I think that the last few years has seen a decline in numbers of people attending maritime festivals in this country. It can not be put down to people singing the same songs year after year as most festivals have a variety of artists appearing, both maritime folk artists and shanty crews - most of which mix shanties with maritime folk anyway. Most of the line ups that I've seen in recent years only include two or three actual shanty crews anyway.

At Lancaster the uncertainty of the festival going ahead for the last few years has not helped. The event is always at Easter, a major Bank Holiday for most people, and as such if there is doubt over the festival going ahead then people will book early elsewhere.

I remember first performing at Lancaster in the late 90's maybe 98 and in our first spot in The Three Mariners it was packed out and we had to push through to get to the fireplace to sing and it was the same at the other venues. Certainly, the last few years there has not been anything like the same number of attendances, although I'm told this year at Glasson Dock it was very well attended, though on a much smaller scale. Less people at a smaller venue still looks full.

Scarborough, at the main stage on the dock side most of the seats are taken up but in the pubs most of the audience just happen to be there. However, Scarborough I think has the prospect of becoming a very good festival and I would encourage anyone who has not been before to give it a try - this year it starts on the 20th of July.

Both these venues would I believe be better attended if the audience were given an opprotunity to have a go themselves in one of the pubs, like they do at Hull in the Minerva. An artist goes in, does a half hour spot, it's then thrown out to the audience for 20/30 minutes and then another artist comes in. It works well. I think sometimes organisers forget that most of the audience, be it folk or maritime folk like to have a go themselves - it's how most of us got started - and don't allow for one of the venue's to be used for the occaisional singaround and as such some people don't go if they can't have a go themselves somewhere.

Just a few thoughts