I do agreee there could be more crossover, at least in terms of spreading information. But I see a lot of people at festivals who seem to want simply to attend the concerts and be entertained. They'll pay to come to a club or a concert if there's a good guest, but they simply don't want to participate musically in any active way. I'm not saying this is all bad, it's just how things are.

I have to say that this passive approach is more prevalent among younger festival-goers, in my experience. I know that there are lots of young people who play in sessions etc, but it seems to me that a higher proportion of the over-50s at festivals are there to play and sing, as well as (or sometime instead of) attending the concerts.

I can't see that festivals can be taking people away from the clubs or harming them in any way, as they only last for a weekend or a week, and in any case clubs often close down for the summer festival season. At least festivals help to stir up a bit of enthusiasm for the big names as well as those who are trying to make their way professionally, and they offer the chance to dip into all sorts of performances, so people can find out who they'd like to see again (and who they'd avoid).

I'm sure that if folk club organisers in the local area asked to put up a notice or display at a festival, or make fliers about their club available (this does happen sometimes) the festival management would encourage it. But the clubs need to take the initiative if they want to make themselves known to a wider audience.

Marje