This is the time of year when festivals seem to show up everywhere - music festivals, food festivals, art festivals, appealing to just about every taste imaginable in some of the most interesting places around. I am always tempted by a least a few, given the descriptions, but then I remember the few I did go to. They always seems to feature several things in common - large, annoying crowds, lots of traffic, exhorbitant prices, and lack of basic creature comforts, especially for those of us beyond the days of sleeping on the ground.

I'm wondering if people have found any of these festivals really enjoyable - ones that minimize the negatives and maximize the positives. I haven't and would love to know of some.