My very limited experience of the UK ~ a brief one-week visit back in August of '04, during the greatest heat wave in European history ~ included a visit to Ely. My brother, who works as a schoolteacher for dependent children of US military personnel at Lakenheath RAF base, lives in a small village several miles away. Ely is the nearest railway stop; we drove there to visit a while, and then to catch a train to Cambridge for some more sightseeing before changing trains for a day and night in London (followed by the return trip, of course).

I wasn't there for the festival, of course, but since Ely is the one small English city (and, along with Cambridge, one of the two festival sites) that I know at all, I can imagine myself there whenever I read about the annual event.

The huge medieval cathedral, alone, is worth a look-see. I would guess that the town's small size and relative isolation in a rural area would contribute to a convivial and not-too-crowded atmosphere. Have fun, and let me know all about it!