It’s very sad to read about the downgrading/demise of the Late Night Extra at Sidmouth. These events (like the similar late-night ceilidhs at Whitby) are remembered by many - myself included – as high points of the festival.

But circumstances change, and we have to cope with them as best we can. Residents of Sidmouth’s new housing estate who have to get up for work in the morning won’t tolerate being kept awake by amplified music for several nights in a row. So, alternatives must be found - though the punters should have been told about this before they bought their tickets.

Anyhow, the extension of drinking hours in recent years has already put a damper on these events. Back in the day, when the publicans of Sidmouth or Whitby had to stop serving liquor at 11pm, we had a strong incentive to walk up the hill and carry on supping until 1am.   (And the entertainment on offer there was usually first-class.) Now, with pubs serving until 2am, and sessions and sing-arounds in them flourishing, many think “why bother?”

In my experience, attendance at late ceilidhs has been dropping for some while, and the crowded conviviality of the old days is much rarer than before.   A new generation of festival punters - and festival organisers – will have to find their own ways to revive it.

Wassail!