Well, it's the first time I've ever heard of folkies being accused of being light drinkers.

By "Loud" let me clarify. The Wine Vaults band that I particularly noticed was playing sort of US-blues-cock-rock and it was audible from the other side of the car park - probably about one-ish Saturday afternoon. You don't need that pressure in a pub garden. It invades the space in which acoustic and folk song can be sung. I've done LOUD with one of my PA rigs at the Command House at Chatham, and had sound complaints from the middle of Rochester but that was for metal bands.

As I said, the Railway was audible from the campsite.

What might work for you at the Wine Vaults and for the Railway would be starting the days with a folk session indoors, going over to rock later - and/or having a smaller rig somewhere so that a folk band could take a half hour slot while fully electric bands changed over (taking a fair bit of pressure off the soundmen too). That used to be done in the Venue in Gravesend (it's a plumbing and bathroom shop now alas).

Indeed if the Railway tamed its sound engineers it could probably manage a sing in the front bar while still having electric music in the yard at the back - subject to morris drums outside the front windows (a problem you'd also have, as would the Chimney Boy if using the front bars for acoustic).

The Chimney Boy could have folk upstairs in its folk club room - or if the building was safe, in the old stables where the folk club used to be.

What I don't yet fully understand is the apparent pricing difficulty. Wetherspoons are selling good beer from all over the country down to £1.80 per pint (so I was told). When I have run folk sessions in local pubs they have sold beer profitably at £2.50 a pint. The Good Intent in Rochester sells good beer at £2.50 a pint (or thereabouts) with folk music.

The Cadet force building seems to do nothing musical.

There are one or two halls or rooms that seem to do nothing musical.

I suppose the park is too far away for an "acoustic" stage (ie some PA) is it?

This year the lager mentality got out of control, and the net result was trouble.