Clemency suggests | 12 July 2008

Festivals
In only its third year, the laid-back Latitude (17-20 July) has gained a reputation for being one of Britain’s finest festivals, and it certainly has one of the most enticing and interesting line-ups of any event this summer. More than a merely musical extravaganza, the beautiful site on Henham Park Estate in Suffolk will also host comics, poets, writers, theatre companies, film directors, actors, cabaret artists and musicians, alongside headlining acts such as Franz Ferdinand, Interpol, Blondie and Sigur Ros. I’ve packed the pop-up tent and the Hunters and am now crossing my fingers and praying for sunshine… Rain or shine, this year will mark the 25th anniversary of the Edinburgh Books Festival (9-25 August), and as usual the line-up is magnificent: Sean Connery, Salman Rushdie, Margaret Atwood alongside a plethora of other luminaries from the arts, sciences and politics. Mix up the late nights and chaos of the fringe with some civilised intellectual time-out in Charlotte Square Gardens.