And then there was another festival…

Abstract

Festivals have become a major tool in the tourism development of many small towns. This chapter gives a brief discussion on the conceptual facets of events and festivals, followed by a review of festival research conducted in a South African small town context. As most of the research concentrated on the economic impacts festivals have on towns, a review and a critique of the economic impact methodologies are provided in the last section of the chapter. A summary of the findings by a selection of event impact studies in South Africa is presented. In economic terms, the National Arts Festival (NAF) in Grahamstown is by far the most successful festival in the country, followed by the KKNK. National art festivals generally attract most of the visitors from their catchment areas (immediate province and nearby provinces). Most of the festivals are attended by Afrikaans-speaking persons. Festival organisers often assign unrealistic values to the consequences of their festivals, and in some cases, they discard the economic impact assessments done to determine their festivals’ worth to the small town. The ability to lure the power elite to attend festivals remains the most formidable challenge for success.