Well, I think there are about 20 Sidmouth Festivals on concurrently: sooo many things to choose from, so many different genres of music, different instruments, mixed instruments, mixed instrumental and singing, Bluegrass, Old Timey, various fusions, dance of all sorts, Irish, Scottish, English sessions, you name it.....!
And you will certainly not find just trad singers in The Middle Bar: no instruments, but an eclectic mix of types of songs. There are trad ballad song sessiins each day in other venues such as The Volunteer and Woodlands Hotel.