AVA Belfast: What do I need to know before the festival starts?

It's one of Belfast's biggest festivals and it is about to bring international musicians, emerging local talent and techno fans together for its twelfth year. This year 80 artists will take to the stage of the two day AVA festival including KETTAMA, Annie Mac, Honey Dijon, Interplanetary Criminal and KNEECAP. Sarah McBriar, founder of AVA (Audio Visual Arts) and UP Productions, said: "We are expecting the festival's largest audience to date, with visitors from as far as Japan and Australia." The festival is taking place at Titanic Slipways on Friday and Saturday. Speaking to BBC News NI, McBrair said the festival has expanded significantly since its inception 12 years ago. "It started in the docks in the old sort of industrial warehouse. It was one day, two stages, 1,500-ish people, and now, we've got five stages and 10,000 people coming a day. "We've been able to evolve how we design the festival, how we platform artists, and we've got live acts all the way through to DJs, all the way through to hip hop. We're very excited about how it's evolved and changed." "With new stages, an evolved site and 80 artists across two days, plus the largest art installation in our history. It's in