Festival Participation, Inclusion and Poverty: An Exploratory Study
Music festivals (in the UK) have the potential to enhance the quality of life of attendees and participants, and therefore it might be argued they should be accessible to all. However, the barriers to participation that some may face when seeking to access and engage with festival experiences can of...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-02-01
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| Series: | Tourism and Hospitality |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2673-5768/4/1/5 |
| _version_ | 1797608868644126720 |
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| author | Karen Davies Mary Beth Gouthro Nic Matthews Victoria Richards |
| author_facet | Karen Davies Mary Beth Gouthro Nic Matthews Victoria Richards |
| author_sort | Karen Davies |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Music festivals (in the UK) have the potential to enhance the quality of life of attendees and participants, and therefore it might be argued they should be accessible to all. However, the barriers to participation that some may face when seeking to access and engage with festival experiences can often be attributed to the issue of marginalisation due to poverty. Utilising the three discourses of social inclusion put forward by Levitas as a framework, the study explores what UK music festival organisations are doing and could do to make their events more accessible to people living in poverty. Through an analysis of a series of festival websites and semi-structured interviews with festival organisers, some of the financial considerations that can influence participation and act as a barrier to making festivals an inclusive aspect of our cultural life were identified, and solutions were explored. The paper found that despite the social benefits of attending, those living in poverty have become an increasingly marginalised group of festival goers as a result of the disproportional rise in costs associated with attendance, which often goes beyond only the ticket price to include hidden extras. Whilst several festivals undertake outreach work and donate to charitable organisations, only a handful have specific initiatives that improve access for those living in poverty beyond spreading out the price of the ticket via instalments and volunteering opportunities. Findings suggest whilst many music festivals are starting to recognise the importance of the issue, few have specific initiatives but are willing to consider what they can do moving forward. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T05:49:33Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-bb6eb9a99a154224b22f8a1a3d43182f |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2673-5768 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T05:49:33Z |
| publishDate | 2023-02-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Tourism and Hospitality |
| spelling | doaj.art-bb6eb9a99a154224b22f8a1a3d43182f2023-11-17T14:12:23ZengMDPI AGTourism and Hospitality2673-57682023-02-0141517410.3390/tourhosp4010005Festival Participation, Inclusion and Poverty: An Exploratory StudyKaren Davies0Mary Beth Gouthro1Nic Matthews2Victoria Richards3Welsh Centre for Tourism Research, Cardiff School of Management, Cardiff Metropolitan University, Llandaff Campus, Cardiff CF5 2YB, UKBournemouth University Business School, Talbot Campus, Bournemouth University, Bournemouth BH12 5BB, UKWelsh Centre for Tourism Research, Cardiff School of Management, Cardiff Metropolitan University, Llandaff Campus, Cardiff CF5 2YB, UKWelsh Centre for Tourism Research, Cardiff School of Management, Cardiff Metropolitan University, Llandaff Campus, Cardiff CF5 2YB, UKMusic festivals (in the UK) have the potential to enhance the quality of life of attendees and participants, and therefore it might be argued they should be accessible to all. However, the barriers to participation that some may face when seeking to access and engage with festival experiences can often be attributed to the issue of marginalisation due to poverty. Utilising the three discourses of social inclusion put forward by Levitas as a framework, the study explores what UK music festival organisations are doing and could do to make their events more accessible to people living in poverty. Through an analysis of a series of festival websites and semi-structured interviews with festival organisers, some of the financial considerations that can influence participation and act as a barrier to making festivals an inclusive aspect of our cultural life were identified, and solutions were explored. The paper found that despite the social benefits of attending, those living in poverty have become an increasingly marginalised group of festival goers as a result of the disproportional rise in costs associated with attendance, which often goes beyond only the ticket price to include hidden extras. Whilst several festivals undertake outreach work and donate to charitable organisations, only a handful have specific initiatives that improve access for those living in poverty beyond spreading out the price of the ticket via instalments and volunteering opportunities. Findings suggest whilst many music festivals are starting to recognise the importance of the issue, few have specific initiatives but are willing to consider what they can do moving forward.https://www.mdpi.com/2673-5768/4/1/5festivalsinclusivitypovertyaccesspractices |
| spellingShingle | Karen Davies Mary Beth Gouthro Nic Matthews Victoria Richards Festival Participation, Inclusion and Poverty: An Exploratory Study Tourism and Hospitality festivals inclusivity poverty access practices |
| title | Festival Participation, Inclusion and Poverty: An Exploratory Study |
| title_full | Festival Participation, Inclusion and Poverty: An Exploratory Study |
| title_fullStr | Festival Participation, Inclusion and Poverty: An Exploratory Study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Festival Participation, Inclusion and Poverty: An Exploratory Study |
| title_short | Festival Participation, Inclusion and Poverty: An Exploratory Study |
| title_sort | festival participation inclusion and poverty an exploratory study |
| topic | festivals inclusivity poverty access practices |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2673-5768/4/1/5 |
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