Sustainable Festival Populations: An Application of Organizational Ecology

Abstract

This article addresses the sustainability of festival populations from the perspective of organizational ecology theory, and in particular age and density dependence. Data from whole populations of festivals in three Norwegian counties are examined. Analyses of festival start-ups demonstrate that the number of events in each county had risen faster than population growth before plateauing, and changes were correlated significantly with trends in the Norwegian gross domestic product. Data on festival age, theme, and other variables were also considered in the light of whole population dynamics. It is concluded that the fundamental tenets of density dependence theory were empirically demonstrated insofar as rapid growth in the festival populations was not sustainable when resources diminished, but no data were available on festival failures. It appears that the hypothetical legitimation of festivals helps to explain rapid growth, as festivals have become popular instruments of public policy. Implications are drawn for future whole population studies and for policy makers who would seek to manage portfolios or whole populations of festivals.