the main difference IMHO is that folk festivals i have been to in the states where at schools and therefore dry while beer drinking is an integral part of uk festivals.

Also when i wsas running a shanty session (singaround) at the free san francisco folk festival i was told that it was usual not to applaud between songs so you could fit more in, but I got the audiance to appluad any way it didntseem to save much time as the audiance spen t a couple of minutes after eachsong tryin to congratulate the preivous performer bywaggling their eyebrows etc. Cllr