The SoFEST project and the Festivals Observation System

In the run-up to Act II of the Estates General on Festivals, scheduled for early May in Bourges, and in order to gain access to broader data on festivals, France Festivals, CNRS and DEPS have been jointly commissioned by the French Ministry of Culture to carry out a study on socio-economic indicators for a broader sample of festivals (performing arts, cinema, books, visual arts). CEPEL is at the heart of this project. This is an important recognition for a laboratory that has been publishing research on this subject for over 15 years.

In 2018, CEPEL initiated the " SoFEST!-The social and territorial footprint of festivals" research project. The SoFEST! study, initiated and coordinated by France Festivals, is the fruit of close cooperation between a research team, regional and national festival networks as well as theAgence Culturelle Grand Est and Occitanie en scène. Partners supporting the project include DEPS (the French Ministry of Culture's Department of Studies and Forecasting), Sacem and Crédit Coopératif. The questionnaire linked to this survey covers the identity of festivals, their cultural, artistic and territorial activity indicators, their human and budgetary resources, their pricing practices, etc.

For further information: Festivals Observation System

Presentation of a research project: link