Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
France's republication centennial. It not only attracted over 7 million visitors in
2011 but has become an internationally recognized symbol for the city. A related
point is that festivals often drive up local prices for the period of the event, a simple
matter of demand for goods and resources being greater than supply, which can seri-
ously affect the poor and those on limited incomes. They also suffer when redevel-
opment takes away many of the cheaper, older properties in which they have lived.
This is a problem that is often ignored in the places with big international festivals,
although in the past, religious and political leaders were known to provide at least
some special facilities for the poor as part of their charitable acts.
In a cultural context new modernist or economic rationales may have led to the
loss of authenticity in local traditions in festivals, which is always a danger that
needs to be anticipated and dealt with. It is noticeable how the largely indigenous
towns south of Managua, the capital of Nicaragua, have revived festivals based on
their own heritages—often linked to local saints days which were imposed by the
Catholic missionaries on older traditions—rather than simply criticizing the super-
ficial, modernised versions in the capital city. This means they have provided an
outlet for their own artists rather than losing the old craft and theatrical skills to
modernization and imported goods. Finally, it is worth noting how easy it is for a
festival to lose its local roots and influence when it increases in size and becomes
dependent on government and especially corporate support. Many of the largest
events have signed contracts with major corporate giants, so that only one type of
beverage or food supplier is involved in return for corporate donations. Certainly
the money is used for bigger prizes for the events or shows, but there is a concomi-
tant loss of choice and local input which impacts upon the authenticity of the events;
their spectacles and shows often hide the capitalist monopolies that lie behind them.
All these issues mean that although there can be many positive features associ-
ated with the creation, perpetuation and enlargement of festivals in cities, or in
settlements in general, there are a set of negative features that can counteract the
value of the event. In the former case it has already been noted that a new field of
management has grown up around what are usually now called Festival Special
Events which involve a series of stages, from Conceptualising and Planning to Af-
termath Impacts and Evaluation (Allen et al.
2005
). Yet such stages were always
needed in the historic organization and implementation of large festive events in
cities, and even in the local ones. They were rarely conceptualised and were per-
haps made easier to implement by religious or political leaders with the control and
wealth to deal with the events. However the historical record shows that while the
festive events were used to support existing beliefs and regimes, the very presence
of large crowds often led to apprehension that they would form the base for a regime
overthrow, a fear that sometimes turned out to be true. Yet one must not forget that
festivals promote new emotions and sensations, vital stimulants of a healthy hu-
manity and urbanity that was often forgotten in the nineteenth and twentieth century
focus upon work and rationality. The satisfaction and frequent feelings of exuber-
ance generated by historic festivals, with their provision of relaxation, pleasure,
indulgences, and sometimes euphoria, provided a temporary yet welcome release
