Why festivals matter

My thesis, British Music Festivals in the 21st Century: The Purposes of Participation, is due to be published in 2027. Drawing on in-depth interviews with British festival organisers, it examines how they understand the purpose and value of their work, and how their ambitions, creative decisions and personal commitments shape the festivals they produce.

A central concern is how festivals take shape as integrated creative experiences. Music, setting, design and participation each contribute to their character, but their significance also lies in how these elements come together. The research explores the organiser’s role in shaping that relationship, creating the conditions for experiences of belonging, discovery and connection.

It also considers what organisers gain from their work: the fulfilment of realising an idea, contributing to a community, supporting artists and creating something that matters to other people. Alongside these rewards are the negotiations between creative ambition and commercial survival, and the personal and emotional responsibilities involved in keeping a festival going.

The thesis develops the concept of generative fulfilment: a way of understanding the satisfaction organisers find in creating experiences whose value extends beyond themselves. It also examines how festivals establish an enduring relationship with place, despite existing there only temporarily and returning at intervals.