Its lovely to share so many happy memories of those times when the music and the company and the occasion all conspire to produce the magic. I loved Trevor's account of making music in Dysenni at midnight. I was privileged to hear Lady P and LTS sing Harp Song of the Dane Women at Llanstock, and can vouch for the sheer pleasure that moment gave to us all. I can also endorse Snuffy's claim for the wonderfulness of the late night singing at the end of Saturday night at Llanstock.
However for me the greatest magic belongs to a day when as a teenager in 1969 I went to an all day event at the University of Essex and heard Shirley and Dolly Collins, the Young Tradition with Peter Bellamy, Tim Hart and Maddy Prior, and ending the day listening to Fairport Convention with Sandy Denny. I was smitten then, and have remained so (with occasional interludes) ever since.