Heading to Ballymaloe Litfest? Here’s your survival guide

If you’re among the more than 8,000 visitors expected at this weekend’s Kerrygold Ballymaloe Literary Festival of Food & Wine in Shanagarry, Co Cork, here’s what you need to know to get the most out of your visit:

If you've booked into a cookery demonstration, these are held at The Ballymaloe Cookery School. This is also where the cookery school's well stocked shop is located and it will be open all weekend. Your demonstration will start with a lovely cup of tea or coffee and a sweet treat from the kitchens, so get there in time to enjoy those.

There is parking at both the cookery school and the hotel, though there is much more availability at the hotel, and a free shuttle bus runs regularly between the two venues all weekend.

The Grainstore at Ballymaloe House Hotel, a couple of miles down the road from the cookery school, is the venue for a weekend of Ted Talk style 15-minute presentations on the topic: Our Food – What's the Story. You can buy half-day (€50), full day (€90) or weekend (€170) tickets for this, and it's not all chat, there'll be music, food personalities reading their favourite piece of food writing, short film presentations, and an event billed as "Rory O'Connell Prepares a Salad", that you can expect to deliver much more than its title suggests.

Panel discussion, talks and readings are held at both venues. In addition, there are lots of interesting, and free, events in The Garden Tent at Ballymaloe House all weekend. Don't miss Jim Carroll's Banter sessions, including one with London restaurateur and writer Yotam Ottolenghi (Saturday, 4pm). The Irish Food Writers' Guild will be hosting a forum in the tent (Saturday, 12.15pm), at which members will talk about what they're writing about and why it excites them. It's an informal session and you'll be able to ask questions too.

The social hub for the weekend, and home of the fringe festival, is The Big Shed, at Ballymaloe House. This is where you'll go to eat, drink, attend fringe events, and later on, strut your stuff on the dancefloor. Food stalls you'll be able to refuel at include Volcano wood-fired pizza, Ivan's restaurant, Toonsbridge Dairy, Ummera Foods, Ryan's Arbutus Bread, Rebel Foods, Green Saffron Spices, The Rocket Man, Gidi's Kebabs, Gubeen Farmhouse and many more. Admission to The Big Shed and fringe festival is €5, children under 12 free.

The food, drinks, garden and craft stalls in The Big Shed will be open 7.30pm to 10pm Friday and and from 10am to 10pm Saturday and Sunday, and the Ballymaloe Shop Cafe will be open 9am to 5pm all weekend.

Another free event to mark in your programme for the weekend is the Butter Brunch Boogie, at the Kerrygold Corner in The Big Shed, noon-2pm on Sunday, where there will be butter making, music and food on offer.

The Cully & Sully and GIY ExPEArience the Food Cycle area was a big draw last year, and it is also open to visitors all weekend. Sowing, growing, eating and composting are presented in a stylish way here, and you can make bio-char, test your green fingers, and get advice on any aspect of growing your own food.

The Family Area will keep little ones amused, with events all weekend, including non-stop craft activities, garden tours and woodland walks and a comfy sofa to crash out on if it all gets too much.

If you have a particular chef/author that you'd like to meet, and you haven't been able to get a ticket for their event, the weekend-long book signings in the pop-up bookstore, near The Big Shed, is a good place to head for. A schedule for the signings will be posted in the bookstore. But, the beauty of Litfest is that it's a no-red-carpet zone, and you're as likely to meet your hero buying a burger in The Big Shed, queuing for a pint of craft beer, or squeezing into The Garden tent for a look at what's on.

For last minute information on accommodation, lifts and car-pooling, check out the Litfest Facebook forum: www.facebook.com/groups/251667218333220/?ref=bookmarksTonight's welcome party in The Big Shed is open to everyone and starts at 7.30pm. There'll be music from the Céilí Allstars, followed by DJ Colm Motherway at 10pm and food stalls will be open.

For more information and to check ticket availability, see litfest.ie or telephone 021-4645777. The full programme of fringe festival events is at http://www.litfest.ie/content/fringe-festival-programme

And if you can't make it down to Ballymaloe, keep abreast of all the events and news on irishtimes.com/food where Marie Claire Digby and Catherine Cleary will be reporting