Thriving festivals.

More than 300 folk festivals are held throughout the UK every year. Many of these long-running events pass under the radar of the general public, but are regular fixtures in the folkies' calendar.

Seemingly untouched by musical fads, a host of events such as the week- long Whitby Festival, see a core of traditional artists re-booked annually, alongside new and young acts.

At the other end of the scale are the alt.folk and acoustic-led festivals, at the forefront of which is the Green Man. Attracting a core audience of 20- to 30-year-olds, this year's Green Man sees Spiritualized and Super Furry Animals sharing the bill with King Creosote, Richard Thompson and the legendary Pentangle.

Green Man co-organiser Jo Bartlett explains, "In the beginning, we were interacting with like-minded people who were picking up on the same types of music as us. The likes of Pentangle were always being mentioned and we began to explore that area, too. At the first one-day festival, we had 350 people, now, in our sixth year, there are 10,000 people attending over three days. As for our booking policy, it's simply led by our own interest."

Fitting neatly between the two are those festivals with a core of folk acts for whom eclectic seems to be the watchword, with Beautiful Days this year hosting folk ...