Thousands of festival-goers have arrived for the 12th edition of Latitude Festival.

Eastern Daily Press: Sadler's Wells dance troupe have got the crowd tonight at Latitude 2017 - Paul John BayfieldSadler's Wells dance troupe have got the crowd tonight at Latitude 2017 - Paul John Bayfield (Image: PAUL JOHN BAYFIELD)

The music and arts extravaganza takes place at Henham Park, near Southwold, until Sunday, July 16, with attendance this year set to reach a record-high of 40,000.

Latitude is still a relatively young festival in comparison to bigger brothers such as Glastonbury, Reading and Leeds.

However its ever-growing popularity is demonstrated by the organisers' ability to attract headliners The 1975, Mumford and Sons, and Fleet Foxes. They will take to the Obelisk Arena on Friday, Saturday and Sunday respectively.

Other notable artists on the main stage at this year's festival include electronic duo Goldfrapp, indie veterans The Coral, Two Door Cinema Club - who were forced to pull out of their set in 2014 due to illness - and John Cale, one of the founding members of the Velvet Underground.

Eastern Daily Press: Sadler's Wells dance troupe have got the crowd tonight at Latitude 2017 - Paul John BayfieldSadler's Wells dance troupe have got the crowd tonight at Latitude 2017 - Paul John Bayfield (Image: PAUL JOHN BAYFIELD)

Also on the bill are alternative rockers Placebo and legendary DJ, Fatboy Slim, who will both take to the BBC Music Stage.

But far from simply being a music event, Latitude has developed an outstanding reputation for its extensive variety of poetry, literary, theatre and dance performers.

In addition, renowned comedians such as Dara O'Briain, Reginald D Hunter and Katherine Ryan will be providing plenty of belly laughs.

When the festival began in 2006, capacity was just 15,000. Since then, organisers have had to cope with spiralling demand for tickets, leading to an increased capacity of 25,000 in 2009, before a further 10,000 tickets were made available the following year.

Eastern Daily Press: Pimms O'Clock at Latitude 2017 - Paul John BayfieldPimms O'Clock at Latitude 2017 - Paul John Bayfield (Image: PAUL JOHN BAYFIELD)

This year will see more revellers than ever before heading towards the Suffolk coast for a weekend for a feast of entertainment.

Meanwhile, police have urged visitors to think about their safety and the security of their possessions ahead of this year's festival.

Officers are warning that the relaxed atmosphere means it is easy to forget about safety and security, making it attractive to those looking to take advantage of unwitting music fans.

Day tickets for Saturday at Latitude Festival have sold out, but you can still get Friday, Sunday and weekend tickets by visiting www.latitudefestival.com/tickets

Eastern Daily Press: First arrivals on Thursday evening at Latitude 2017 - Paul John BayfieldFirst arrivals on Thursday evening at Latitude 2017 - Paul John Bayfield (Image: PAUL JOHN BAYFIELD)

Eastern Daily Press: First arrivals at Latitude 2017 on Thursday evening. Picture: PAUL JOHN BAYFIELDFirst arrivals at Latitude 2017 on Thursday evening. Picture: PAUL JOHN BAYFIELD (Image: PAUL JOHN BAYFIELD)

Eastern Daily Press: Ready for the big weekend at Latitude 2017. Picture: PAUL JOHN BAYFIELDReady for the big weekend at Latitude 2017. Picture: PAUL JOHN BAYFIELD (Image: PAUL JOHN BAYFIELD)