ABSTRACT
Social media (SM) enrich tourism experiences by transforming the way people search, create, share and discuss information and converting them into co-designers, co-producers, co-marketers and co-distributors of tourism offerings. SM in festivals have attracted very few studies focusing on the marketing and co-creation of festival experiences. Hence, no systematic research exists investigating how SM are transforming the operations of festival operators as well as the behaviour, decision-making and experiences of attendees. To address these gaps, this chapter adopts a co-creation approach for examining the use and impact of SM on both attendees and organisers. SM are fundamentally changing the way festivals are created, promoted, implemented and managed. At a basic level, SM have been instrumental in addressing the information search, communication, promotional and other functional needs of the attendees and organisers. SM facilitate, empower and support attendees and organisers to become value and experience co-creators with more 'social' business functions.