The Role of Festivals and Cultural Events in Promoting Social Inclusion: Examining Local Public Policy Documents in Romania

Abstract This study aims to investigate whether festivals and cultural events are considered by the cities that host them as a means to achieve social inclusion goals. We analyzed public policy documents related to urban development strategies and the allocation of non-reimbursable funds for festivals and cultural events in five Romanian cities: Sibiu, Cluj-Napoca, Sfântu Gheorghe, Miercurea Ciuc, and Alba Iulia, in order to identify to what extent city municipalities consider that festivals can play a role in promoting social inclusion and the importance of the social dimension when considering applications for financial support for cultural festivals. The selected cities are top five in a ranking of the cultural vitality of Romanian cities, published in 2022, which shows a very high polarity at a territorial level, with a concentration in the central part of the country. Thus, we investigated which public policy objectives festivals are associated with and to what extent the social dimension is relevant for obtaining financial support. The results showed that the link between culture and social inclusion is insufficiently explored in terms of how public authorities could encourage greater social inclusion through public policies supporting festivals.