Impact Of Festivals Research Articles

Outback Elvis: The story of a festival, its fans and a town called ParkesJohnConnell and ChrisGibson, NewSouth, Sydney, 2017, ix + 214 pp, ISBN 978‐1‐742‐23529‐5 (paperback), AUD34.99.

Outback Elvis: The story of a festival, its fans and a town called ParkesJohnConnell and ChrisGibson, NewSouth, Sydney, 2017, ix + 214 pp, ISBN 978‐1‐742‐23529‐5 (paperback), AUD34.99.

Re-imagining the environment: using an environmental art festival to encourage pro-environmental behaviour and a sense of place

Environmental art can be used by government as an engaging medium to encourage pro-environmental behaviour and a sense of place at a grassroots level. By stimulating discussion and reflection, environmental art offers an imaginative format to promote environmental engagement. In this case, by placing artworks in nature, a community's focus was drawn to the beauty of their everyday environment and the ideas communicated by the works, in an effort to encourage environmental awareness and stewardship. This study explores audience responses to Floating Land – a local-government-initiated environmental art festival held in the Noosa Biosphere in Australia. A multi-layered perspective of the festival's impact on pro-environmental behaviours and sense of place was investigated via questionnaires administered to the audience, workshop participants and local residents. Data offered insights into attitude differences between those who intended to change their behaviour and those who did not; understandings about the influence of workshop facilitators; and revelations about a community finding opportunities to re-imagine their place through environmental art. Recommendations are offered as a way for governments to incorporate environmental art into their role of educating for the environment. This study contributes to the under-researched area of audience responses to environmental art by providing qualitative and quantitative analysis that draws out understandings of the impact of art that promotes environmental awareness and a sense of place. The study reveals that Floating Land contributed to reinforcing the essential role of local people in engendering positive change, thus manifesting the aims of the Biosphere Reserve and Agenda 21.

Australia's Capital of Jazz? The (re)creation of place, music and community at the Wangaratta Jazz Festival

An otherwise little-known country town has become a ‘capital’ for one creative scene—jazz. The Wangaratta Festival of Jazz plays a significant role in both nourishing the local community and Australian jazz music. The festival creates a unique space for performance, listening and interaction which intimately connects Wangaratta with major cities in Australia and overseas. Despite the fact jazz has no roots in Wangaratta, the town is increasingly significant in jazz circles as the pinnacle of musical excellence and integrity for 4 days of the year. The festival's impact lives on beyond the physical boundaries of the festival through new social connections, recordings and ensembles which are born out of it. In a very real sense, Wangaratta is Australia's capital of jazz because it has built a reputation as the place where jazz belongs.

Exploring the music festival as a music educational project

The purpose of this article was to explore the music festival as a music educational project by means of results drawn from a case study investigating one particular festival's impact on identity development, both for the individual member of the audience (musical identity) and for the local society (local identity). The theoretical framework was taken from theories of modernity, dealing with identity as a reflexive project, created and maintained by self-narratives. The study combined a survey among the festival audience with observations of festival events. The results showed that the festival mediated stories, myths, beliefs and values connected to music and that there was a contrast between the festival staff encouraging the development and the audience preferring the maintenance of musical identities. The festival also created different social rooms for musical activity. These features are discussed in a music educational perspective. Implications are also drawn for music educational practice and research.

“Eke Out Our Imperfections with Your Minds”: The Festival's Impact on Audience Expectations and Involvement

“Eke Out Our Imperfections with Your Minds”: The Festival's Impact on Audience Expectations and Involvement

Can a festival be too successful?A review of Spoleto, USA

PurposeThe purpose of this research is to study the impact of the Spoleto, USA festival on the Charleston, SC hotel industry. Anecdotal evidence indicates that, while the highly successful event has benefited the community as a whole, hotels have not shared in the good fortune festival organizers and university‐sponsored economic studies indicate should have accrued.Design/methodology/approachSecondary data, obtained from Smith Travel Research, spanning four festival periods (2000‐2003), have been analyzed, comparing festival‐period hotel occupancy rates and average daily rates (ADRs) with non‐festival periods.FindingsNeither Spoleto‐period hotel occupancy nor ADR were enhanced by the festival. Analysis indicated that local hotels are not receiving the expected festival‐driven benefits. The numbers indicate that Spoleto has caused more potential visitors to avoid the city than it has attracted.Research limitations/implicationsOn a micro‐level, Charleston hotel and tourism officials learn about a festival's impact on their city. On a macro‐level, other cities and festival organizers may be encouraged to review their events to determine whether they are contributing to their local economy as expected. There is no suggestion that what has occurred in Charleston would necessarily occur elsewhere.Practical implicationsThe paper is quite practical and should be of significant value to industry and governmental officials. The most significant contribution is making the stakeholders aware of an issue of importance that is easily overlooked.Originality/valueThis research offers a fresh look at an issue not previously specifically addressed. While a healthy body of research speaks to the positive benefits of festivals and special events, looking at the potential shortfalls from the hotel's perspective makes this paper of significant value.