Impact of Festivals

Impact of feastsRobyn OrmondIntroduction southwestward Afri nonifys love fetes, it is a accident to let loose and enjoy a time of fun, family and by the end, commonly no funds. Festivals can be described in many ways, viz. events of limited duration developed primarily to enhance the aw atomic fargon 18ness, appeal and profitability of a tourist destination (Ritchie, 1984 2). Festivals guard become a resilient component of tourism in small townshipshipsfolkspeoplesfolkships (Visser, 2005). The importance of annual festivals in devil South African towns, being Sedgefield (the Sedgefield Slow-Festival) and Knysna ( Knysna pull together Festival) as advantageously as the frugal importance of these festivals will be explored to show how festivals can prevent the decline of these pictureic towns. Decline defThe Importance of FestivalsFestivals be to a greater extent than than just a way of making funds, there is a deeper allude of festivals upon the communities w ho host them, these festivals can then rather be referred to as a public, themed celebration (Jackson et al, 2005). Festivals which occur in smaller town like the two that will be analysed normally have a strong palpate of lodge and by property a festival, ideals such as leaders and accountability of the locals be promoted, members of the fraternity are encouraged to work confused and to take responsibility with regards to the planning and running of the festival (Visser, 2005). This act of holding a festival strengthens the community and allows for bonds of friendship to form between the town members as community goals are achieved through the management of the festival (Saayman A, Saayman, M, 2006).The festival also allows for the inhering beauty of the towns to be appreciated and act as a platform for conservation and environmental protection (especially in Sedgefield and Knysna, roughly(prenominal) of which occur along South Africas prestigious Garden Route) (Visser, 2 005). Festivals not only create links within the community scarce strengthens ties with that of the homo around them (people from much larger cities- Cape Town and Johannesburg are spontaneous to travel to come and participate in the festivals held in Knysna and Sedgefield.) (Saayman A, Saayman, M, 2006). The strong community bond a festival creates can help prevent the town from going into decline by becoming an attractive place to expect and especially to retire to.The Economic Importance of FestivalsNot only are festivals important for growing a towns identity but these celebrations are known to bring a healthy influx of money into the town. Festivals can boost a towns economy by either extending the sure seasonal income (money made during peak tourism times in the town- usually correlating with holi twenty-four hourss) or by creating an entirely new tourism season (Visser, 2005). The economic impact of a festival on a small town is simple people come from outside the town and by combat-ready in the festival, spend money which goes directly towards the local economy of the town (Saayman A, Saayman, M, 2006). hang-upism is the driving force behind a festival and the more(prenominal) a town can offer in terms of tourism, the more attractive the festival will be. Festivals are a way of a town advertising itself to the outside world in the hopes of attracting people ordain to settle there or foreign investors to take an interest in the town (Saayman A, Saayman, M, 2006). The money drawd from a festival is used in a small town to help ensure sustainability of the town and to help the town regenerate (if it had previously gone through a period of decline) (Saayman A, Saayman, M, 2006). A tourist spending money in the town during a festival has an impact on a variety of sectors due to the interlinked nature of the tourism industry (a tourist will need to purchase viands and boozing during the festival, have access to accommodation as well as make to participate in the events of the festival, this will benefit a large number of businesses in the town) (Saayman A, Saayman, M, 2006). For the two festivals being explored, a large portion of the act is donated to charity, as the community of Sedgefield and Knysna are more people-orientated and less money-driven.The Sedgefield Slow FestivalThe Sedgefield slow festival is a celebration of life in a small town only 7.85 km in size with a population of 8286 (Firth, 2011) along the Eastern Cape of South Africa. The town advertises itself as South Africas self-proclaimed Slow Town (as nothing will pop off at a speed faster than a tortoises walk- the icon of Sedgefield). The local residents volunteer to be part of a committee who are dedicated to creating a festival which promotes Wholesome goodness, Family, Friends, Fun, the Outdoors and Great food (Dixon, 2014). The festival is young in comparison to other South African festivals with its birth in 2010. The objective of the festi val is to show off the natural beauty of the area in a way that will get the entire town involved while creating local economic opportunities at the same time (Dixon, 2014). The town hosts several events during the festival including the infamous Anything-That-Floats wash drawing (a water race where participants must build trickerys constructed entirely out of recycled materials). separate events include a Beer-Pong competition held at one of the local parallel bars as well as the Town Hall Arts Exhibition. In total there are about twenty five events held everywhere the troika days surrounding the Easter weekend (18-20 April in 2014) (Dixon, 2014). In 2013 the proceeds from a variety of events, market sales (in the local farmers and craft market) and donations, the Slow-festival was able to support four different charities (Sedgefield Hospice, Sedge Mobile Meals, KAWS and Masithandane) with R12000 over the three day festival (Dixon, 2014).The Knysna garner FestivalOnly 25km aw ay from Sedgefield is the town of Knysna. Every year around the first week of July the Pick n give birth Knysna collect Festival is held over a ten day period (Knysna Oyster Festival, 2014). This festival is much older than the Sedgefield Slow-Festival with its debut in 1983. The purpose of the festival was originally to bring people to the area during the off-peak spend period subsequently the festival has experienced a large marrow of success and has grown significantly since its origin (Knysna Oyster Festival, 2014).The festival places a great emphasis on supporting charities, and due to the large nature of the festival, a sizeable amount of money can be donated. In 2013 the festival was able to generate R1 million which would benefit the community and have a significant impact on the local charities (Knysna Oyster Festival, 2014). beforehand an event can be registered as an official event of the Oyster Festival it must first state which charity or non-governmental cheek it will be supporting with a portion of its proceeds (Knysna Oyster Festival, 2014).Out of the many events held over the ten days, the three most iconic are the pulsing Weekend Argus Rotary Knysna Cycle Tour (which is one of the largest road and mountain bike races in South Africa), the Momentum Cape Times Knysna Forest Marathon and Half Marathon and of manikin the oysters which are eaten over the duration of the festival (which can reach up to 20000 oysters consumed) (Knysna Oyster Festival, 2014).ConclusionFestivals in small towns (especially in South Africa) are events in which the entire community can be involved in the planning, managing and running of the festival. These festivals are able to boost the local economy and generate a flow of capital in times which would otherwise be regarded as off-peak quiet periods characterised by little tourism and lower income for the community members. These festivals such as the Sedgefield Slow-Festival and the Knysna Oyster Festival create an identity for the town whilst forming community bonds between the residents. The large charity component of both the Sedgefield Slow-Festival and the Knysna Oyster Festival allows for all in the community to benefit from the proceeds. Overall festivals are a time to celebrate life, family, food and of course to have some fun.Reference ListDixon, A. (2014). Sedgefields Slow Festival. Available from http//www.slowfestival.co.za/Firth,A. (2011). Sedgefield Main charge 180007 from Census 2011. Available from http//census2011.adrianfrith.com/place/180007Knysna Oyster Festival. (2014). Pick n Pay Knysna Oyster Festival. Available from http//www.oysterfestival.co.zaJackson, J., Houghton, M., Russel, R., Triandos,P. (2005). Innovations in MeasuringEconomic Impacts of Regional Festivals A Do-It-Yourself Kit. Journal of Travel Research, 43360-367. DOI 10.1177/0047287505274649Ritchie, J.R.(1984) Assessing the impact of earmark events conceptual and research issues. Journal of Travel Resea rch, 23(1), 2-11.Saayman, A., Saayman, M. (2006). Does the location of arts festivals proposition for the economic impact? Papers in Regional Science, 85Visser, G. (2005). Lets Be Festive Exploratory Notes on Festival Tourism in South Africa. Urban Forum, 162-3.