Abstract
Abstract Sustainable practices aiming to reduce environmental impacts have become key guiding principles of events, but initiatives focusing on the economic impacts and on supporting the local economy and society are also gaining more emphasis in event planning and management. Music festivals attracting larger audiences are becoming especially aware of the importance of sustainability as well as of their role in the process of raising participants’ awareness of it. The paper aims to assess the initiatives of the Street Music Festival in Veszprém, Hungary, one of the flagship events of the city, from both the participants’ and the organisers’ perspective. For the investigation of participant attitudes, a questionnaire survey was conducted, while the organisers’ views on sustainability were sought through interviews. The findings show that although respondents rate the importance of sustainability as very high, their contribution to responsible consumption is far from what could be considered sustainable, therefore better communication of the initiatives or stricter rules need to be introduced. The interviewees revealed that organisers consider economic sustainability just as important as the environmental issues, and gave an insight into the rationale behind sustainability enhancing initiatives, some of which have a marketing function as well as protecting the environment.
Highlights
Unauthenticated | Downloaded 02/28/22 05:29 PM UTCSociety and Economy focusing on the economic impacts as well as supporting the local economy and society are gaining more emphasis in event planning and management (Moscardo 2008; Andersson et al 2015; Perry et al 2020). Getz (2010) points to the role festivals play in the regional development of an area
The findings show that respondents rate the importance of sustainability as very high, their contribution to responsible consumption is far from what could be considered sustainable, better communication of the initiatives or stricter rules need to be introduced
The findings of the survey showed that visitors rate the importance of sustainability as very high, their contribution to responsible consumption is far from what could be considered sustainable
Summary
Unauthenticated | Downloaded 02/28/22 05:29 PM UTCSociety and Economy focusing on the economic impacts as well as supporting the local economy and society are gaining more emphasis in event planning and management (Moscardo 2008; Andersson et al 2015; Perry et al 2020). Getz (2010) points to the role festivals play in the regional development of an area. Studies by Mair and Laing (2013) and Ye et al (2020) have established that music festivals attracting larger audiences are becoming especially aware of the importance of sustainability as well as of their role in the process of raising participants’ awareness of it. The festival is part of Veszprém-Balaton 2023 European Capital of Culture (hereon in ECoC) Project, which places special emphasis on sustainability as one of three horizontal goals, which include barrier-free and child-friendly programme development. The paper sets the scene first by discussing the three pillars of sustainability and presenting best practice examples of sustainability initiatives aiming to reduce the most common negative impacts and to promote responsible production and consumption at music festivals. The sustainability initiatives at the Street Music Festival will be analysed from both the participants’ and the organisers’ perspective
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