ABSTRACT

Burning Man for example is almost militant in its placement of the festival-goer as co-producer; whereas Secret Garden Party, BoomTown and other similarly positioned festivals in Britain are a more subtle manifestation of a No Spectators rationale in action. To varying degrees, what they do share is a civic quality that clothes the festival with the feel and looks of a carnivalized metropolis the parallel society. Given the logical assumption that outdoor festivals draw upon the appeal of nature, its connection to new age philosophies, and the desire to escape city life, the civic angling of these collective performances is a surprising one. BoomTown, discussed at length in the previous chapter, is not the only gathering to perform a parallel society, complete with civic features and amenities. Lancashires Beatherder festival is moving in the same direction, and has, in recent years, built a semi-permanent avenue of shop fronts in its wooden glade, complete with a church, tattoo parlour and bookshop.