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The Budapest
Observatory is member of the Consortium of the European Festival
Research Project (EFRP).
Following two seminars in Leicester and Le Mans,
done in conjunction with De Montfort University and France Festivals
respectively, EFRP joined forces with Circle,
and the annual round table conference of this European network was dedicated to
the festival policy of
public authorities, entitled Festival Jungle - Policy Desert? The meeting was hosted by Interarts,
Barcelona, in October 2007. The next meeting was held in Helsinki, in March, 2008.
BO contributed, among others, by introducing the debate on a set of recommendations to the public authorities on festival policies,
the closing session of the Barcelona conference.
For the Helsinki meeting a case study was prepared on Miskolc.
EUROPEAN FESTIVALS RESEARCH PROJECT SEEKS YOUR COOPERATION
What is EFRP
EFRP is an international research consortium, set up to analyze the contemporary dynamics of artistic festivals in Europe and their implications and perspectives and deliver conclusions, trends and recommendation by the end of 2007 and a book of collected and structurally connected research papers, to be made ready for publication by the end of 2008.
The members of the EFRP consortium are
The Arts Council of England (UK),
Budapest Observatory, Budapest (HU),
European Festival Association, Gent (BE),
Faculty of Creative and Performing Arts, Leiden University, Leiden (NL),
Fondazione Fitzcarraldo, Torino (IT),
Institute of European Studies, Université Paris 8, Paris-St. Denis (FR) and
School of Media and Cultural Production, De Montfort University, Leicester (UK)
EFRP background
EFRP was initiated as a flexible and open research platform and held research workshops in Brussels (2004), Nitra (2005) and Leicester (2006), with the support of the Flemish Theater Institute and Kunstenfestival des Arts; Festival Divadelna Nitra, Arts Council of England and European Cultural Foundation. The web site of the European Festival Association carries all the materials generated in this process (www.efa-aef.org).
EFRP premises
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EFRP emerges from a belief that festivals have become emblematic for the issues, problems and contradictions of the current cultural practices in Europe, marked by globalization, European integration, institutional fatigue, dominance of cultural industry and shrinking public subsidies.
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Festivals are reshaping the public space in Europe, assert new focal points beyond the traditional cultural centers and have a potential to forge new alliances and partnerships and further the intercultural competence of all parties involved.
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Festivals are intensive, logistically complex undertakings that rely on multiple stakeholders, creating divergent and sometimes mutually excluding expectations.
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Festivals achieve much media exposure, are closely watched by the professionals, appeal to the sponsors and are funded by the public authorities for the reason that are not exclusively related to arts and culture. Those circumstances make festivals rather visible, even prominent, but also vulnerable and prone to be caught in turbulence and public controversy.
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And yet, the complex dynamics affecting the functions and the impact of festivals in Europe is rarely systematically researched, especially in a longitudinal and comparative manner and in a European perspective, and thus widely misunderstood.
EFRP objectives
EFRP seeks to create a critical mass of research papers, studies, courses and debates across Europe in order to articulate the European dimension and significance of the festival phenomena and examine their impact on the cultural production and distribution.
EFRP focus
EFRP focuses on the festivals
- with a primary artistic and cultural objectives
- that enjoy the support of public authorities or communities, and
- have an international character
EFRP key research questions
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How do festivals articulate, fulfill and combine various dominant functions (artistic, cultural, social, educational, economic) and reconcile divergent and sometimes incompatible expectations of their stakeholders (funders, sponsors, artists, audiences and others)?
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How do festivals manage their own growth, conceptual, programmatic and organizational development in relation to the changes in their immediate environment and in the broader European context and at the same time act as agents of change in the cultural production?
EFRP modus operandi
EFRP consortium
- Invests its own human and material resources in the commonly agreed research priorities, on the basis of joint approach and methodology and with regular communication among the members about the progress made.
- Actively recruits associated researchers, including graduate students working on their advanced degrees, to contribute to the EFRP output with a focus and key research questions defined above.
- Stimulates the reflection and debate on the festival-related issues, their inclusion in the university curricula and publication of research results, working with various partners.
- Organizes periodically thematic research workshops, determines their topic and program and disseminates their results.
- Conducts focus groups and in depth interviews with festival operators and key stakeholders of festivals, such as public funders, private foundations, commercial sponsors, media representatives
- Meets regularly at least twice a year to review the EFRP progress and make decisions.
Expected outcomes
By the end of 2008 EFRP will
By end of 2007 EFRP will on the basis of conducted research and discussions in the research workshops
- deliver a set of conclusions on the contemporary festival practices in Europe and their impact
- forecast some future trends in the running of festivals
- offer a set of recommendations for the festival operators, public authorities and potential sponsors.
Planned activities
Further research workshops are planned to be held in
- Le Mans, hosted by France Festivals (18 November 2006), "What makes Festivals sustainable?"
- in the spring 2007 (place and topics to be announced) and
- in Ireland on 8-10 November 2007, concluding workshop, hosted by the Irish Festivals Association.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE EFRP PROGRESS?
YOU CAN BE ASSOCIATED IN MANY DIFFERENT WAYS!
_ I would like to submit a research paper on _________________________________________________
_ I would like to submit a power point presentation on _________________________________________
_ I would like to submit a research bibliography on ___________________________________________
_ I would like to submit a course/ seminar curriculum on _______________________________________
_ I would like to write a graduation/ master/ doctoral thesis on __________________________________
_ I would like to direct my graduate students to write their theses on _____________________________
_ I am interested in placing my students in a research stage_____________________________________
_ I am interested in receiving interns for research on _________________________________________
_ I would like to host a conference/workshop/seminar/lecture/ debate on _________________________
_ I am interested in publishing articles on festivals in my publication_____________________________
_ I would like to be informed regularly about the EFRP activities.
Name: Position
Organization Mail address
Phone Email
PLEASE CONTACT the EFRP Coordinator Katarina Pejovic (
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