Music Festivals as Social Venues: Method Triangulation for Approaching the Impact of Self-Organised Rural Cultural Events

The SIKUL research project examines the case of a self-organised music festival, which is understood as a social innovation in the field of arts and culture, in order to answer the following question: What effects do social innovations in arts and culture have on the members of the public involved in rural areas? How do they impact the region? To this end, a triangulation of methods has been used in conjunction with seven expert interviews that were analysed using focused interview analysis as well as a multimodal image analysis of the festival’s social media presence supplemented by a descriptive study of the festival’s cooperation, pictured on social media. The festival is a free space for the organisers. It promotes self-expression and learning. For decades and across several generations, a community of care has existed that extends beyond the festival experience into everyday life. Thus, the festival is a self-organised social space. Involvement in the festival allows participants to express and mutually reinforce their connection to the region. The festival primarily cooperates with regional stakeholders within a 10-km radius and is thus a creative driver in the region. Social innovations in arts and culture play a significant role in local cohesion and identity-building in rural regions.