Literary festivals: insights from Ireland

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore literary festivals in Ireland and gain an understanding of the vision and strategic approaches of the stakeholders involved in their development and management.Design/methodology/approachThis qualitative research study explores literary festivals in terms of how these are managed and developed, as well as the experiences offered, from a supply-side perspective. The research and data collection instruments include bibliographic research and a series of in-depth interviews.FindingsThe strategic vision and approaches of the founders and directors are critical to the success of literary festivals. The findings of this study provide insights into the stages of festival professionalization, as it explores the development and management of six literary festivals in Ireland.Research limitations/implicationsThis study is essentially exploratory in nature. This topic is under-represented in the literature and there is potential to extend this research into a more extensive study of literary festivals from the perspective of key stakeholders. This study was limited by the challenges and uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on the festival and events industry.Practical implicationsAgainst a backdrop of increasing numbers and popularity of literary festivals and related events in Ireland, this study could influence the development and promotion of this sector. Furthermore, the findings identify strategies adopted by festival founders and managers, and this is likely to be of interest to stakeholders at national and international levels.Originality/valueEven though literary festivals have proliferated in Ireland over the past 20 years, there is a dearth of academic research in this area. To the best of the author’s knowledge, this is the first study exploring a range of literary festivals in Ireland. The research focuses on literary festivals from a “supply” rather than “demand” perspective. Moreover, it discusses the evolution and development of literary festivals as well as the vision of the key stakeholders involved in their management.