The Impact of Traditional Arts and Culture Festivals on Urban and Community Development: Audience Research for Re:tradition – The Jagiellonian Fair Festival
We are continuing our long-term study on how festivals transform the city. Our journey began in 2017 with a comprehensive audience survey, followed by a data collection phase in 2023 using the same metrics. This year, we are diving deeper, conducting in-depth interviews where the visitors to Re:tradition – The Jagiellonian Fair share the personal stories and experiences behind their festival attendance.
Beyond the Numbers
We examine the festival’s “impact” through a multifaceted lens—from the local economy and community bonds to strictly cultural effects, such as aesthetic and cognitive experiences. These last two are vital to our mission: we believe art and culture trigger unique effects that cannot be achieved by any other means (unlike tourism growth or social integration, which are often the primary focus of city marketing).
The specific “Re:tradition effect” will be revealed in a research report scheduled for release at the end of this year.
A Changing World
The report will also provide crucial insights into how the festival audience has shifted in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine. This study will be one of the first in Poland to provide both “hard economic indicators” and a profound understanding of how the festival experience shapes our attitudes toward other people (the social dimension) and the world at large (the cultural-cognitive dimension).
Sustainable Culture
Our goal is to provide tools for the effective and sustainable planning of cultural activities. We want to highlight the core essence of culture: its ability to spark the imagination and make the “impossible” feel attainable.
PROJECT NAME: The Impact of Traditional Arts and Culture Festivals on Urban and Community Development
Financed by the European Union – NextGenerationEU – National Recovery Plan (KPO) for Culture.
