Thanks all for the input so far. :-) Many excellent points raised.

The venue will be just the pub and garden. There's not much choice as the village is so small that it literally has nothing but a small shop and a pub! No schools, nothing.

If we follow the 'Ploughstock' precedent then there will be no charge for entry. If we eventually do decide to sell tickets it will be solely as a way to control the number of people.

One of the concerns every year at Ploughstock is striking a balance with the publicity so we get a good attendance, but don't get absolutely mobbed by more punters than we can safely and responsibly manage. That is one of my biggest concerns at this point.

As it will be a charity event, profit is not the object. The pub would, no doubt, benefit from increased sales, but as they provide the venue, and these events involve a LOT of work for them, I think that's fair enough. The pub is a frequent benefactor to local charities.

I take the point about providing something for kids. We do want the event to be family friendly. It is a family-friendly pub and children are generally welcome, so that all fits.

Similarly, Suffet's suggestion regarding local immigrant communities strikes a chord with me. We have a sizeable Punjabi Sikh community in nearby Hitchin, and I'm a bit of a bhangra fan. I might make enquiries in that direction! :-)