Many houses do open independently though, so don't dismiss the idea. In my opinion though, there are more benefits associated with being in a group. I can already hear the clicking of fingers on keyboards starting the barrage of emails I’m going to get for that one!

So where do people visiting the Open Houses in Brighton get their information from? This venerable website is one place and, indeed, the only place where a visitor can search for who and what they want by name, media and trail and have all the details printed out for them with highlighted street maps. The AOH brochure is another one. Last year, the Open Houses split from the Brighton Festival Fringe and produced their own brochure and the majority of Open Houses are represented in there. However, the Brighton Festival Fringe still maintains a healthy Open House section and as the more established institution, receives more press and publicity. We cover both on this site as OHO exists to promote all visual artists exhibiting during the Brighton Festival. For the moment, you pays your money, you makes your choice.

However, given that we’ve advised you that it’s best to join a trail and most of the major trails appear in the AOH brochure, then we’d recommend that you have a spot in there – but talk to both parties. The costs and commitments involved are different for both of them with the BFF being cheaper and having greater coverage. It’s a highly fluid situation and could change again in the future.

So there you have it and if you’re more confused now than when you started, don’t blame me!

Next week, I’ll cover the nitty-gritty of what you do with your home, your furniture and your children for those four weekends in May and also the topic you’ve all been waiting for – how to deal with difficult artists without resorting to a chair and a whip.