10 tips for your festival visit

[caption id="attachment_158148" align="aligncenter" width="550"] Picture: Gillian McAinsh[/caption] Seasoned festival goers know that you need more than tickets and a thick jacket to survive the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown. Gillian McAinsh gives an insider’s advice on how to make the most of the weekend ahead 1. Start off the day with a fresh pineapple juice from the Sunshine J stall at the entrance to the Village Green

2. Be tech-savvy : pay for your purchases via Snapscan and use your TicketHut card to skip the ticket queue and print out your own tickets

3. Enjoy the t-shirt humour from Laugh It Off and T-Shirt Terrorist

[caption id="attachment_158141" align="aligncenter" width="550"] Picture: Gillian McAinsh[/caption] 4. Visit the Half-Price Hut to see what shows you can see on a budget

[caption id="attachment_158121" align="aligncenter" width="550"] Picture: Gillian McAinsh[/caption] 5. Take small change for the kids who mime in white-face and the pop-up car guards

[caption id="attachment_158122" align="aligncenter" width="572"] Picture: Gillian McAinsh[/caption] 6. Try the hot gluwein at DSG Hall alongside the cool jazz going down in the Standard Bank Jazz Festival

[caption id="attachment_158142" align="aligncenter" width="550"] Picture: Gillian McAinsh[/caption]

7. Catch the free Sundowner Concert at the Monument at 5pm each day

[caption id="attachment_158125" align="aligncenter" width="550"] Picture: Gillian McAinsh[/caption] 8. Enjoy the free art, which includes the creative and clever posters plastered all over town

[caption id="attachment_158137" align="aligncenter" width="550"] Picture: Gillian McAinsh[/caption]

9. Soak up the street performers

[caption id="attachment_158118" align="aligncenter" width="550"] Street performer Emil du Toit at the National Arts Festival Picture: Gillian McAinsh[/caption] 10. Take an open mind