Sure, you want to see the headliners. So do we. Turnstile. De La Soul. Death Cab for Cutie. Chase & Status. The big names are going to get plenty of attention.

But after 25 years of going to Bumbershoot, we’ve learned that there’s a pretty good reason to get there when the gates open. The crowds are smaller, getting around is easier, the vibe is a little more chill, and you might even discover something you didn’t have on your schedule.

Here are five things worth getting to Bumbershoot early for.

Pacific North Weirdos

Sunday, 1 p.m. | Comedy Coop

We’ve seen these four comedians at various venues around town over the years, and we’ll gladly go see them again. The Pacific North Weirdos are Emmett Montgomery, Derek Sheen, Andy Iwancio and Lucy Tollefson. Emmett has been serving up weird for years, whether through regular gigs like Weird & Awesome, Magic Hat or his current Joketellers Union. Did we mention he also makes some seriously fun paper bag puppets. If you haven’t seen these comics before, or even if you have, put this one on your list.

Travis Thompson

Saturday, 2:20 p.m. | Fisher Stage

Burien rapper Travis Thompson has been proudly repping the 206 for more than a decade. The first time we caught Travis was nearly 10 years ago at the first year of Paul Allen’s music festival, Up Stream. Not long after, his career got another boost when Macklemore featured him on “Corner Store.” After Bumbershoot, Thompson heads to TIFF for the world premiere of Turtle Island Rap, featuring Thompson and two other Indigenous artists.

Cain Culto

Saturday, 2:50 p.m. | Mural Stage

Last year, Cain Culto tore up the Bumbershoot stage with his Latin pop single “KFC Santería.” The former worship pastor turned queer renegade is back this year on a larger stage, and we’re here for it. It may still be early for some festivalgoers, but he’s guaranteed to wake up the crowd with his summer anthem “BIM BAM BAU.”

Takuya Nakamura

Sunday, 2 p.m. | Mural Stage

Tokyo-born, New York-based trumpeter Takuya Nakamura is making a quick trip through the Northwest this month, with stops in Portland and Vancouver before landing at Bumbershoot. We caught him early this year at SXSW. For the uninitiated, Nakamura’s music pulls from jazz, electronic music and drum & bass. Catch him Sunday at the Mural Stage before he heads east for the rest of his September tour.

Scope Screenings

Sunday, 3:45 p.m. | VIDEORAMA

If you think watching a movie is sitting quietly in the dark staring at the screen, you’ve never been to one of Scope Screenings‘ events around Seattle. Co-founders Lex Scope and Shailee Stevens know how to bring out the community, and they know how to have fun doing it. Sure, they’re serious about the short films they screen, but it’s also about giving filmmakers, artists and filmgoers a place to hang out and connect, have some popcorn, and just have a good time. Bumbershoot brings Scope to VIDEORAMA for a selection of Northwest shorts. Grab a seat and see what they’re up to.

The headliners aren’t going anywhere. Get there early and see what else Bumbershoot has going on.