After the huge success of the inaugural Cosmic Shambles Forest of Science and Culture at Latitude last year, we’re excited to be headed back in 2026 with even more for audiences to enjoy. That means more shows, more events, more stages, more Shambles! And this time, we’re bringing an astronaut…
And of course with this being the twentieth anniversary of Latitude, a festival we’ve had a presence at every single year since it began, we’ve got some extra special things planned! Tickets for this year’s festival are selling fast so head to the Latitude site to get full weekend passes or just a day pass. This year’s festival runs July 23 to 26 in Henham Park, Suffolk.
Shambles co-founder Robin Ince said, “Of all the festival fields that have been my temporary summer homes over the years, Latitude is where we have been able to create some of the wildest and silliest ideas of my career. It remains a joy to make new friendships, meet new audiences and find new creative partners. Latitude lives on each year long after the gates have closed in what I build and express for the rest of the year”.
The Apollo Stage will remain the centrepiece of the Forest. This large tent and stage will host all manner of talks, panels and performances throughout the weekend.
And BRAND NEW for 2026 is a second performance space, The Satellite Stage.
A smaller stage further into the forest, located inside a barn and flowing out onto the forest floor, this stage will host workshops, Q&A sessions and intimate performances. The Satellite Stage will feature events and shows Friday through Sunday which means double the amount of Shambles shows this year!!
Our producer, forest curator and other Shambles co-founder, Trent Burton, said, "Latitude is always one of our favourite events of the year and it has been for twenty years. Last year we built something we were incredibly proud of, and the response from packed out audiences was frankly a bit overwhelming. So rather than simply run it back, this year we’re going bigger. Because that’s the Shambles way. A whole extra stage, more performers, more shows, more museums and definitely more crabs. And an astronaut. We can’t wait to share what we’ve got in store this year with the amazing Latitude crowd”.
And because not even the forest can contain us, there’ll be Shambles shows spilling out across the festival this year as well! Josie Long will be returning to the Comedy Arena for the first time in a decade. Nine Lessons for Latitude will make its return for an evening extravaganza at The Listening Post and we’re also presenting Ocean Songs, a live music and science spectacle with Steve Pretty and Professor Helen Czerski on The Waterfront Stage.
We don’t do things by halves…
And so now to the first batch of speakers and performers who will be joining us at Henham Park this summer. Continuing the trend of going bigger in 2026, we thought we should bring an astronaut. We’re delighted that one of our headliners this year is none other than Britain’s first astronaut, Helen Sharman!
Helen said, “Science, emotion and beauty come together in space exploration, and Latitude Festival is a joyful reminder of why curiosity matters.
I am delighted to be joining Robin, Trent and the Cosmic Shambles team at Latitude this summer, and I’m looking forward to sharing stories of space, science, and what it means to reach for the stars”.
There will be more names added before the festival and a few surprises too. But for now, we’re pleased to announce … <insert your own drumroll SFX here>
Robin Ince - Comedian, Author, Broadcaster, Shambles Co-Founder
Professor Helen Czerski - Physicist, Oceanographer, Author, Broadcaster
Dr Helen Sharman - Britain’s first astronaut
Robert Llewellyn - Actor, Comedian, Broadcaster, EV advocate
Natalie Haynes - Author, Classicist
Reece Shearsmith - Actor and Writer
Professor Chris Jackson - Geologist
Dr Roma Agrawal - Engineer and author
Josie Long - Comedian and Writer
Subhadra Das - Historian and author
Professor Kevin Fong - Anaesthetist, space medicine expert, broadcaster, author
Bec Hill - Comedian, presenter and author
Dr Suze Kundu - Nanochemist and presenter
Miranda Lowe - Crustacean expert and museum curator
Dr Clara Nellist - Particle Physicist
Sonny Tennet - Singer / Songwriter
Dr Hannah Wakeford - Astrophysicist, astronomer
Trent Burton - Director, producer, co-founder of Cosmic Shambles
Professor Jon Butterworth - Particle Physicist and Author
Dr Sammie Buzzard - Glaciologist
Charlotte Carpenter - Singer / Songwriter
Professor Navneet Kapur - Psychiatrist and Suicide Researcher
Ben Moor - Comedian, actor and writer
Joanna Neary - Comedian, actor and writer
Dr Larissa Palethorpe - Astrophysicist
Steve Pretty - Musician and composer
John-Luke Roberts - Comedian and Writer
Dr Andre Rowe - Palaeontologist
Dr Ami Sawran - Vet
Ginny Smith - Neuroscience writer and presenter
And on Museum Street we’re excited to welcome a whole batch of new interactive spaces for you to get involved with alongside 2025’s crowd favourite, The Crab Museum, which returns this year. Joining them will be the National Space Centre, The Saw Trust, pumpkins_etc, Braintastic! and more to follow!
The Bookshop and Shambles Shop will also return alongside a cafe, bar and other amenities.
We hope to see you at the Festival this year. We loved meeting so many Shambles fans both old and new last year! And, as last year, we’ll have the chance for one lucky paid Patreon or Substack subscriber to win a full festival double pass with camping valued at over £600.00.
SIGN UP TODAY and not only could you win this amazing price, but you’d be supporting an independent voice in science and culture broadcasting.