To amend the expression, 'Yer takes yer choice, & yer pays yer money [or not]'

In Britain there's piles've festivals large & small, big organised events + plenty DIY smaller do's.

Personally preferring the informal gatherings where no 'big name' paid artistes appear [unless voluntarily] + 'fringing at organised pay fests.

As some above have said, a folk fest at which there's little opportunity for 'ordinary' singers & musos to have communal SARs & sesshes doesn't really fulfil the sense of the 'traditional'

Also, I feel there really is a sort of split happens at the big ticket fests.

The biggest group of punters consists of the passive audience types who attend all the concerts & not really interested in participation events like sinarounds & music sessions & ceilidhs/country dancing.


Then there's those like meself & chums who rarely attend a concert, but are very much more interested in the participatory events.