“I Have the Feeling of Community Again”: The Socioeconomic Impacts of Small-Scale Events on Community Recovery

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic had severe consequences for communities across the globe and especially in Melbourne, Australia, where residents experienced strict control measures and extended lockdowns. Using a mixed-methods approach, this study explores an initiative to facilitate community recovery by analyzing the socioeconomic impacts of small-scale events held by local government in Melbourne’s West shortly after the final lockdown lifted. Survey data were collected from 843 event attendees and 43 business operators, followed by semistructured interviews. Results show that these events generated multiple social benefits by enhancing a sense of community, (re)connecting people, improving mental health, and promoting diversity and inclusion. Economic benefits were generated directly by boosting local and visitor spending and indirectly through increasing business‐community connectedness. The study contributes to the limited empirical research on the value and role of small-scale events for community recovery and has managerial implications for sustainable destination development, recovery, and regeneration strategies.