What makes a great festival?

Subject: What makes a great festival?
From: Sooz
Date: 18 Apr 04 - 05:56 AM

Mike and I spent yesterday at Lincoln(UK) Folk Festival. Unfortunately, not many other people did. The audience for the evening concert, headlined by Kathryn Tickell with Karen Tweed and Roger Wilson, was only about 80 bodies. After 30 years, it looks as if this small but friendly festival will become history. So, what has gone wrong? What features do we expect at a really great festival? Does size matter?

Subject: RE: What makes a great festival?
From: Leadfingers
Date: 18 Apr 04 - 06:43 AM

Size only matters if your wall plaster is not in good nick.

Subject: RE: What makes a great festival?
From: The Unicorn Man
Date: 18 Apr 04 - 07:33 AM

A good festival in my veiw should always have sing a round and session,and something that seems to be takeing off just as well lately is a showcase afternoon or evening, so people who pay to go to the festival can apply to be in, and play in front of a bigger audience. At Towersey last year they had three first rounds with judges present, they then voted for their favourite acts, and then they had a final at the end of the festival.

Subject: RE: What makes a great festival?
From: GUEST,Mary Humphreys
Date: 18 Apr 04 - 08:03 AM

I have just tried to find out any information about the festival on the web. I found no web site giving information about who was on where and when. All I could find was some information on a Lincolnshire folk site about what days it was running plus an email address. For serious organisers I think a web site with full details is the least pubilicity one should aim for.
Mary H

Subject: RE: What makes a great festival?
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 18 Apr 04 - 08:11 AM

What now seems to be the trend at Accordion Festivals in Queensland, is to have a "bush style" dance on the Saturday night, instead of just another concert.

Robin

Subject: RE: What makes a great festival?
From: Mooh
Date: 18 Apr 04 - 10:41 AM

Any organization can throw together a revolving order of acts and call it a festival, but it's not enough. Theme/period/appropriate vendors of food, craft, art, culture, dance, history, can add to the vibe and interest level of visitors, particularly those who aren't dyed-in-the-wool enthusiasts. Depending on what can be enforced, endured, or tolerated, certain other aspects like smoking, drinking, dogs or not, seating arrangements, children's activities, and after hours stuff may be what sells the event to patrons.

I'd prefer fewer rules and a looser feel to a festival, but outside forces like local laws, sponsors, weather, liability and so on can stifle a festival a bit.

Promotion is so important. We are continually amazed that our small town festival is still unknown to even some town dwellers, in spite of posters everywhere, TV spots, weekly newspaper ads and articles months in advance, signs over the highways, and so on. Our website is not maintained as well as I'd like (it needs more photos) but all the necessary information is there. There are lots of folks on other continents who know as better than my next door neighbour, and we live within walking distance of the venue.

Competition from other events/sports/festivals/etc can ruin a small concert, but something as large as even a small festival should be able to hold its own.

We've discussed this before I think, so maybe someone who's good with blue clickies can help. Sorry for my typing...I'm trying to bake as I go Mudcatting and fighting killer low back pain.

Peace, Mooh.

Subject: RE: What makes a great festival?
From: Sooz
Date: 18 Apr 04 - 10:54 AM

Some good points here already, thanks.
Mooh, your small town sounds very much like ours - how do you get to the locals!?
Mary, you are quite right, advertising in general for Lincoln was minimal. I'm already wearing the mobile poster T-shirt and giving a leaflet to everyone I meet and our festival is not until October.
Martin, the key word in your post was "pay". As the organiser of a small festival I can get quite annoyed with those people who flock to the free events like singarounds but don't buy a ticket for concerts. OK, so they add a great deal to the atmosphere of the festival but it would be nice if they helped us to pay the high quality singers and musicians who are trying to make a living.
Moan over - I was determined not to comment yet! Best laid plans.....

Subject: RE: What makes a great festival?
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 18 Apr 04 - 11:00 AM

The best festivals are basically local festivals. That even goes for the big ones like Whitby or Fylde. Less so for Sidmouth, but even there there's a strong regional component.

What I mean is, they aren't parachuted in on a folk-free locality, they grow out of a local folk scene.

That's important also for ensuring that the work involved get spread out among a number of people, rather than all falling on one or two people who eventually give up, and the whole thing crumbles away.

Subject: RE: What makes a great festival?
From: dianavan
Date: 18 Apr 04 - 11:26 AM

A great festival is a blend of local talent and big name performers. It also includes workshops. The food is healthy and delicious. The water is free. Blankets are allowed. Swimming in the river is allowed. There is on site camping. Smoking is only allowed in designated areas. Dancing is encouraged. People are not routinely searched at the gate. Volunteers are from the community and rcv. free admission. It lasts for three days.

The Vancouver Island Music Festival has been around for at least 20 years in various forms. First it was the Courtenay Renaissance Faire, then the Comox Valley Fair and now its the Vancouver Island Music Festival. It is not exclusively folk music. There are 3 stages so there's something for everybody.

I go every year. Its a big reunion for islanders (this includes the little islands, too). It has also become a reunion for the family. I buy my tickets in advance. Early Birds get a discount.

Subject: RE: What makes a great festival?
From: Rasener
Date: 18 Apr 04 - 12:02 PM

Sooz
"I can get quite annoyed with those people who flock to the free events like singarounds but don't buy a ticket for concerts."

With all due respect, it would not have made any difference yesterday.
About 20 people at the open floor event, and half of those singers. How many of those 20 were Folk Club organisers. I can count 7 including myself. May have been more.

I am guilty of going to that freebee but not attending anything else.
I would have loved to have attended the other events but had good reasons why I coudn't.

I personally think it was badly advertised, and with the typical indifference of the general public - bang - poor turnout.
I didn't see any big banners around the area of S't Mary's School or anywhere else to make the general public aware of what was going on.
I saw one big banner on the wall of the school. The entrance to the school was in a narrow one way lane off the main drag through Lincoln.
Was it publicised on Radio Lincolnshire or any other radio or newspapers?
I know I got a plug on RL yesterday for Friday April 23rd Market Rasen folk Club.
Is it the fault of the organisers? - hope it wasn't you or you might not be talking to me again :-)

I have to say that you are doing a great job getting the Gainsborough Folk festival on October 15th - 17th October 2004 marketed already and looks like a nice mix of artists. Reasonable day prices.
Are you setting up a website? Agree with Mary Humphreys there. Sometimes I think the power of the Internet is under estimated. Not saying you under estimate that Sooz :-) Don't forget to bring a load of flyers with you next Friday.

Subject: RE: What makes a great festival?
From: Sooz
Date: 18 Apr 04 - 12:12 PM

Dianavan - you wouldn't want to swim in our river, but we pass most of the other criteria!
look here for details More information when I get around to adding it!
Les, ANYONE turning up to the open stage at Lincoln yesterday was doing the organiser a favour! (Nothing else was going on then anyway)

Subject: RE: What makes a great festival?
From: Strollin' Johnny
Date: 18 Apr 04 - 12:19 PM

IMHO, the success of a festival is in direct proportion to the imagination and energy of the organisers. It doesn't matter who's booked to appear, if the organisers don't put themselves about and don't go to great lengths to publicise the event the likelihood of it being a great success is greatly reduced. Even the big names, Sidmouth, Whitby et al start the publicity machine early and in a big way.

Unfortunately, the organisers of the Lincoln Festival don't make any obvious effort to support other organisations or events, nor do they publicise their own event in an active and dynamic way. Live in isolation, die in isolation. It's the way of the world.

Johnny :0)

Subject: RE: What makes a great festival?
From: Strollin' Johnny
Date: 18 Apr 04 - 12:30 PM

And Dianavan, swimming in the River where Sooz and I live is not recommended, full of brown-bobbies (human variety). Much more danger of poisoning than drowning!
Johnny :0)

Subject: RE: What makes a great festival?
From: pdcawley
Date: 18 Apr 04 - 12:31 PM

My favourite festivals have always been those with few booked guests and an emphasis on participation. That means workshops, dances, singarounds, 'folk clubs' and showcases. It doesn't (necessarily) mean big concerts.
A compact site with plenty of informal spaces for music making is a real plus too, with a compact site you get plenty of opportunities for bumping into old friends and making new ones; in festivals with huge sites you can end up with a sensation where you feel like you've attended a completely different festival from a friend at the same event.
The site shouldn't be so small that's there's only one venue though; one of the beauties of a good festival is choice.
There's no substitute for great acoustics. Towersey barn is one of my all time favourite places to sing, and I'd happily pay to get into that singaround.
This sounds terribly snobbish I know, but there should be a decent ratio of musicians to audience members. I've been in festival singarounds where the room was packed, with people waiting to get in, but where only maybe half of the people in there were performers. (But I've also had great sessions where the pub was open to the public and doing it's normal trade and the festival session was in part of the public bar -- it does things to your repertoire and delivery that does...)

Miskin is exemplary in this regard -- four different venues, plus a nice courtyard and the campfire. Last year I ended up in the barn on Sunday night with maybe ten others, singing gospel songs, scout songs and, well, just about anything we could think of, and it was great. I missed the Bonging this year, but had a great time in other sessions. Lovely.

As for the Lincoln festival, we lived down the road in Newark for about 7 years and I don't think we ever made it there. I've been a couple of times, but that was when we lived in Chelmsford and took detours on the way up to visit my parents.

Subject: RE: What makes a great festival?
From: Rasener
Date: 18 Apr 04 - 12:34 PM

Interesting points there Strollin'

Sooz
I know what your saying but in all honesty I didn't see anything to publice the rest of the event within Lincoln. Like Arrow boards with Lincoln Folk Festival in big letters and guiding people to the locations.. Simple but effective.
Just did a google search for "Gainsbough Folk festival 2004"
Came up top of the list.

However did a search "Folk festivals UK 2004"

Trawled through the first 10 pages and then gave up.

Who is an expert on knowing what to put as a header on the website to get it to the top of the search?

I will need that info in the future.

Subject: RE: What makes a great festival?
From: Rasener
Date: 18 Apr 04 - 12:43 PM

You could have a game of frogger on Gainsboroughs river then Strollin'.
See how quickly you can jump across the river. :-)

Subject: RE: What makes a great festival?
From: LesB
Date: 18 Apr 04 - 12:52 PM

My idea of a good fest is, a balenced line up of guests, preferably those I like (or I probably wouldn't buy a ticket if I didn't like the line up)!, a good selection of workshops, a varied dance (teams)program, good venues for sessions sing arounds / sessions etc, good camping (not full of pissheads & all night sessions) good cheap food, & sensibly priced. In other words festivals like Warwick & Whitby.
With regard to Lincon, I think that it's a bit early in the year for camping & I second the comments about publicity.
Les

Subject: RE: What makes a great festival?
From: GUEST,Peter from Essex
Date: 18 Apr 04 - 07:32 PM

There is no one formula, different things work for different people.
It is important not to spread things too thinly, identify your target audience and build a festival that will attract them.

Subject: RE: What makes a great festival?
From: Peace
Date: 18 Apr 04 - 09:43 PM

That question should be asked of The Edmonton Folk Festival organizers and organization. They are sold out every year.

Subject: RE: What makes a great festival?
From: Bee-dubya-ell
Date: 18 Apr 04 - 10:31 PM

Our state-sponsored Florida Folk Festival (Website Here) has been going on for 52 years so they must be doing something right.

It has pretty much all the qualities dianavan lists including the beautiful Suwanee River to swim in. It's held over a 3-day holiday weekend (US Memorial Day). There are seven stages for music and several venues for storytelling. While there are always a few must-see "name" performers, the bulk of the program is filled by people who play for the love of the music. There's a "jam tent" where performers and non-performers can play together informally and there are several workshop areas. The official state fiddle contest is held on Saturday. There are artists and craftsmen who demonstrate and sell their wares. And, most importantly, there's free camping for participants and you can depend on music going on almost 24 hours a day in the campground.

The only downside is that there is no longer camping for non-participants so paying attendees have to camp at a commercial campground, stay in a motel or just go home for the evening.

Bruce

Subject: RE: What makes a great festival?
From: dianavan
Date: 18 Apr 04 - 10:46 PM

Sooz, I took a look at the website and if I lived in the area I would go but...you need to expand with more details and photographs. Take the tips from those around you - advertise the event.

Then again, maybe its too early in the year. Camping is more fun in the summer and will draw visitors from afar. I know the Music festival up here struggled along for a couple of years. It takes time and a dedicated group of organizers.

I can really appreciate the hard work involved. Learn to allocate the responsibilities and don't burn yourself out. If you think its worth it, don't give up.

Subject: RE: What makes a great festival?
From: Mark Clark
Date: 19 Apr 04 - 12:13 AM

As brucie said, you really need input from actual promoters of successful festivals. I'm guessing someone here will fit that description. I can only tell you what I found compelling (or not) about festivals I've attended. Keep in mind that I've never attended one outside the US.

The Most successful folk festival I've attended is the University of Chicago Folk Festival. There are many things that have made this festival successful over the last 45 years. A few of the things I appreciated were:

• It's large. Large enough to pay for one or two internationally acclaimed acts. It really helps to have a guaranteed draw at the top of the list.
• It isn't limited in its choice of genres. They've included old-timey, Scots-Irish, country blues, Chicago blues, zydeco, Cajun, bluegrass, cowboy, gospel, folk interpreters, steel drums, country, just about everything.
• The festival lasts for three days and includes formal concerts, free workshops given by booked performers, space and time for all types of jamming, lectures and films by established folklorists.
• It isn't just a place to hear and play music, it has the active support of the University of Chicago, The Illinois Arts Council, and respected folklorists.
• It's always a place to learn. You'll be introduced to something you've never heard before.
• The quality of the performers is kept very high. Even total unknowns will be outstanding spokesmen for the music they play. They will never be folk music hopefuls looking for a gig. Often the people booked to play concerts are legends in their fields.

U of C is the high end of things. There is another folk festival I used to attend in Illinois called Willow (The Willow Church Folk Festival — Stockton, Illinois). I mention this one partly because it was fun and partly because it is still going after 35 years or so. Willow represents the other extreme from the Chicago Folk Fest. It's two days long and offers overnight tent camping across the road. There is no town to speak of. Just a church at a dusty crossroad as I remember it. The camping area is a cow pasture with a steam running through.

• No paid acts at all. (Cheap admission)
• The shows all feature performances by those attending. I've seen this work out pretty well; the late Bob Gibson used to attend and perform.
• The opportunity to build ad hoc ensembles from people you just met and do a high quality performance on stage.
• Jamming in the camping area any time. Attendees organize their own groups and set it up any way they like.

I've also attended bluegrass festivals, large and small, and blues festivals.

The Mississippi Valley Blues Festival is held on the July 4 weekend (US Independence Day) in Davenport, Iowa on the levee right next to the Mississippi River. It's a big commercial setup with beer tents, food vendors, two performance stages going all the time, record (now CD) sales and the whole works. It goes on for three days but offers no camping or related accomodations. Performers include a large array of nationally and internationally famous blues professionals. It's a great time.

I haven't been to a large bluegrass festival in 25 or 30 years so but the big ones had several things in common back then.

• They lasted for several days.
• Camping facilities were available.
• Food could be purchased on the grounds.
• Though not sold on the grounds, drinking was permitted.
• Most of the bands booked, in those days, were the top bluegrass bands in the world. You'd get Bill Monroe, Lester Flatt, The Country Gentlemen, Mac Wiseman, Ralph Stanley, Reno & Harrell, Larry Sparks, Jimmy Martin, The Lewis Family, the list goes on and on and they'd all be on the same show! You'd see the whole line of Flexible travel busses lined up at the gate when you drove in.
• You had the chance to jam with some of the best players anywhere and often even the booked performers.
• These festivals always charged enough to ensure their profitability but it was well worth it.

I still attend the occasional small local bluegrass festival. These are much different events and I usually go more to see and jam with friends than to see any of the shows. These are usually tight-assed “family” affairs that enforce alcohol prohibition and seem to worry a lot about the deportment of festival goers. These small festivals continue for years on end for several reasons.

• There is a promoter who works to make sure the event is well planned, has capable acts, is well advertised and continues to please a loyal core following.
• They draw mostly from an area that doesn't exceed a radius 100 KM or so.
• Most of the bands will be family bands that enjoy spending their summers playing these little festivals for their loyal, largely rural, following. I watched Rhonda Vincent grow up this way as part of her family's Sally Mountain Show.
• These little festivals is where one can still hear the down home music of rural America. Nice folks and a good time.

Common amoung successful festivals is probably a focused and dedicated promoter or promoting organization, pockets deep enough to keep going until the festival becoms an institution and making sure that attendees have a great time, don't get hassled, and feel they got more than their money's worth.

      - Mark

Subject: RE: What makes a great festival?
From: Rasener
Date: 19 Apr 04 - 02:46 AM

Some cracking advice from all of you people.
Taking it all on board if the Market Rasen Muisc Festival gets on the road.

Subject: RE: What makes a great festival?
From: Dave Bryant
Date: 19 Apr 04 - 05:21 AM

From the point of view of Linda and myself, this year's Miskin Festival got as close as possible.

Subject: RE: What makes a great festival?
From: GUEST,Norval
Date: 24 Jul 04 - 10:25 PM

Brucie, I'm glad to see you mention the Edmonton Folk Festival.
It was once the largest folk festival in North America and may still hold that honor.
The event is run on a budget of just under $3,000,000 with a daily attendance of 20,000.
Weekend passes for the 4 day festival have been sold out for months.
(source: Edmonton Journal 2004-07-24)                

Edmonton has one of the deepest river valleys of any major city in the North America,
the banks of which supply a natural theater setting. Folkies bring their own tarps,
sit on the sloping banks and enjoy the music from the stage many feet below.

What makes it a success?
Performers, Management, Location, Date, Musical Variety, Volunteers
and probably some intangibles.

================================================================================================
Information snippets copied from: www.edmontonfolkfest.org

Where: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada in beautiful downtown Gallagher Park.

When: August 5-8, 2004

Our Musical Philosophy
------------------------

Our Mandate - promote folk music in its diversity

Our goal - showcase the best celtic, bluegrass, blues, gospel, roots, world beat and singer/songwriters, with some country and r & b thrown in, that we can book from anywhere in the world.

It's a festival - This Festival combines the talents of quality folk music artists who share their diverse origins and musical traditions. Sessions (workshops) enable performers to jam together in front of an audience. The result is a banquet of music not seen at regular concerts. We have never focused on a few "headliners" with supporting "warm-up acts".

It's a balancing act - We try to blend all these music traditions to offer something for every musical taste and to create interesting mainstage line-ups and sessions where diverse styles can be shared. We strive to achieve the following:

- 50% Canadian artists
- balancing of singer-songwriters, acoustic/electric, male & female artists
- familiar artists and not well known artists, we primarily showcase seasoned performers as opposed to new artists
- repeat artists (some patrons could hear their favorite act every year!) and first-time artists

Additional issues we deal with in booking the line-up

1. Cost - The cost of well-known performers is escalating rapidly making some performers no longer financially accessible. We work with a fixed budget from low ticket prices and a limit on the number of tickets. Too much spent on 1 artist means reducing the depth and range of other artists we present. We book over 65 artists who provide about 129 hours of performance.

2. Availability - This is a prime issue. Performer schedules may preclude their coming to Edmonton in August in a given year. Some performers do not do festivals. Some performers will not come to Canada. Some performers cannot come to Canada. Some take their holidays in August.

Subject: RE: What makes a great festival?
From: GUEST
Date: 25 Jul 04 - 02:35 AM

Lots of shagging in the campground?

Subject: RE: What makes a great festival?
From: Michael
Date: 25 Jul 04 - 07:33 AM

GUEST - you can do that any where, you dont need the music etc for that!

Subject: RE: What makes a great festival?
From: Scooby Doo
Date: 25 Jul 04 - 10:10 AM

Miskin is a warm friendly small festival with a few named guests and plenty to laugh at and sing too.

Subject: RE: What makes a great festival?
From: VIN
Date: 26 Jul 04 - 08:41 AM

Just bin to the 7th Saddleworth festival (and my seventh attendance). The festival is well situated in the town itself (Uppermill) and the campsite is close by -local sportsground and amenities with a good food tent (where spontaneous sing-a-rounds are not uncommon). Theres an opening ceremony usually by the local mayor with free brass band concert, procession through the town and lots of morris dancing in the town all w/end.

The festival is organised throughout the year by a very approachable (for ideas and comments) committee (SAFRA), with pre-fesival fund-raising events. There's a really well balanced guest list (young and old) throughout the w/end from electric (verging on rock at times e.g. Duncan Mcfarlaine band this year) to pure traditional, held in the main civic hall on Friday/Sat/Sunday with smaller concerts and sing-a-rounds/sessions in the museum and various local pubs. There's a very popular 'hiring fair' held in the museum, various workshops and equally popular 'Sunday Sing' in a local church!

The festival is well advertised with flyers sent out early on for distribution by people like meself. What else as it got? Oh aye, lots of friendly broadminded people from all o'er the place. Even the sun comes out at times!

Anyway, i like it!

Subject: RE: What makes a great festival?
From: GUEST,Larry K
Date: 26 Jul 04 - 10:04 AM

The most important thing about a festival are the organizers.   They make the festival and it show in everything else.

I don't think size matters.   There are small ones that are great (folk project in NJ and Turtle in Rochester NY) that have 200-600 people. There are large ones like Wheatland Michigan and Philadelphia which I don't like.   There are large ones like Old Songs in Albany NY, and Summerfolk in Owens Sound Canada which are wonderful.

I think the important thing is community.   Festivals should have a group feel to them though camping and lodging where you have late night jamming and singing.    A festival without that is missing something.   I prefer actual workshops to mini concerts.    On the other hand, workshops that break into jam sessions by talented musicians can be great.   Creativity in choosing workshops and putting the right people together is critical and often overlooked.

Finally, a nice mix of performers is good.   Too many performers of one style is great for those who like the style, but limiting for everyone one else.

Subject: RE: What makes a great festival?
From: GUEST
Date: 26 Jul 04 - 10:25 AM

REFRESH

Subject: RE: What makes a great festival?
From: GUEST,Jon
Date: 26 Jul 04 - 12:50 PM

I would think variety is the key - something for everyone, together with keeping costs as low as is possible.

Publicity may be another concern. I'm in Norfolk, so Lincoln could have been considered as easy reach. Kathryn Tickell with Karen Tweed would most certainly have interested me - though that does not mean I would have got there.

Subject: RE: What makes a great festival?
From: Scoville
Date: 26 Jul 04 - 01:13 PM

I haven't been able to go in years but the Texas State Dulcimer Championship in Glen Rose is/was always a ton of fun. It was held in a campground so people could come up for a long weekend and turn their kids loose. There were lots of vendor tents selling pretty much everything: Dulcimers, music, other instruments, some crafts, T-shirts, CD's. There was always a food wagon or two on the premises (the last time I went there was a guy selling a Mexican food plate; for $5.00 you got enough for two people--two tacos, two tamales, a burrito, beans, rice, and a can of soda). Everybody went to Hammond's Barbecue for dinner. The musicians were a mix of local or regional people and nationally-known dulcimer "stars". Most of the headliners were teaching workshops (that were not outrageously priced) and then mixing with the crowd when they weren't onstage, and they often asked non "celebrities" to come up and play with them for a song or two during their concerts. The dulcimer competitions themselves were actually a small part of the festival.

Subject: RE: What makes a great festival?
From: GUEST,LLincoln Folk Festival
Date: 31 Oct 04 - 08:19 AM

Hi there this is Andy Watkins the organiser. Yes publicity is a weakie for us not helped always by our City - they don,t allow us to put up direction signs but we do a nice little map with our publicity. This year 30 April 2005 we're incorporating a Lincolnshire Folk Musician of the year competition (£250 in prize money plus performing in our concert season and on Radio Lincoln) Not just about competition but establishing various formal/informal network links for aspiring folk musicians in our geographically challenged county. Artists now booked for workshops and our evening concert are Boden and Spiers, Kathryn Roberts and Sean Lakeman and Kerfuffle a super young band formed due to a similar initiative in our neighbouring county of Derbyshire. It is early in the year re camping so we offer only the facility of the City camping park. However we are very central in the medieval part of Lincoln and surrounded by good and cheap bed and breakfasts. This means our beautiful cathedral and ancient castle are two minutes walk away from the Festival. Look its just not easy in Lincolnshire because of the distances people have to come but we are now in our thirty-second year as a festival and our eighth year as a concert season - Eileen McGann tonight in fact only six in the audience so far as Lincolnshire folks haven't heard of her whereas seventy for last concert (october) for John Kirkpatrick who they do know and love. We're also very cheap - check our website on http://lincolnfolk.port5.com/ email us on [e-mail] thanks for listening

Subject: RE: What makes a great festival?
From: GUEST,Dawkins from Derby
Date: 31 Oct 04 - 08:29 AM

Lincoln is an 'early-in-the-year' Festival like the Gosport & Fareham Easter Festival in Hampshire - a great Festival for those who enjoy good music in comfortable indoor venues, Easter being a bit early for muddy fields and campsites. In the summer an interesting venue like Larmer Tree can make a Festival work irrespective of the artistes performing. Others work because of a blend of factors or because they are just good fun or, in the case of Cropredy, because they are an annual reunion of the clans with great rapport between audience, artistes and organisers. I guess we all have our own ideas on what makes a great festival. If there was a formula that worked for all then all would be the same and wouldn't that be dull and boring!!!