ABSTRACT
Rural communities have been using events as tools for local development, especially if they are part of their community development policies. This chapter aims to improve knowledge about how policymakers can design events in order to improve attendees' experiences. Residents' narratives and event meanings allow the development of festivals that really matter to the host population. The host community members are simultaneously performing the narrative and consumers of the experience. Experiences and meanings attached to events and festivals are subjective constructions. The Mertola Islamic Festival was the setting for a study that aimed to understand the meanings and experiences residents attach to a festival in a local community. Insights from event experiences and meanings from the perspective of residents can help managers to design a festival that will contribute to the local development.
