You can perhaps find enough wealthy people to sell out a concert but what about those who are not wealthy- you just shut them out with high prices- we need free festivals most of them not just some.

Conrad, why won't you be told? It's not as if anyone is trying to fool you or pull the wool over your eyes. It's not only professionals who are trying to get you to see you are wrong, but also amateurs like myself. If the costs were prohibitive or if we were denied the opportunities to take part in folk music as you claim, surely we would be supporting you, but we are not.

Folk music concerts are not generally expensive. If you want expensive concerts try classical music or rock/pop concerts - and classical music concerts, in the UK at least, are often subsidised.

Many, if not most, folk festivals in the UK are held around the town in which they are based so you can pick and choose. You can spend the whole week at Whitby folk festival and not pay for any of the events you attend. My interest is in the participative events so I go to sessions and singarounds (free) and to workshops for which there is a modest entrance fee.

As for fat cat organisers, as far as I am aware, Whitby folk week is run by a group of enthusiasts and does not make a huge amount of money. In fact, I was told they made a loss in 2009. They are looking for sponsorship just now to help them with the costs as you can see if you look here

Volunteer slaves? Bollocks!! Most people I know who volunteer to steward etc. at folk festivals do it because they enjoy it and as a thank you, they get in free. If they are stewarding a concert or workshop, they get to go into the event free. They can also get into events they are not stewarding at for nothing. In effect, volunteer stewards get paid in kind.

If festivals were making huge profits, as you claim, in all probability they would pay their stewards.