Last summer Reynaud and I attended Middlewich. We saw some Main Festival acts and bought food and souvenirs--terrific. The fringe, however, was an utterly new phenomenon in our experience, and was wonderful. The closest thing we could compare it to is the "after-hours" jamming that occurs at most US festivals. We left Middlewich with the impression that the whole town became the festival, all day, every day. We've been wondering if any festivals over here have managed to create a "fringe" in their communities. The festivals we go to tend to be geographically contained on the site where they are held--you pay to get in, and you're there for the duration.

If I were an organizer of such things, I'd want a fringe, and I'd go out of my way to encourage any and all businesses in the town to participate in the festival. I'd structure my income stream to reflect not just the main gate, but the income from the entire event.

The Fringe Festival adds so much to the experience!

Just my $0.02...fwiw

V