Well P.B I never said there were a "disproportionate" amount of anoraks ( I struggle to even spell such a horrible long word and copied your version instead),but I do agree with you about seeing an increasingly ageing (see your spelling of this short word!), sober and sad looking people clutching their Festival programmes and sporting their season ticket holder passes around their necks.
Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against concert-goers,season ticket holders or old people, indeed I too have been known to be amongst their ranks [ Thank you Cushty for reminding me about that !!] and I am no spring chicken. It's just that, horses for courses, I have now switched alliances and greatly prefer the far more less formal , less stuffy,less regimented ( this is probably treason for a Soldier Boy!),cheaper, pub based and far more fun and relaxed "fringe" side of the folk scene experience.
Folk Festivals,in my experience,are very much split between the concert goers and the fringe and infrequently do the two combine.
What I do know from the grapevine is that this years festival in Holmfirth will not try to copy previous years festivals and will be very much of the less formal variety, centered on the pubs and the Picturedrome and that camping will be back where it always belonged at the Sands Recreation Grounds within a very short walk to the village centre.
The 2006 Festival will be very much organised by local pubs,local businesses, and people in the know that can organise and incite the folk fraternity, singers, musicians and dance teams and who are willing to put their necks on the line in the hope that it will be a glorious success.
Camping will be open to everyone (no more exclusion to "Ticket holders only"!) and the major pot of income will not go to the Local Authority and its concert venues.
This is a very relaxed and welcoming village and with pubs like The Nook in the very capable hands of the lovely Sheila it can't go wrong.
Spread the word my folkie friends and put it in your diaries now ( 5-to-7 of May 2006) and let's make it very special.
NB: Because they (apparently)can't call it "Holmfirth Folk Festival" due to copyright infringements it is now going to be called " "HOLMFIRTH FESTIVAL OF FOLK" and a new thread has been opened under this title on Mudcat so you might want to switch threads now and continue this debate under the new title for this essential event. Let's hear your comments.