n only its sophomore year, Harvest Festival have already built itself a reputation for compiling a stellar musical offering, with Sigur Ros, Beck and Grizzly Bear spearheading the line-up this year. But the festival also includes an arts program vibrant enough to lure you away from the main stages for a while. And don’t worry about missing out on your favourite bands, the festival organisers have arranged plenty of time between sets so you can take a breather and wander to the arts events.

Following the success of last year’s arts program, this year’s arts line-up includes over 400 artists presenting 80 acts and installations, from cabaret and burlesque acts to comedy, theatre and spoken word in the tantalisingly titled ‘The Secret Garden’.

Highlights from the arts component include The Secret Garden’s Campfire Stage, situated in a natural amphitheatre, which will house sell-out hit from Sydney Writers Festival, Erotic Fan Fiction, where well-known scribes will write and read aloud a short piece of smut, crass enough to make you blush. Also, don’t miss out on the Comedy Picnic, where some funny folk including Felicity Ward, Lessons with Luis and Rhys Nicholson will bring on the chuckles.

With the full music timetable out already, there is plenty of time to set aside a moment or two to check out Harvest’s home to all things burlesque and vaudeville, Bootleg Alley. Here is where you can catch the striptease-ing, trapeze-ing burlesque duo Trixie Little and Evil Hate Monkey all the way from Coney Island, not to mention The League of Sideshow Superstars, a band of performers with a talent for truly eye-popping stunts.

Finally, before you head back out to the main stages, check out The Garden Stage, where DJs will be dishing out funk, reggae, electro, disco and soul tunes. A little bird also told us there will be surprise sets from very special guests.

Check out the full timetable on the Harvest Festival website for the complete arts program. Harvest Festival is happening in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane from November 10. Tickets are on sale now from harvestfestival.com.au.