Conrad, I wasn't aware of those events you mentioned. They look good fun. But with the largest attendance in the region of 125 they're hardly in the same league as folk festivals, which I (and I'm sure I'm not alone) think of as larger events attracting maybe thousands of people.

I'm sure it's perfectly possible to hold what is really no more than a large party with donated food and drink, and to get some musicians along to play. I'm sure everyone has a great time. However you cannot scale something like that up to a full-size festival and expect to run it on the same basis.

To take a single example, do you have public liability insurance in case someone falls into your Guy Fawkes bonfire? Did you manage to find an insurance company to donate that?