Freshers’ Festival is back and bigger than ever, taking place in Glasgow on 19th-20th September 2013 in Glasgow’s SECC, with a brand new food and drink festival running within the main event. If you’ve never visited before, or if you just need a little reminder of how great Scotland’s favourite freshers event really is, read these ten reasons why Freshers’ Festival is the perfect way to kickstart the new semester…

1. It’s the UK’s biggest freshers fair, with over 100 stands from all your favourite bars, clubs, retailers and more – all 14,000 of your friends are going, why aren’t you?

2. The goody bags – expect some serious swag in those this year.

3. The music. All your favourite Glasgow DJs will be on hand spinning two days worth of banging tunes, getting you ready for whatever freshers’ week antics you’ve got going on in the evening – subcrawl anyone?

4. Hoodies, as in those ones everyone wears to uni when they’re hungover, with the names of various nightclubs emblazoned across the front. You’ll have a wardrobe full of them by the end of the day.

5. Competitions and giveaways. Last year more than twenty iPads were given away, plus Club 18-30 holidays, VIP tables in some of Scotland’s hottest nightclubs, giant beanbags and gift vouchers, to name but a few of the fabulous prizes on offer over the two days. You’re not going to win if you’re not there, are you?

6. You’ll get to mingle with your fellow students somewhere other than a club/pub/9am lecture. That hottie you saw dressed as a banana on your first uni night out? Probably here.

7. It’s an introduction to Scotland’s biggest and best retailers, clubs, student services, organisations, restaurants and bars, particularly if you’ve come from overseas to study, in which case this point is doubly useful.

8. That new food and drink element we mentioned? It’s not the only surprise we have up our sleeves, so if you think you’ve seen it all before, think again.

9. The atmosphere. Freshers’ Festival is like a two-day party, full of shiny, happy, freebie-loving students, and super friendly exhibitors. No grumps allowed.

10. Free food. Need we say more? Previous events have seen Pizza Hut dish out the free pizzas, Di Maggio’s on the macaroni cheese samples, Pinto Mexican Kitchen with the spicy beef and tortillas and Pizza Express all over the garlic dough balls… Mmm, garlic dough balls.