This paper provides an introduction to the special issue of the Journal of Policy Research in Tourism, Leisure and Events on Festival Cities and Tourism. It provides a contextualisation of the conversations surrounding the relationship between cities and their festivals during the Covid-19 pandemic. Focussing on the ‘festival city’ of Edinburgh, we examine how festival organisers reacted to the challenges of the pandemic, and how they strove to maintain contact with audiences and other stakeholders. We then review the different contributions to the special issue, ranging from festivalisation and suburban food festivals in Barcelona to an art festival in Dublin, the European Capital of Culture in Hungary and the festival portfolio of Hong Kong.
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PurposeThis paper aims to consider the relationship between urban events and urban public space, asking whether cities have enough space for events and whether events have enough space in cities.Design/methodology/approachPolicy analysis surrounding events and festivals in the Netherlands is used to understand the dynamics of urban events, supported by content analysis of policy documents. A vignette of event space struggles in Amsterdam illustrates the contradictions of the event/space relationship.FindingsThe research identifies a policy shift in the Netherlands towards urban events from expansive, festivalisation strategies to defensive, NIMBYist policies. It exposes contradictions between protecting space as a living resource and the exploitation of space for regenerative purposes. Three future scenarios for urban events are outlined: conflict and competition, growth and harmony and digitalisation and virtualisation.Practical implicationsDevelops scenarios for the future relationship between events and urban space.Originality/valueProvides an analysis of the recursive spatial implications of the growth of the events sector for cities and the growth of cities for events.
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De veelheid aan verschillende festiviteiten en evenementen roept de vraag op of deze veelheid zich laat opdelen in verschillende categorieën zodat we beter kunnen duiden wat bijvoorbeeld een festival is. We voelen aan dat een bruiloft, carnaval, de WK finale Rugby, een TeDtalk en het Sziget festival naast overeenkomsten ook verschillen kennen. In ieder geval gelden er andere regels over hoe we ons (moeten) gedragen en wat we mogen verwachten. Maar wat zijn die overeenkomsten en verschillen dan precies? Het antwoord op deze vraag helpt om preciezer te kunnen aangeven waar uitspraken in artikelen en boeken betrekking op hebben: een bewering doen over de toename over de jaren van het aantal festivals vereist wel dat we weten waarover we praten.
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