At Whitby there is the Festival Fringe, listed in the programme which although free is visited by a steward with a collecting tin, as well as an informal fringe organised on the grapevine.
For many season ticket holders the fringe and free events are an important part of the week and we would think twice about coming if all that was on offer was concerts and dance workshops.

Some festivals may thrive on Big Names but Whitby is about taking part.

Some of the friends I meet at Whitby have season tickets. Some prefer to play music in pubs most of the day but buy a ticket for any workshop that takes their fancy. Others perhaps are happy to meet up with a group of friends and make music, which means that there is always a session going on when we want one.