CEPEL

So Fest (The social and territorial footprint of festivals)

SOFEST! research

While the artistic and cultural impact of festivals is beginning to be well known, their social value and territorial footprint have not yet been the subject of a large-scale analysis.Against a backdrop of reshaping cultural policies with changes in territorial scale (regions, metropolises and new perimeters of public establishments for intercommunal cooperation, etc.), this study aims to shed light on the various contributions of festivals to territories.At a time when the French Ministry of Culture is considering the contribution of festivals to the artistic and cultural field, as well as their ability to contribute to regional development, the study aims to shed light on the social and territorial impact of festivals. The study was divided into five sections, of which the following is the current assessment (the 4 published sections are freely available on the France Festivals website).

  • https://www.francefestivals.com/ )
  • festival audiences: 26,000 questionnaires processed, one booklet published
  • Socio-economic indicators for festivals: 184 structures, one report published
  • volunteers, 3500 questionnaires processed, one booklet published
  • festivals' general interest partnerships, qualitative interviews and questionnaire processing, work in progress
  • social communication at festivals, 200 events analyzed, booklet in preparation

In addition to these aspects, the SOFEST team wanted to estimate the economic, social and artistic losses linked to event cancellations in 2020. This resulted in a special report, published on the France Festivals website - Festivals annulés estimer la perte économique et sociale At the end of 2021, the SOFEST team will publish all the results (quantitative and qualitative) in the form of a book to be published by Presses de Science Po.

From SOFEST! to the Festivals Observation Device (DOF)

In parallel with the execution of its program, the SOFEST team was involved in the implementation of the États Généraux des Festivals (EGF), promoted by the French Ministry of Culture. At the end of 2020, it was commissioned to extend its analysis to all festivals in cultural sectors hitherto not included in its scope: visual arts, cinema, literature, among other performing arts sub-sectors such as storytelling or street arts. The aim is to prefigure a permanent observation of festival reality, based on a sample to be built up. From February onwards, the team intends to send as many festivals as possible an adapted questionnaire, based on the initial version of the socio-economic indicators survey. The questionnaire now includes more questions on sustainable development, and on the current situation of events, in the current health context.
Each festival participating in the study fills in an online questionnaire via an individualized link (approximately 20 minutes). In return, they receive a comparative table based on a battery of indicators, enabling them to compare themselves with festivals in their sector (e.g. learned music, dance, urban arts, literary events, etc.), and with the overall sample of all festivals that responded to the survey.
The survey is launched in the last week of January.
The data is processed and analyzed in March, published in April and presented in early May, during the second phase of the EGF, at the Printemps de Bourges festival.
See you in May! Study direction: Emmanuel Négrier and Aurélien Djakouane, CEPEL, CNRS - Université Montpellier Coordination: France Festivals
Partnership: L'Agence culturelle Grand Est - Occitanie en Scène - Le collectif des festivals breton - Fédération De concert ! - Fédération des festivals de chansons francophones - La Sacem - Crédit Coopératif - Ministère de la Culture

Further information: SoFest