1. Contact Cultural Festival manager at Essex County Council for advice and info about grants. I know her name, email and phone number. PM me.
2. If you are looking for a homely all in one place kind of evetn, seek out camp sites that have nearby pub (preferably CamRA to perhaps tie folk festival with beer festival).
3. Talk to Alan Francis and others on Mudcat about attracting performers for gigs.
4. I can help with all kinds of admin stuff to do with event management.   And, I can advertise / market your event on Essex Explore Culture website if it is to be in Essex.