AHA!!! Thanks for the info, Dave!

Middlewich, then, (seems to me), could be an example of how to make a fringe and main festival work to each others' advantage successfully. If "the usual" fringe is not so well integrated, I can see where there would be opportunities for conflict.

Middlewich was simply fabulous--we bought individual tickets for the main festival acts we wanted to see, and went to fringe things for everything else. Interspersed in partaking of the fringe was all the wandering round the streets of Middlewich from venue to venue, following the sounds of music.

Probably the closest thing to a Middlewich-type event over here is "first night" celebrations at New Year's where all the businesses in a town collaborate to stay open and chip in toward entertainment all over the place--some musicians in venues, street entertainers, etc. You pay for a pass and get free admission to all the events all night long. They're lots of fun if you get a mild evening (say, just around freezing). Otherwise, people tend to get into one place and stay there, out of the cold.

Just $0.02 more...

V