There is a 'secret sign', usually it takes the form of a Mudcat Tshirt or name badge, or both.

A Mudgather is as formal as you want it to be. You can sit people down in a room and play, or just chill out and shoot the breeze in the garden. If there are enough of you going to an event, you could ask Mudcatters to take a raffle prize and sell tickets to raise money for the Mudcat.

If you have the facilities, have a 'bring and sing' meal. Everyone brings a food offering and in turn sings a song/plays their instrument whilst everyone eats. Anyone who doesn't bring food or sings has to pay with the money going towards the Mudcat.

Pick a venue and a time, publicise it here and when people turn up, see how it goes. If you've got some exotic visitors not normally seen in the north, it's polite to introduce them and ask them to sing or play. Discretion is yours and the better part of valour if one of them is a banjo player.

Free beer is not usually provided (well, never at any of the gathers I've been to!).

Enjoy!

LTS