Laneway is back in the Port! Here's our picks of what to see when and the best times to sub-out of the action for a cider and a lie back on the grass.

For months you’ve had your Laneway ticket in the top drawer of your bedside table. You bought it before you checked out the lineup because Laneway’s a festival you can trust.

Your phone is prepped; every artist that isn’t on the lineup has been removed and you’ve had the playlist on shuffle to and from work every day for a fortnight.

It’s 11:30am on Friday, you just got off the train, you’re standing at the gate, ticket in your back pocket, and the entire day ahead of you. It begins.

11:30am – Suss the food options

Luckily, your friend suggested going to The Gov for breakfast, so you don’t need to graze right now, but you know you need to be economical with your time or risk missing acts later, so you run a loop of the vendors and make mental notes of the menus.

11:55am – Sparkspitter (Lion Flour Stage)

What kind of person are you if you don’t support the Adelaide Unearthed winners? Anyway, it was either this or listen to some lads complain about how their girlfriends don’t like their boozin’.

Your friend leaves half way through the set to buy drinks. This is the last time you will see her in the daylight.

12:30pm – Jesse Davidson (Hart’s Mill Stage)

You can support non-Adelaide artists later on in the day, right now Jesse’s tempered crooning is waiting for you. This is where you should be.

1:00pm – First attempt at buying a drink

You’ve lost all hope of your friend returning with a cider, so you head to the bar.

The line is long and you’re worried about missing Perfect Pussy, so you decide to head to the market area instead. Cold brew coffee from Mischief Brew is a wiser decision.

2:00pm – Perfect Pussy (Mistletone Stage)

You’ve been flicking through clothes, heavily fixated on Created Range’s prints, and lost track of time. In the distance you can hear Perfect Pussy starting. You run to the stage.

Although you’re not as close as you’d like to be, you’re part of the heaving, screaming mass celebrating the uplifting lo-fi punk, so it’s good enough.

2:35pm – Tkay Maidza (Lion Flour Stage)

Again, with a great amount of Adelaide pride, you Switch Lanes back to the Lion Flour stage for a change of Pace(s) (cough), and arrive, feet stomping like a misidentified Apatosaurus. U-huh.

3:15pm – Second attempt at buying a drink

You leave the main stage area and pass by the bar. The line is long, your legs are tired (thanks Tkay), and there’s a rumour that they’ve run out of cider. You deem the operation too risky.

Instead, you venture past the waterfront, grab some food, sit on the newly laid grass and wonder if you’ll regret not seeing Ratking.

4:00pm – Courtney Barnett (Mistletone Stage)

Like a moth to flame, the only thing that can pull you up from your patch is that irresistible Australian drawl.

5:15pm – Pond (Mistletone Stage)

Benjamin Booker was next on your list, but you made friends on the barrier during Courtney Barnett, and it’s important to be able to see Nick Allbrook on stage, or you’ve missed half of the Pond experience.

5:50pm – Mac DeMarco

Your new friends convince you to walk back to the main stage. There’s shade around and you don’t have sunscreen, so you sit and watch at a distance. Honestly, it’s the best way to listen to Mac DeMarco.

6:55pm – Seekae

Once you’ve recouped some energy, you head to the Future Classic stage for Seekae. Everyone around you has their eyes closed, dancing in rapture. You wonder why you haven’t spent more time at this stage.

Your phone buzzes to remind you to leave for Banks. You tell yourself the stage will be too difficult to get to.

Again, your phone buzzes to remind you FKA Twigs will be on stage soon. Jon Hopkins’ set is timing really well with the sunset so you don’t want to leave. And the stage will be too difficult to get to.

Night falls and the next time you open your eyes is when Flying Lotus exit the stage.

11:30pm – The Curb

Sitting beside a tree you agreed with your friend would be a meeting point should you get separated, you think back to the artists missed, the sunburn acquired, and the friends you’ll potentially never see again. All in all it was a good day.

A familiar face approaches from the crowd. She had been at the Vitalstatistix stage all day hanging with some artists she knew. Several text messages were sent. None were received.

You both head for the train and passionately discuss how much you’d rather go to bed than town.