I've just been for the first time and will make a few comments. I'd be interested in hearing what others, more knowledgeable than myself, made of it in comparison to previous years.

First of all my comments don't apply to sessions in any of the pubs as I didn't visit them. I imagine the musicians present (and there were plenty about) probably enjoyed them but I suspect they weren't too accessible to the general public. In one case it seemed impossible to actually get into the pub! I was rather disappointed in the number of boats and in the amount of folk entertainment 'on view' to the general public. The amount of blues music being performed seemed to overwhelm the folk. Nothing wrong with blues music but the Trade Descriptions Act comes to mind? Are we to see a re-naming of the Middlewich FOLK and BOAT Festival next year?

I saw Pilgrims' Way perform two excellent outdoor sets, though the first suffered from lack of amplification, which was necessary for the vocals. I also saw The Boat Band provide some excellent entertainment in the back garden of The Cheshire Cheese. These aside (and the sessions and the morris dance displays) it certainly seemed to have become much more of a local community festival (again, nothing wrong with that).

I know the Council took this over late in the day (too late to change the name) and seem to have made a good job of organising it and that it has funding for a couple of more years. But, if the folk part has diminished from what happened previously (which I suspect but don't know), should it be re-branded?

I did enjoy the experience but was a little disappointed. Was I expecting too much? Had it changed from previous years?