Sir Matthew Bourne's SWAN LAKE Will Return to Latitude Festival
SWAN LAKE will be showcased at Henham Park from 23-26 July 2026.
Latitude Festival has revealed the full programme for its Waterfront Stage at the 20th anniversary edition, taking place 23-26 July 2026 in the stunning grounds of Henham Park, Suffolk.
The announcement comes as Latitude prepares to celebrate its 20th anniversary with a programme befitting two decades of fearless cultural ambition. A festival that has always refused to be defined by a single art form, blending music, theatre, literature, comedy and dance into something entirely its own, Latitude 2026 marks the milestone with headline acts including David Byrne in a UK festival exclusive, Lewis Capaldi and Teddy Swims, alongside The Flaming Lips, The Last Dinner Party, Wet Leg, Self Esteem and Jalen Ngonda.
Melvin Benn, Festival Founder and Director, said, "Latitude was built on the belief that every art form deserves an audience. At a time when Hollywood is questioning whether ballet and opera can still find new audiences, Sir Matthew Bourne's New Adventures bringing Swan Lake back to a festival field in Suffolk for the first time in a decade, a production that has been selling out theatres for thirty years is all the answer you need. Which is, when you think about it, exactly what Latitude has always believed."
Latitude Festival marks its 20th anniversary in bold style, with Sir Matthew Bourne's New Adventures taking over the Waterfront Stage, in partnership with DanceEast, for an unmissable programme of world-class dance by the lake. Headlining the programme is the long-awaited return of the iconic Swan Lake, back at Latitude for the first time in a decade and a crowning moment for the festival's milestone year. Sir Matthew Bourne's audacious, rule-breaking reinvention of Tchaikovsky's masterpiece caused a sensation when it premiered almost 30 years ago, and has since won over 30 international awards including three Tony Awards and an Olivier. Two stars of Sir Matthew Bourne's dance company New Adventures, Liam Mower and Andy Monaghan, will perform an excerpt from this monumental production. Alongside it, New Adventures' Doorstep Duets brings an altogether different magic to the festival, with joyful performances that invite festival-goers to experience exceptional dance in an extraordinary setting. Over at The Listening Post, a rare and intimate conversation with Sir Matthew Bourne, the most successful dance theatre director in British history, joined by Anthony Missen, incoming Chief Executive and Creative Director of DanceEast, offers festival-goers a quite different perspective on an artist whose relationship with Latitude stretches back across the festival's two decades.
Sir Matthew Bourne said: "It is 10 years since we last performed an excerpt of my Swan Lake at Latitude to a huge crowd. As the show has just celebrated its 30th anniversary with a sell-out tour, it feels fitting to bring it back with two of our New Adventures stars performing perhaps the most iconic Swan/Prince duet in the show. My company, New Adventures, has been a regular at Latitude over the years with our Doorstep Duets performances and always to such a warm and enthusiastic audience. I'm delighted that you can catch both Swan Lake and Doorstep Duets this year."
In partnership with DanceEast, the Waterfront also presents an extraordinary range of companies from across the contemporary dance world. One of the most exciting choreographers working in Britain today, Vicki Igbokwe-Ozoagu brings Uchenna Dance's Our Mighty Groove to the Waterfront, a joyful, fearless celebration of Black British culture, community and movement that opened Sadler's Wells East in 2025 and won the Black British Theatre Award for Best Dance Production. A mass movement choreographer at the London 2012 Olympics and an associate artist at The Place, Igbokwe-Ozoagu is one of the most distinctive and important voices in contemporary British dance. Canadian ice dance company Le Patin Libre present Wheels & Cello, a thrilling fusion of skates, wheels and live music. Alleyne Dance perform Far From Home, a deeply personal work exploring displacement and belonging, while Ekleido bring two works: Femina (Excerpt) and Rorschach. PCK Dance present Vessel, completing a programme of remarkable range and ambition.
Olivier Award-winning Little Bulb bring Listen Dance to Latitude: a raucous evening of social dance from ceilidh to disco to drum & bass, led by a nine-piece live band. The Observer called them "the cause of big joy." Rounding out the Waterfront, The Place returns with BUGS!, an irresistible, family-friendly celebration of the insect world, and Almost Synchro delivers a playful, charming and utterly unique performance that has delighted festival audiences across the country.
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