How do residents experience their own festivals?

Rural communities have recently been using events as tools for local development, especially if they are part of their community development policies (Richards & Palmer 2010; Ziakas & Costa 2010; Ziakas 2016). Economic benefits, feelings of belonging to the community, urban regeneration, quality of life, and cultural and social benefits are usually recognised as the main impacts of events (Fredline, Jago, & Deery 2003; Chalip 2006; Richards & Palmer 2010; Schulenkorf & Edwards 2012; Ziakas 2016). Ziakas (2016) suggests that more research into the impacts of cultural or festival events is needed (Ziakas 2016). Moreover, de Geus, Richards and Toepoel (2016, p. 276) argue that literature ‘on event experiences is very scarce and fragmented’. There is little understanding of what kind of meanings and experiences residents attach to a festival that occurs in the place where they live. Therefore, this study aims to examine the meanings and experiences residents ascribe to a festival in a local community in a small inland region in Portugal – Mértola.