I can sympathise with where you're coming from, Anne - it's a difficult year for lots of people. The organisers would absolutely LOVE to produce a festival with lots and lots of free events. Unfortunately, the finances of the festival need to be stabilised, and while we have made concerted (and successful) efforts to gain extra funding from both local businesses and local councils this year, it makes sense that people who actually use the festival's amenities contribute to the real cost of putting it on.

The great thing about Sidmouth as a festival is it is different for every single person who comes. There are so many events that you can pick and choose to create the festival that best suits you. The best value at Sidmouth, as in life, is bulk-buying - season tickets and groups of workshops are probably the most cost-effective option for most people.