There have been an increasing number of festivals in Europe, and Sweden, the last 20 years and this can be important for the local and regional development. There is a relation between the festival and the local society where they affect each other mutually. The purpose of this presentation is to discuss this relation between the festival and the place which also is a part of my thesis. Which processes are involved in this relation? Which advantages and disadvantages can be identified? To get a festival and a local society to co-exist with each other, a good working relation is necessary.  

In this context I am interested in identity, place identity as well as another kind of identity connected to similar interest, attributes and/or values. Does a common identity in a festival organization affect the relation to a place? In my empirical case I have seen a strong feeling of friendship, between these people who work in the festival organization. They have told me about how much this means for them and how they have met new lifetime friends. I have also noticed that this is a really closed group. Interesting is if there is a strong social capital in this group which affect the relation to the society. My intent is also to see if there exist a connection between social capital and the creation of identity. I will also look at the connection and network between the festival and other actors in the society. In this way I will study a more open social capital that is directed outwards.

Another part in my ongoing research is to look at the place, the local society, where a festival belongs. Can the local heritage affect the creation and the existence of a festival?  Is this important in this context and does the local culture affect the relation between the festival and the place?

Keywords; identity, place identity, place, social capital, cultural heritage