Coffee lovers, it is time to get your caffeine high on.

The Singapore Coffee Festival is back. Ticket sales start today for the event, which is organised by The Straits Times (ST) and presented by DBS Bank.

Last year's inaugural event, held at the F1 Pit Building, drew about 24,000 festivalgoers, including industry players, coffee enthusiasts and families, over four days.

This year's event runs from Aug 3 to 6 at a bigger venue - the Marina Bay Cruise Centre - which is a stone's throw from the Marina South Pier MRT Station.

The first day is set aside for trade and media (pre-registration required). To improve the festival experience, the other three days - Aug 4 to 6 - will be divided into two sessions: Brunch (10am to 3.30pm) and Sundown (4.30 to 10pm).

Tickets for each session are priced at a special early-bird rate of $17 from today until June 4.

DBS cardholders and ST subscribers enjoy a further discount, paying $15 a session.

After June 4, regular tickets will be priced at $22 a session and $18 a session for DBS cardholders and ST subscribers.

More than 50 exhibitors are already on board for the event, which celebrates the very best of Singapore's vibrant cafe and coffee culture.

New entrants include Jewel Coffee, which has cafes in Shenton Way, Claymore Connect and Millenia Walk, among other locations; Caffe Vergnano in South Beach Avenue; Park Bench Deli in Telok Ayer Street; and Brawn & Brains in Guillemard Road.

They join the likes of well-loved cafes Common Man Coffee Roasters in Martin Road and Chye Seng Huat Hardware in Tyrwhitt Road. Other returning cafes include Symmetry in Jalan Kubor, which will design a breezy alfresco cafe experience; and Dapper Coffee in Amoy Street, which captivated festivalgoers last year with its Instagram-worthy Unicorn Tears drink.

Do not miss Posh Nosh by Hsueh, presented by Life editor Tan Hsueh Yun. Festivalgoers can sign up to sample her picks of the most delectable food and drink on offer at the event.

There will also be artisanal offerings from social enterprises at the Asia for Good corner, presented by DBS.

Other highlights include barista competitions, coffee workshops and demonstrations, as well as local music acts curated by ST Sessions, The Straits Times' online video series featuring home-grown music talents, and live art performances.

More activities are in store for young families, with storytelling sessions organised by ST Press - the book publishing arm of Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) - and a child-friendly social space created by Singtel, the event's Family & Tech partner.

Ms Karen Ngui, managing director and head of group strategic marketing and communications for DBS Bank, says: "Given that some of the best conversations happen over a cup of coffee, we're delighted to bring together like-minded festival attendees, entrepreneurs, cafe owners and baristas.

"In particular, we are looking forward to once again inspiring socially conscious living by providing social entrepreneurs a platform to showcase the good work that they do."

Mr Warren Fernandez, editor- in-chief of the English, Malay and Tamil Media group in SPH and ST editor, says: "We are delighted to bring back the Singapore Coffee Festival after last year's success. Many of those who took part said they enjoyed the event and urged us to do it again.

"We are happy to oblige and are working hard to improve on what we did last year, so that we can deliver an even better experience for those who join us."

As a lead-up to the festival, the Design-The-Cup competition, sponsored by packaging manufacturer Detpak, is being held again.

The winning design, which comes with a $1,000 cash prize, will be printed on 60,000 cups to be used at the coffee festival, as well as at participating cafes across Singapore.

Entries should be submitted by May 19 to sgcoffeefest@sph.com.sg.