Festivals Post COVID-19

Festivals have become a part of the cultural fabric of global society and a tourism and leisure pursuit that is participated in by many. The COVID-19 crisis has meant that many festivals in 2020 have been cancelled or postponed. But what are the long term impacts for the future of the industry, and accessibility to these events? Will greater restrictions be placed on licencing, with a maximum number of attendees allowed? Will there be a certification scheme for attendees and participants based on current testing methods for COVID-19? Will festivals become more ‘exclusive’, or will there be more smaller-scale accessible organisations that work within a new ‘sharing economy’? This paper explores some of the issues and possibilities for the future of the festivals industry by using an ecological economist’s view of the potential shift in economic paradigms as outcomes of the pandemic.