Culture Wars: The Festivalisation of Public Space

Abstract

The festivals of Edinburgh and Adelaide are famous for taking over the streets, parks, and public spaces of their cities to host their month-long parties each year. Contestation over who has the right to occupy these spaces and for what purpose is increasingly a source of tension within both cities. This has been exacerbated by the popularity of holding ticketed events in cordoned-off areas of public parks that block residents’ access and cause environmental damage to these urban green areas. In 2012 in Adelaide, the violins of an open-air Adelaide Festival concert were underscored by the rev of V8 engines from the nearby Clipsal 500 V8 Supercar race. In Edinburgh, huge black barriers that blocked access to West Princes Street Gardens and obscured views of a popular music concert and the iconic Edinburgh Castle, reignited debate in 2018 over whether the festivals are worth the annual disruption to residents. These performative events are examples of culture wars between different groups over who has the right to define the city. Such internal conflicts, coupled with increased external competition, are challenging the ability of Edinburgh and Adelaide to derive monopoly rent from their unique and authentic festivals and therefore continued investment in the Festival City place myth.