Marilyn: most festivals, I should imagine, have a variety of venues, from the big and noisy to the small and acoustic. That has mostly been my experience.And at a festival, there is normally plenty going on. You expect to check out an act you've read about in fRoots, or Mudcat. You toddle along, and give them a try. If they are boring, or too loud, or too out of tune, or too political,or too young, or too old, or too fat, or too short, or stamping too much on the the stomp board....well, you can go along to the other venues and see what's what, or stroll in the bar and see if there's a session going on. That's festivals.