Most folk festivals somewhere there is a message board of sme kind. So if the first Mucatter to get there sticks up a notice with a pub and a time or something like that, it could develop from there.

The other thing is stick a thread in the Mudcat saying if you're going to any particucular festival, and asl if amyone else is. I reckon the next one I'm going to will proabbly be the National in April at Sutton Bonington:

7th to 9th April 2000 - 34th National Folk Music Festival, Sutton Bonington, nr Loughborough, Leicestershire. "Song and music sessions, lectures and discussions involving performers and acknowledged experts in the field, story-telling sessions, a ceilidh..." All happening in an agricultural college. People bookd so far include Norma Waterson, Martin Carthy, Copper Family (three generations), Hamish Henderson,John Kirkpatrick, Ray Fisher....Weekend tickets £36, £6 camping (indoor or outdoor), £45 for a room if you'd rather. Details from: 01296 415333(phone), 01296 3997092 (fax),e-mail: johnh@fosterwiggins.co.uk ; or 5 Church Street Aylesbury, Bucks HP20 2QP.

Mudcat badges and T-shirts might be useful too, and it's easy enough making that kind of stuff, if the genuine articles aren't around - print out the Frying panm banjo motif, and stick on in a badge making machine somewher; print them bigger, and get them put on a T shirt. The folk process strikes again.