OBJECTIVES AND FOCUS OF FESTIVALS IN LATVIA WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF MANAGEMENT AND CULTURAL POLICY

Abstract

This article provides an insight into the problems of defining the notion “festival” and the classification of various festivals. In respect to the influence of cultural and art festivals, it is indicated that the definition of the objective is a pre-condition for the measurement of influence, so that the re- sults could be objectively accepted. The formulation of an objective by defin- ing the preferable results and the desirable influence corresponds to the basic principles of management and the best practice in the organisation of cultural events. The article analyses the objectives of Latvia’s festivals and the cate- gories of influence by applying the method of content analysis, as well as outlines the influence of festivals upon the sector of culture and cultural en- vironment, including the social influence. The author draws a conclusion that the organisers of festivals in Latvia believe that the main objective is to enrich cultural life by offering qualitative cultural events and by diversifying it with something new, thus broadening the worldview of participants and popular- ising a specific genre of art.