Although I've been on the fringes for the last 10 years with involvement in Morris Dancing, its only in the last year or so that I have been going to festivals, listening to music, going to sessions etc. I am in my mid twenties and was previously into a fairly wide range of music, and went to a fair few mainstream festivals. For me, folk music seems to have a lot more depth, both in the music itself and the community around the music. By comparison, a lot of the music I used to listen to is, to be honest, boring. The comment Dave P makes is spot on - being able to rub shoulders with so many people who are involved with the music professionally or as part of a hobby makes it feel so much more accessible and ... errr ... wholesome? (I am so bored of go see band, band play tracks like CD, band leave, I leave)

I am guilty of previously harbouring a lot of misconceptions about the scene, and shied away from getting more involved at a younger age, probably cos it aint cool. Its great to go to the likes of Towersey Festival and see so many people of all ages having a great time.
I also love being part of and contributing to an evolving tradition, not just for the sake of keeping it alive, but because I enjoy it. My girlfriend described the folk scene as a big club that noone really knows about, but its pretty exciting to be part of.