The effects of special events on attendees’ Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) experience: Festival pride, prior experience, and COVID-19

Abstract

Special events have gained popularity because they can contribute to the destinations’ sustainability. The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a rise in xenophobia and racism, so the function of special events in society became even more critical. This study explores the potential of special events to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) experiences through local festivals during COVID-19. The result of this study is that attendees’ perception of the festival was the most salient in predicting personal DEI experience, particularly festival DEI practices and the trust of other festival attendees. In addition, attendees with a high level of festival pride significantly have more positive perceptions than those with a low level. Overall, the results of this study affirm the notion that special events foster diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), thereby aiding in the advancement of socially sustainable event planning and management practices.