The cultural, social and economic impact of Britain’s festival season reaches far beyond the summer months and event locations, according to a new report from the University of East Anglia (UEA).
The study, entitled From Glyndebourne to Glastonbury: the Impact of British Music Festivals, claims these events foster feelings of belonging among likeminded people and encourage greater social cohesion across communities.
It also states that festivals influence the appetite for and the ways in which music is created and consumed.
The research was led by UEA festival experts Prof George McKay and Dr Webster, who also state that performances at particular festivals can enhance an artist or musician’s status and increase the chances of further festival bookings at home and abroad.
According to the report, the wider music industry is also embracing the burgeoning festival scene, using the start of the season as a platform to launch new albums and break new acts.
Prof. McKay said: ‘When you think about it, it’s extraordinary that the music festival has become such a dominant feature of the seasonal cultural landscape, especially the outdoors pop festival.
‘With vagaries of the typical British summer there’s often mud, toilet facilities are usually not the most pleasant, traffic jams in country lanes, crowds on site everywhere, watching bands playing in the distance. And yet, festivals thrive today. Why? Because, while culture and life may be ever more fragmented, festivals speak to our need for community and belonging, they can offer us an intense, special space-time experience, often in a beautiful landscape, surrounded by the music we like.’
Elsewhere, the report confirms it is difficult to build an accurate economic picture of British music festivals due to the individual assessments used.
However, based on music tourism figures from UK Music, music festivals generate major amounts of direct and indirect spending – £1.7bn – attract high numbers of music tourists - 2.2 million - and sustain more than 13,500 jobs.
From Glyndebourne to Glastonbury: The Impact of British Music Festivals will be presented at the Cheltenham Jazz Festival on 30 May by Dr Webster and Prof McKay.
It is funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council’s (AHRC) Connected Communities programme, in partnership with the EFG London Jazz Festival, and is based on a critical literature review of more than 170 books, papers and reports.
The study, entitled From Glyndebourne to Glastonbury: the Impact of British Music Festivals, claims these events foster feelings of belonging among likeminded people and encourage greater social cohesion across communities.
It also states that festivals influence the appetite for and the ways in which music is created and consumed.
The research was led by UEA festival experts Prof George McKay and Dr Webster, who also state that performances at particular festivals can enhance an artist or musician’s status and increase the chances of further festival bookings at home and abroad.
According to the report, the wider music industry is also embracing the burgeoning festival scene, using the start of the season as a platform to launch new albums and break new acts.
Prof. McKay said: ‘When you think about it, it’s extraordinary that the music festival has become such a dominant feature of the seasonal cultural landscape, especially the outdoors pop festival.
‘With vagaries of the typical British summer there’s often mud, toilet facilities are usually not the most pleasant, traffic jams in country lanes, crowds on site everywhere, watching bands playing in the distance. And yet, festivals thrive today. Why? Because, while culture and life may be ever more fragmented, festivals speak to our need for community and belonging, they can offer us an intense, special space-time experience, often in a beautiful landscape, surrounded by the music we like.’
Elsewhere, the report confirms it is difficult to build an accurate economic picture of British music festivals due to the individual assessments used.
However, based on music tourism figures from UK Music, music festivals generate major amounts of direct and indirect spending – £1.7bn – attract high numbers of music tourists - 2.2 million - and sustain more than 13,500 jobs.
From Glyndebourne to Glastonbury: The Impact of British Music Festivals will be presented at the Cheltenham Jazz Festival on 30 May by Dr Webster and Prof McKay.
It is funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council’s (AHRC) Connected Communities programme, in partnership with the EFG London Jazz Festival, and is based on a critical literature review of more than 170 books, papers and reports.
