. Eliot as its first Poetry Editor - Faber has consistently discovered and published the finest writers in fiction, non-fiction, poetry, drama, film, and children's books. Home to iconic authors such as Sylvia Plath, Samuel Beckett, Ted Hughes, Kae Tempest, Seamus Heaney, P.D. James, and Sally Rooney, boasting thirteen Nobel Laureates and six Booker Prize-winners, Faber's transformative impact on the literary world endures.

The Penguin Podcast is coming to Latitude Festival with a special live episode of its series, Ask Penguin. In this live recording, the podcast will take listeners on a journey of literary discovery, with a panel of experts providing book recommendations in response to our listeners' book dilemmas and reading requests. From bringing the magic of books to life to discovering your next page-turning read, Ask Penguin covers it all.

Comedians Amy Gledhill and Harriet Kemsley will bring their podcast Single Ladies in Your Area to the stage, exploring the challenges of dating in your 30s. Emily Buchanan will read from her acclaimed debut novel, Send Flowers, a story about grief and activism, while Sarah Lamptey and Alice Hopkins return to host, guiding audiences through a weekend of thought-provoking discussions, poetry, and live performances.

After selling out shows across the country with JOY!, East Anglian poet Luke Wright is back with a sticky-floored celebration of the ordinary. Here the poet conjures up a world of Tuesday lunchtimes and small town boozers in poems that burst with inventive language with new work Pub Grub.

Luke will also perform The Driver. Here he narrates his life from behind the wheel, taking in the ring roads, flyovers, service stations, leisure parks, motels and lay-bys of England. As he drives, he keeps an eye on the past through the rear-view mirror. Luke Wright's words are set to music by composer Benjamin Oliver. The music combines orchestral sonorities, at times referencing English medieval polyphony and music by Purcell and Parry, with the familiar sounds heard within the environment of a car.

Norfolk's Patrick Barkham, a renowned natural history writer for The Guardian, will be a guest of Martha Kearney at The Bookshop. A key figure in the revitalisation of British nature writing, Patrick is the author of several acclaimed books, including The Butterfly Isles, Badgerlands, Islander, Coastlines, and Wild Child. His work has earned him a shortlisting for prestigious awards such as the Ondaatje Prize and the Wainwright Prize.

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