ABSTRACT
A substantial body of research suggests that cultural events and festivals play an important role in the economic and community development of destinations and regions. Impact studies have examined a variety of effects of cultural events and festivals at the local, regional, national and international levels (for a literature overview, see Getz 2010). The study of festival impacts is undoubtedly complex; effects can be both positive and negative, and span across a wide range of areas such as the economic, environmental, cultural, social and personal. Often, many conflicting objectives have to be balanced against each other (Reid & Arcodia 2002). Balancing the various interests of stakeholders to generate an overall positive outcome is a difficult task that requires a well-developed skill set of event managers.
