What is it about the Folk Festival?

It's the last day of the 4.5 day National Folk Festival in Canberra, and it's been a wonderful event.

I can't believe what we've been missing given we've lived just a few kilometres from the venue for several years, but this is our first time there.

There is great entertainment everywhere you turn - and only a bit of it officially organised. Street performers pop up when you least expect it and buskers abound - especially kids pocketing a tidy little sum.

But I think it's the people that are what really make the difference.

In Canberra we become accustomed (resigned?) to the incredible self-importance and up-tightedness that seems to dominate so many locals - in the workplace, particularly when they are behind the wheel in a car, and everywhere in between.

But there's virtually none of that at the National. Everyone is relaxed, casual and tolerant. There are still people with jobs to do, and places to get to on time. But the inevitable little bumps don't result in the filthy looks and worse that we are so used to - just simple apologies and smiles. People don't get wound up about about an occasional outburst by a child at a concert - that's life, it happens. Performers smile and shake there heads, or make a joke, when an overly loud street performance outside their venue overpowers.

There's also a pervading sense of fun and tolerance. People have fun with their dress, others smile rather than frown.

Perhaps one of the key signs is oddly enough the litter. There is hardly any, even at the end of the day. Contrast that with the mess left behind at Skyfire and other Canberra events. There is clearly a very different mindset here.

There's something very comforting about being surrounded by good people. I found this when I used to volunteer for the Sunshine Coast Environment Council. I got to know a lot of good people. They were politically diverse - mostly Greens and Democrats supporters, a few Labor, no Liberals. Some were what others call 'feral', most were just mainstream people doing good work and they were all good friends and people I very much enjoyed spending my time with.

The folk festival is like revisiting that type of people again. Except that everyone is like that - even the 10,000 strangers.