With huge wodges of public money thrown at it (Birmingham City Council, European Community, etc) it would have no excuse for being anything less than brilliant. Most festival organisers in the area would give their eye teeth for a tenth of that funding.

Without wishing to drift the thread - that does seem the way festivals in general are going and as the parent of a festival organiser who does it full-time, I know her biggest skill is accessing the various sorts of funding.

I reckon we are a long way behind our European neighbours in this respect. Even as a morris dancer I have been flown to festivals (twice) fed and watered like a king (no more lobster for me) and when I asked the organisers where the money came from the answer was invariably some obscure EC project.

I am not knocking it - I believe we spend far too much on what is sometimes referred to as "high art" and not enough on traditional culture and it is good to see a festival getting cash like that one apparently has done.