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 (Sigala 2017; Sigala & Gretzel 2018). The festival sector is no exception. Festival operators adopt SM not only to increase their effectiveness (Inversini & Sykes 2013; Pasanen & Konu 2016) but also to appeal to new attendees who expect to use SM for accessing festival services and information; interacting with, sharing and discussing their experiences with various festival stakeholders (e.g. organisers, artists, local communities and other attendees); and co-designing and co-creating their festival experiences (Lee, Xiong & Hu 2012; MacKay, Barbe, Van Winkle & Halpenny 2017; Morey, Bengry-Howell, Griffin, Szmigin & Riley 2016). SM are compatible with the nature of festivals as a way to socialise, entertain and contribute to the self-development of attendees.
