ABSTRACT
This chapter aims to provide a contribution toward bringing about a better understanding of the general contours of the national festival tourism segment. It provides an overview of the international literature focused on festival tourism in urban areas. The chapter argues that despite the magnitude of festival tourism, it remains a neglected area of investigation; and as a consequence, our understanding of its various impacts on the urban form is limited. It focuses on festival tourism investigations in the South African context. The chapter outlines the methodology employed in the empirical part of this investigation. It suggests that the available body of research in this regard is extremely limited, and also highly uneven in terms of the number and types of festivals focused upon. The chapter explores some insights into the spatio-temporal occurrence of festivals in South Africa, and reviews the types of festivals that are staged. It also focuses on a case study—namely the Volksblad Kunstefees.
