Do Music Festivals Contribute to Local Tourism? – Chris Haslam (2009)

Author: Chris Haslam
Organisation/Affiliation/Publisher: Tourism Insights
Date: 2009

Recent years have seen a rise in the number of summer music festivals. There are pros and cons to staging such events and the question is, do they contribute to tourism? This comprehensive report addresses this by looking in detail at the economic impact of five major UK festivals – The Big Chill, Sonisphere, Isle of Wight, T in the Park and Latitude. It considers the different audiences, the relationship between organisers, local authorities and communities, and the opportunities for creating a tourism legacy. It concludes by making recommendations for maximising the potential benefits of these types of events.

This article looks at the economic impact of five major festivals across the UK:

• The Big Chill, Eastnor Castle, Herefordshire– an older demographic, predominantly professionals who enjoy music, culture and the environment.
• Sonisphere, Knebworth House, Stevenage– rock music fans, male-dominated audience.
• Latitude, Southwold, Suffolk– art, music and theatre in a pretty but awkward location, popular with middle class families interested in theatre, comedy and music.
• T in the Park, Balado, Kinross-shire– the only event of its size in Scotland. International commercial rock, pop and indie bands for mass market youth audience.
• Isle of Wight Festival, Newport– large mass market pop music festival in a unique location. The mix of classic rock acts and current chart musicians attracts a mixed audience.

Click here to read the full article on the CABI website (requires institutional login)