I'm not sure why you think someone organising a festival would not want to fill it up.

I doubt you know anything about Sidmouth. Tickets, like those for every other festival, offer fantastic value for money when you consider the range of events covering an entire week. However it is entirely possible to manage without buying a ticket, as there are many free events and informal sessions; however since these events would not exist without the festival then most people would not consider it morally justifiable to attend without making at least some financial contribution.

You appear to be proud that your festival would make no contribution to the community. Making a contribution to the local economy is important because it means that the town welcomes the folk festival, which is why it has been able to continue for year after year.

One of the things I find most objectionable to your "concept" is the way it freeloads off others - you demand that people volunteer their time, effort and resources, and you expect to impose an event on a community while giving nothing in return. That's not sustainable, and it's not good for folk music.