FESTIVAL INFORMATION
Latitude Festival takes place for the second year at Henham Park on the 13th July for a three day performing arts festival in one of the UK’s most incredible settings on the sunrise coast.
SAFETY
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CRIME PREVENTION
Festivals are full of young, fun loving and like-minded people but beware they are also an easy patch for career criminals and opportunists who know how festival goers tick, and the Latitude Festival is sadly no exception and so please read through the advice below and plan ahead for the event.
Festival Republic, Latitude Festival organisers, and Suffolk Constabulary have teamed up together to provide information to both festival goers and parents alike that may help those who will be attending the Latitude Festival this year.
We are all keen to ensure that the festival goers do what they can to prevent themselves from becoming a victim of crime and we have compiled the following festival savvy tips – some tips probably wouldn’t work anywhere else but at a festival!
1. VALUABLES
Quite simply – please DON’T BRING THEM! Ipods, MP3 players etc - you don’t need them here – there is enough going on for you to be entertained without them.
If you have to bring them please use the left luggage facility rather then store them in your tent.
Split your cash and cards into two hoards so that if one lot goes – you have back up
Keep your valuables under your pillow or zipped up in a pocket well inside your tent while you sleep rather than by the door.
Don’t carry anything in back pockets –especially at the stages, pockets with zips are better.
Don’t leave anything valuable in your car – maybe go and check on your car twice during the show? Leave your glove compartment empty and also open.
2. CAMPSITES
If you have any concerns about your safety in the campsites, camp somewhere well lit, go near a fire tower or by your zone managers gazebo.
Introduce yourself to campsite staff, show them where your tent is, stick a funny flag on it so it’s easy for them to see, and ask them to keep an eye out. They will.
Introduce yourself to your neighbours and set up a neighbourhood watch system, it may sound naff but experience shows that the best and friendliest campsites are the ones with people in that make the effort to do so. More friends to party with too.
Report anything or anyone suspicious to campsite staff – you can do this anonymously if you wish and that is what the staff are there for.
Don’t put a padlock on your tent as this will invite thieves.
Don’t bury your valuables by your tent as someone is bound to be watching.
3. PERSONAL SAFETY
Make sure your mobile is charged up on a daily basis - in the early afternoon - so that it is ok for the night when it’s dark, the stages get busy and you are more likely to lose each other. A trader onsite should be sellling battery operated phone charges if you need them. Ask at the information tent in the Village for exact locations of these traders. Plan ahead. Festival time is slow and it can take a long time to get from A to B.
Keep your phone well hidden – how annoying would it be to lose all your contacts?
Stay in groups and be tolerant of friends slowing you down.
Arrange an easy meeting point with your mates before you get to the event and also three times a day (eg. 2pm, 6pm and 1am) that you will be there if you get split up. No one likes to be left to have fun on their own for long.
If you do become a victim of crime – DO NO RESIST – give them what they want and make sure you get a good look at them or their clothes, so that when you report them we have a good head start. Also, make a note of exactly where you are if you can – look out for loos, fire towers, unusual tents, what colour the bunting is and what the road name is etc
The welfare tent is there for you in the Village, as is the onsite police surgery daily in the Left Luggage Tent in the Village. These facilities are there to help you if you need it.
If you have an incident with a security guard, steward or any other member of our staff that you want to tell us about – please make a note of their tabard number, or the name on their pass. Without this information we can do very little as identifying them without this number or name is very difficult.
Please don’t be alarmed by our advice – just be forwarned that it does happen to some people and we don’t want it to be you. Plan ahead.
Oh, and have the most memorable festival of your life for all the right reasons!
Onsite Services - Emergencies
In an Emergency please contact the nearest member of security or steward for help. There is an onsite fire fighting team who are fully equipped to deal with any fires and are backed up by Suffolk Fire and Rescue service if required. There are fire observation towers located around the perimeter of the campsites. There are fire extinguishers located throughout the site and many of the stewards and security staff have been trained in fire safety in addition to the onsite fire fighting team.
There are medics onsite who are fully equipped to deal with all situations along with a First Aid in the Village area. The medics also 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.
Fire Safety Advice
Candles are plain dangerous; torches are far less of a fire risk in and around tents. Watch out for flying embers and sparks, as they could start a fire, even from some distance
Don't burn plastic or any other toxic materials, please.
Never use petrol or paraffin to start or revive a fire.
If you cook, always do it outside, ensure that there is constant supervision and keep well away from any flammable materials.
Always change camping gas cylinders outside tents - never inside - even if it is raining.
When changing gas cylinders, ensure gas tap is in the 'off' position, otherwise the gas will ignite when the cylinder is pierced and you could get burned, sometimes badly. Do not smoke when changing gas cylinders.
No fireworks are allowed onsite. Any fireworks that are found will be confiscated.
What Should You Do If You Discover A Fire?
You must get everyone out of the tent, evacuate the area as quickly as possible and get help from the nearest steward or security who will call the onsite Fire Safety Team. In the campsites you can go to the nearest Fire Tower (situated around the perimeter of the campsites and easily visible). In the unlikely event that you cannot find a member of security or steward nearby then please dial 999.
You may discover a fire in its very early stages and think that you can deal with it yourself. The first thing that you should remember is that fire spreads very quickly. Even a small contained fire can quickly spread, producing smoke and fumes which can kill in seconds. If you are in any doubt do not tackle the fire, no matter how small. You can put yourself at risk by fighting the fire. If in doubt, get out, get the onsite Fire Safety Team out, stay out. Many people put out small fires quite safely. However, some people die or are injured by tackling fires which are beyond their capabilities. Here is a simple fire code to help you decide whether to put out or get out -
Only tackle a fire in its very early stages
Always put your own and other peoples safety first. Make sure you can escape if you need to and never let a fire block your exit.
Fire extinguishers are only for fighting a fire in its very early stages. Never tackle a fire if it is starting to spread or has spread to other items nearby. Around 70% of fire deaths are caused by people being overcome by smoke and fumes.