ABSTRACT
This chapter addresses the social life of music festivals, and festivalgoers’ contribution to the atmosphere, image and cyclic place of outdoor events. It draws on a range of academic literature and fieldwork interviews to examine the motivations of festivalgoers. The chapter discusses neo-tribal portrayals of social life at festivals, prior to introducing a new concept of ‘meta-sociality’, which refers to the shared meanings that come to be attributed to cyclically-held events such as music festivals. Generic factors include socialising, family togetherness, group identity, entertainment and hedonism, while event-specific factors include the programme, the uniqueness of the event, and the potential for co-creation of the event by attendees. The types of authenticity discussed differ markedly from the final form to be considered: hedonic consumption. A strong sense of belonging may also develop at events which attract specific audience demographics such as genre enthusiasts.
