The Routledge Handbook of Festivals

Judith Mair

• Publisher: Taylor & Francis
• Year: 2018
• Print ISBN: 9781032568393
• eBook ISBN: 9781351736756
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Business
• Subtopic: Hospitality, Travel & Tourism Industry
• Index: Business

In recent times, festivals around the world have grown in number due to the increased recognition of their importance for tourism, branding and economic development. Festivals hold multifaceted roles in society and can be staged to bring positive economic impact, for the competitive advantage they lend a destination or to address social objectives. Studies on festivals have appeared in a wide range of disciplines, and consequently, much of the research available is highly fragmented.

This handbook brings this knowledge together in one volume, offering a comprehensive evaluation of the most current research, debates and controversies surrounding festivals. It is divided into nine sections that cover a wide range of theories, concepts and contexts, such as sustainability, festival marketing and management, the strategic use of festivals and their future.

Featuring a variety of disciplinary, cultural and national perspectives from an international team of authors, this book will be an invaluable resource for students and researchers of event management and will be of interest to scholars in the fields of anthropology, sociology, geography, marketing, management, psychology and economics.

PART I

Introduction

1
INTRODUCTION

Judith Mair

Festivals represent a vital part of human society, and they have done so for millennia. The history of festivals is likely to go far back into the past, long before the written history of civilisations began. The desire to mark particular occasions, such as equinoxes, solstices and harvests, with communal expressions of feelings has been around since the Neolithic times (Biaett 2017) and continues to this day. Festivals traditionally allowed respite from hard work and mundane daily life, injecting a certain amount of socialising, relaxation and rejuvenation into what Hobbes argued might otherwise be the solitary, nasty, brutish and short existence of many peoples throughout history. In recent times, the importance and number of festivals has increased, primarily in tandem with the increasing importance placed on festivals (and other events) as opportunities for increased tourism, branding and economic development. Boorstin (1961) refers to these as pseudo-events, but regardless of where you stand on the authenticity and effectiveness of such economically and politically motivated festivals, it is fair to say that they are booming and as such are deserving of significant research attention.

As noted, festivals hold multifaceted roles in society, spanning economic development, tourism benefits, social outcomes and others. Although many festivals have been held for decades or more and celebrate important religious or historic traditions, there are significant economic advantages to be gained from either ‘re-imagining’ them or from generating new festivals. For example, festivals (along with other types of events) can be staged or supported by governments for instrumentalist purposes – to bring positive economic impact, secure jobs and growth, underpin regeneration and catalyse infrastructure development (Getz 2009). Festivals and events are often sought after as part of a destination’s tourism product offering, for the competitive advantage that they lend a destination and for the marketing and branding benefits they offer (Jago & Dwyer 2006). Festivals are also often created by governments to address a range of social objectives, such as generating social capital, enhancing community cohesion, strengthening community resilience and encouraging tolerance of diversity (Duffy & Mair 2017). Finally, festivals have other roles, which are often underplayed in comparison to the neo-liberal economic development agenda. These include the opportunity for activism and protest, counterculture and catharsis.

Festivals have been the subject of considerable research, but much of this is highly fragmented, with studies on festivals appearing in a wide range of disciplines, including anthropology, sociology, human and cultural geography, marketing, management, psychology and economics, and the broad field of tourism and hospitality. There have been attempts to bring this disparate knowledge together in review studies, with perhaps the best known being that of Getz (2010). Getz identified three major discourses from his review – a classical discourse, concerning the roles, meanings and impacts of festivals in society and culture; an instrumentalist discourse, where festivals are viewed as tools to be used in economic development, particularly in relation to tourism and place marketing; and an event management discourse, which focussed on the production and marketing of festivals and the management of festival organisations (Getz 2010). Other reviews have taken a discipline-specific approach (see, for example, Cudny 2014 on festivals and geography, Frost 2015 on festivals and anthropology and Dowson in this volume on religious and spiritual festivals). However, the subject is so vast it is difficult to get a sense of the full breadth of knowledge that lies at the heart of festival studies.

The Routledge Handbook of Festivals aims to bring this knowledge together in one volume, presenting an array of chapters that focus on a variety of topics, contexts and methods, thus contributing to our knowledge of festivals around the world.

Definitions and roles of festivals

Festivals are events which are designed for public participation; they may be either traditional or contemporary in form and celebrate a range of themes. In some senses, festivals appear to defy any neat definition – while Getz (1991) referred to them as public events that celebrate a specific theme, a cultural season or a time of year, he goes on in later work to consider them to be more of a spectrum of ideas (Getz 2010). There are several definitions that are used in order to create a basis for research, ranging from the very broad, ‘public themed celebrations that are held regularly’ (Wilson, Arshed, Shaw & Pret 2017, p. 196) or ‘social activities seen as an expression of social norms and the values of a society’ (Chacko & Schaffer 1993, p. 475), to the more specific ‘themed public occasions designed to occur for a limited duration that celebrate valued aspects of a community’s way of life’ (Douglas, Douglas & Derrett 2001, p. 358). It seems appropriate for me as editor of this handbook to examine how festivals can, or should, best be defined.

There are a range of characteristics that make it problematic to define festivals in one brief sentence. Thus, perhaps it is more appropriate to consider the full gamut of dimensions that have relevance to festivals in order to fully comprehend their scale and scope. The most important elements are highlighted. In relation to timing, festivals are almost always short term and are usually recurring (e.g. Saleh & Ryan 1993; Getz 2008). Another key dimension is that festivals are always open to the public – while there may or may not be an entrance fee or other charge, festivals are generally publicly accessible as opposed to closed meetings or events where an invitation is required (e.g. Kim, Uysal & Chen 2001; Wilson et al. 2017). In nature, festivals tend to be celebratory, although the specific theme of the celebration varies widely from religious and/or traditional to contemporary and arguably inauthentic (Green 1997; Douglas et al. 2001; Getz 2010; Jordan 2016). Nonetheless, the theme usually relates to an element of culture, be that traditional culture (religious or secular) (see, for example, Turner 1974 or Falassi 1987), high culture (such as opera, the arts or gourmet food, for example) or popular culture (such as folk or pop music) (inter alia Picard & Robinson 2006; Crespi-Vallbona & Richards 2007). Festivals are usually place-based and often celebrate the history, tradition or culture of a particular place (Hall 1989; Saleh & Ryan 1993; Derrett 2003; Getz 2010; Mair & Duffy 2015). Festivals are also social phenomena (Duffy & Mair 2017), and communities are at the centre of festivals, whether that implies place-based notions of communities (which is often the case) or broader communities of interest (De Bres & Davis 2001; Arcodia & Whitford 2006; Moscardo 2007; Jepson & Clarke 2015; Black 2016). Festivals often, although not always, have a performative element, with music, songs, dancing, parades or other ways of showcasing a way of life. Finally, the behavioural and affective elements of festivals help to differentiate them. The behavioural dimension of festivals highlights that they are often used to provide recreation and entertainment involving interaction and socialising (Jago & Dwyer 2006; Lee, Arcodia & Lee 2012). In relation to the affective dimension, festivals are often considered to relate to feelings of belonging and sharing, connection and cohesion (Johnstone 2012; de Geus, Richards & Toepoel 2016; Duffy & Mair 2017).

Therefore, perhaps an appropriate, if lengthy, definition of festivals might be

short term, recurring, publicly accessible events that usually celebrate and / or perform particular elements of culture that are important to the place in which they are held or the communities which hold them; that provide opportunities for recreation and entertainment; and that give rise to feelings of belonging and sharing.

Outline of contributions

The handbook is divided into nine sections based on the broad underpinning theories, concepts, contexts and topics of the chapters contained in each section. These are the Introduction, Sustainability, Festival Management, Festival Marketing, the Strategic Use of Festivals, Festival Experiences, Types of Festivals, Cultural Perspectives and the Future of Festivals.

Introduction

This section sets the scene for the handbook. The current Introduction chapter offers some initial thoughts on the definitions and roles of festivals. Following from that, Gouthro and Fox systematically examine recent developments in research in the festival sector literature, providing a detailed investigation of the methods and paradigms that inform research in this field and demonstrating the predominance of quantitative methods (particularly surveys) while at the same time highlighting issues for future festival researchers in relation to big data and ethics. Getz, Andersson, Armbrecht and Lundberg address the conceptual and philosophical issues associated with placing a value on a festival. Their chapter provides a theoretical and practical framework within which value issues can be addressed, using the dimensions of people, the economy and the environment. Finally in this section, Zhang considers the meaning of festivals, proposing a new semiotic approach. Zhang notes that while much research has concentrated on what is a festival, a better approach may be to interrogate how is a festival [experienced, understood, presented].

Sustainability

This section naturally covers the key fundamental tenets of sustainability – the economic, social and environmental impacts of festivals. Initially, Dwyer and Jago examine the economic evaluation of festivals, highlighting the challenges associated with developing techniques which give accurate results while at the same time being practical for policymakers making decisions on the allocation of scarce resources. This is followed by an analysis of the social sustainability of festivals by Quinn, who points to the ever-increasing importance being placed on the ability of festivals to achieve social goals. Quinn concludes that festival research should examine the processes underpinning social change, taking account of the growing influence of more social science concepts and theories, and utilising more critical enquiry. An additional chapter on social sustainability is provided by Wilmersdörffer and Schlicher, who use a case study of the Wacken Open Air festival to analyse the interdependencies of sociocultural impacts and create a tool to assist in the development of policy for the sociocultural sustainability of festivals. Finally, Jones presents a discussion on the environmental sustainability of festivals; identifies common festival environmental issues and impacts, and how to minimise or mitigate these; and explores opportunities for festivals to contribute positively to environmental sustainability through legacy and education initiatives.

Festival management

The festival management section consists of a mix of practical management information and advice, and more conceptual ideas about the ways in which festivals can view their management models. Holmes, Lockstone-Binney, Smith and Rixon-Booth examine the perennial issues of volunteer management, reporting on a new volunteer management model for recruiting and managing volunteer programmes across a range of festivals which has widely been recognised as an example of best practice in this space. Hutton examines another important contemporary issue for festival managers –alcohol and drug misuse at outdoor music festivals. Hutton demonstrates how harm minimisation and health promotion activities can reduce reliance on the healthcare system and thus reduce the burden on the wider community. Sigala considers how social media are transforming the way that festivals are planned, managed and executed. Sigala’s chapter examines changes both in the place/space in which festivals occur and in the way in which a variety of actors now play a role in the initiation of festivals. In their chapter, which uses examples drawn from the Macau Arts Festival, Zhao and Lei investigate festival innovation. As they point out, while novelty is an often-cited festival attendance motivation, little is known about what constitutes novelty or how festivals can be innovative in their development of novel approaches. They conclude that further research is needed to understand innovation in the complex domain of festivals. Finally, Luonila examines networks of meanings in festival production. Luonila’s chapter sets out to capture the dimensions of meanings related to the fundamental activities of festival management and to analyse how these dimensions of meanings are reflected in managerial practices and decision-making, and thus can serve as a basis for comprehending the role and the effectiveness of festival stakeholders in festival production.

Festival marketing

Festivals rely on a multitude of stakeholders, and the chapter by Aktas and Sel takes a strategic marketing approach to examine an important festival stakeholder – the sponsors – and highlight a lack of research into festival sponsorship as it relates to festival context, location, scope and participant types. Using a case study of two festivals in Izmir, Turkey, the chapter demonstrates that there are a range of elements that contribute to the success of festival sponsorship. Moving to other forms of marketing, festivals are increasingly being expected to play a role in destination branding by offering an activity to encourage tourist visitation. This is not necessarily the fundamental raison d’ȇtre of festivals, and so it is important to examine how successful or otherwise such festival marketing can be. Ayazlar examines the role of festivals in destination branding by taking a case study of a Turkish strawman festival, demonstrating clearly that while the festival may not have been started for tourism purposes, it nonetheless offers a unique and distinctive addition to the destination’s brand and product offering. However, Ayazlar draws attention to the risks associated with the use of the festival as a marketing tool, particularly those risks associated with loss of authenticity. Barrera-Fernández, Hernández-Escampa and Balbuena Vázquez take a different appro...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Table of Contents
• Lists of figures
• List of tables
• List of contributors
• Part I Introduction
• Part II Sustainability
• Part III Festival management
• Part IV Festival marketing
• Part V Strategic use of festivals
• Part VI Festival experiences
• Part VII Types of festivals
• Part VIII Cultural perspectives on festivals
• Part IX Festival futures
• Index