ABSTRACT
Festivals have been thought of and researched in many different ways, with the key differences in research methods and approaches arising as a result of the different disciplinary foundations of various scholars. This chapter provides an overview of some of the key bodies of thought and fields of study that have informed our knowledge of festivals to date. The chapter considers the methods and approaches taken in published festival studies and also considers some of the main topics that have been researched, theming these under the broad headings of festivals and people, festivals and space, and festivals and tourism.
