ABSTRACT
COVID-19 and the recent period of natural disasters in Australia have severely impacted the livelihoods of practitioners in arts and culture, stakeholders, and those employed in associated industries, yet this has also demonstrated how deeply intertwined arts, culture, and economies are. Festivals have often been positioned as an important component of regional development strategies not only for their potential capacity to contribute to regional economies but also because they can be used for social and cultural development. This chapter explores the impact of significant changes in regional places and the possible role and effectiveness of festivals in rethinking and reimagining regional community life in a precarious post-COVID, climate-changing world.
