Work

Socio-spatial authenticity at co-created music festivals

Year: 2017

Type: article

Abstract: From the early days of hippie counter-culture, music festivals have been an important part of the British summer. Today they are commercialised offerings without the counter-cultural discourse of earlier times. Drawing on participant observation, interviews and focus groups conducted at a rock festival and a smaller boutique festival, the paper examines how their design, organisation and management are co-created with participants to produce authentic experiences. The paper contributes to research on authenticity in tourism by examining how authenticity emerges and is experienced in such co-created commercial settings. It presents the importance that the socio-spatial plays in authenticity experiences and how socio-spatial experience and engagement can also be recognised as a form of aura.

Source: Annals of Tourism Research

DOI: 10.1016/j.annals.2016.12.007

Authors: Isabelle Szmigin, Andrew Bengry-Howell, Yvette Morey, Christine Griffin, Sarah Riley

Institutions: University of Birmingham, Bath Spa University, University of the West of England, University of Bath, Aberystwyth University

Language: English

Topic: Diverse Aspects of Tourism Research

Subfield: Sociology and Political Science

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $4,060

Funders: Aberystwyth University, University of Bath, Economic and Social Research Council