Why not name these three bands and let's judge for ourselves from their gig lists.QUOTE.you are confusing popularity with quality.
    The best band I saw this year as Top of the Bill was Kathryn Tickell. Pure tunes without singing for 1 hour 30 minutes. Hardly rock and roll.QUOTE
Yes, but nothing to do with folksinging.
your personal top of the bill,just tells us about your taste ,nothing else.
Generally speaking,at least 80 per cent[there are a few exceptions],folk festivals have become a Pot Pourri,a musical jamboree.

Dick I see you are back to the old ways of making assertions with no evidence to back them up.

Which folk festivals have you been to where this happens? Was this a nationwide survey or limited to England - or Ireland or what? Or is it as we both know - simply a personal opinion with no real evidence to substantiate it.

To say Kathryn Tickell who is a fiddle player has nothing to do with folk singing is to state the bleeding obvious.

Now rephrase that and say she has nothing to do with folk MUSIC. To my mind holding a large audience of 800 simply with traditional (or traditional style) tunes and minimal chat over a 90 minute period is an achievement to be proud of. Shame she is not a singer I suppose.

Finally to say festivals do not involve the local community is nonsense. That may be the case where you live but most festivals go out of their way to involve the local community. Amongst other things it can be a source of funding and having the local people on your side is absolutely imperative.