Been to a couple of small festivals over here in Oz (until I got drawn back into the bike scene and they turned into rock concerts again) and enjoyed them.

Must say that i never noticed the fighting aspect mentioned in McClean's article but the drinking - though NOT to the paralytically-pissed-and-falling-down-belligerently-wasted stage was ever seen. That kind of behaviour was always confined to the rock weekends at various biker concerts I attended. As for 'copulating up close' - as many have said - is there any other way? This, too was observed far more frequently at the rock weekends than the folk ones (in fact NEVER at the folk ones) - probably because they were all doing it "up A close" somewhere (and if the closes in Keith are as small, winding and dark as some of those I saw in Edinburgh while I was there 18 months ago - it'd be almost a perfect location for a quick, passionate (or maybe just hormone-fuelled) 'knee-trembler'.

Sadly, I no longer attend folk festivals here any more. Probably due to my low esteem of my own abilities since, head-injury related brain-damage left me with the ability to play only from my song-sheets (carefully collated into songbooks) with the chords placed so I can work out what I am supposed to do and where and also to my limited playing ability using the simplest of chords and chord changes. I kind of feel that I am 'cheating' by playing thus and would feel I was cheating others by playing thus TO them at such a festival. Thus I only busk occasionally to "satisfy the itch" to perform again.

However, that said, Keith sounds like a great festival (visited the site via the 'blue clicky') as do some of the others mentioned. Mind, the really quiet ones sound a little TOO dull - I love audience participation and enthusiasm so long as it doesn't impinge upon respect for the musician and distract him/her.

Maybe next time I'm in the UK I'll time it to coincide with a festival or two.

Until then; Slainte

Muttley