8 things to watch for at Supercrawl 2015

We're just days away from the 2015 iteration of Supercrawl, which has quickly become Hamilton's largest summer music festival.

• READ MORE: 5 underrated acts you need to see at Supercrawl 2015

Downtown Hamilton will be slammed with music, art and things to do from Friday to Sunday, so you'll need to plan ahead to make sure you don't miss out.

Here are eight things to watch for Supercrawl this year.

The music

Music continues to be Supercrawl's biggest draw, and this year is no exception. Local musicians dominate the headliners this year, with Monster Truck headlining the main stage Friday night, and Daniel Lanois capping off the festival's main stage on Sunday night.

Sandwiched in between the local talent on the main stage this weekend is Sharon Jones and the Daptone Soul Review and the funk and soul revivalists promise to be a highlight.

There are dozens of other notable bands big and small playing over the weekend, from local stalwarts like Terra Lightfoot and Steve Strongman, to newer acts like The Vaudevillian and Laura Cole.

The art

As an offshoot of James Street's monthly Art Crawl, there's obviously a heavy focus on art at Supercrawl.

There are a bunch of art installations on James Street, like Matt Rogalsky's live electroacoustic music and sound installation and interdisciplinary artist Sonny Assu's large-scale installations.

Another highlight will no doubt be Tor Lukasik Foss' "I Am Not a Psychic" exhibit, where performers with no claim to psychic abilities will tell you your fortune anyway.

Visit the Supercrawl website for a full list of artists.

The food

Street festivals are the perfect excuse to stuff yourself until you just can't move anymore and have to sit down and this weekend is no exception.

There are plenty of options for street food, from locals like Gorilla Cheese and Southern Smoke to trucks that make the trek down from Toronto.

Don't forget there are also lots of great restaurants open on the street too, like Charred Chicken, Mulberry Street Coffeehouse, the Burnt Tongue soup, Salt Lick Smokehouse and Wild Orchid (to name a few).

Loads of open flame

Make sure you get to James and Wilson for Circus Orange's pyrotechnic aerial circus show. It's a crowd pleaser every year, but gets packed really quickly. Expect shoulder to shoulder crowds again this year.

Past shows have included acrobats, fire, trampolines, fire, elaborate costumes, fire, a flaming helicopter, a flamethrower and even more fire.

This year's show includes a "spectacular pyrotechnic orb." We have no idea what that is, but definitely want to see it.

The weather

The forecast during Supercrawl wasn't super favourable last year, and it's a mixed bag this year.

Environment Canada is calling for a mix of sun and clouds on Friday, with a high of 24 C.

Saturday, however, it's cloudy skies and a 60 per cent chance of rain. Sunday is a mix of sun and cloud with a chance of rain.

Make sure you dress for the weather no one likes watching bands when they're drenched.

The afterparties

There are plenty of options to keep the party going downtown after the main event is done this weekend. There are afterparties with live music happening at This Ain't Hollywood on James North, as well as at Baltimore House, Homegrown Hamilton and Absinthe on King William.

For people who don't mind walking a little, there are some great pubs on Augusta Street, which is just south of the main event on James Street South. For anyone looking to dance, head to Hess Village at Main and Hess you'll likely want to take a cab if you're heading over there though.

Speakers

If you're looking for a bit of a reprieve from the madness of the festival, a series of educational talks are happening at Mills Hardware at 95 King Street East, running the gamut of topics from healthcare, TIFF short films and the always-interesting Steel City Stories.

Also make sure to catch the ultra-inspirational Talli Osbourne (who was born missing her arms and bones in her legs) when she's speaking about overcoming adversity.

You can catch Talli on Friday at 7:30 p.m. on the Mohawk College Fashion stage.

Fashion

Speaking of fashion, there's plenty to show off at the festival this year.

There's Agata Waclawska's cosplay fashion show, alongside works from Blackbird Studios, Queen Cee, Eye of Faith and more.

For a full listing, check out the Supercrawl website.

Supercrawl runs from Friday, Sept. 11 to Sunday, Sept. 13 in downtown Hamilton.

adam.carter@cbc.ca