Yet, at Newcastleton Traditional Music Festival – known locally as the Copshie Festival – there appears to be no midlife crisis as it reaches its fourth decade of existence tomorrow.

And reaching the milestone confirms Newcastleton as the home of the longest running traditional music festival in Scotland.

The Liddlesdale village, situated just a few miles north of the English border, first hosted the festival in 1970, and it has been ever-present as an annual event since.

Its ethos has also remained the same throughout – to give people of all standards the opportunity to develop their musicial talents.

One of those involved in retaining the festival's presence is Malcolm McEwen, who was an integral part of the festival's committee for around 10 years.

He said: "The festival began as a weekend for a group of boys in the accordion and fiddle club who invited friends round to play in their houses and pubs.

"They then began to hold competitions and a dance, and it went from there.

"Now there are people who come along whose grandparents and parents were here in the early years. In fact, some of them were probably conceived here."

The feeling of organised chaos from the early years of the festival remains today. On the whole, acts are not booked to perform; instead, musicans turn up on the day and can play in the various competitions run throughout the weekend.

And this spontaneity, along with other subtle differences, mark Newcastleton out from more profit-driven festivals.

Malcolm added: "It hasn't changed at all. No acts are booked, apart from for the dance and the ceilidh.

"That's why the costs are so low, unlike a lot of big festivals down south where you have to pay £50 to £70 to get in.

"The most you pay at Newcastleton is about £3.50 to get into the concert.

"There was always the temptation to book big names, but that would mean some of the magic from the festival would have gone.

"But most folk musicans have attended Newcastleton. Phil Cunningham used to be a regular, and Aly Bain has been.

"Archie Fisher and Billy Connolly have also played when the folk scene was big in the early 1970s – but none of them were ever booked.

"The village is overtaken by the festival," adds Malcolm, "and everyone takes part, which is quite unique.

"There are kids' competitions in singing and poetry, and it really is a festival to bring the family along to.

"Towns that have festivals often see some pubs or venues take part, while others don't. That is not the case at Newcastleton."

Echoing Malcolm's view is Susie Kelly, current secretary of the festival, who is hoping for crowds to match last year's estimated 3,500 – around four-and-a-half times the population of Newcastleton.

She told us: "The beauty of the festival has always been its ad-hoc basis.