20 years of the Swinton Festival later...

Keep it simple. It is a festival of folk music. NOT a craft fair. NOT a creche for the kids. NOT a political statement. Don't loose sight of what you are trying to achieve.

Bearing the above in mind. While agreeing entirely with the sentiments about volunteers don't make the mistake of trying to run it by committee. Make the decisions yourself or with one or two close friends. People might moan but it sure as hell saves lots of arguments!

Publicity is good. Good publicity is even better. Target the right audience. Go to folk clubs and deliver leaflets yourself. Get it on the folk programs. Advertise the concert(s) in folk clubs and the ceilidh(s) in dance clubs. Go for libraries and tourist information later, after you have got your core audience.

Look on the festival as a series of individual events. Sell the events individualy. Organise them as individual events and the festival becomes so much easier. We now use one main concert and one main ceilidh. Sell them out and the rest is a bonus!

Once the decisions are made and the organisation done, don't worry. Learn to delegate. Learn to trust the people that are arranging and staffing the individual events. ENJOY THE DAY!!!

Hope this helps

Cheers

Dave the Gnome