Festival Venue that makes sense : A study of Skansen arena in Stockholm

• The purpose of this study is to investigate how the open-air museum ofSkansen in Stockholm as venue for celebration of Persian Fire Festival is assessed by thefestival’s visitors. The study is based on a delimited part of a larger online survey with280 completed questionnaires including both close-ended and open-ended questions,and a qualitative thematic analysis method has been used in this paper. The resultsshow a high level of appreciation of the Skansen venue that gives the visitors positiveemotions, meanings, place attachment, place identity and a sense of place. Contributingfactors have been the high status of the venue that has given the visitors pride anddignity; security and safety of the venue; size of the venue; and the natural beauty of thevenue. The most important disadvantage factor has been the lack of accessibilitycombined with lack of sufficient public transport. The results have implications for theSwedish society, for the policy makers in Stockholm city and for both the host and theorganiser of the festival and gives rise to new debates on immigrants’ socio-culturalintegration into Swedish society. This paper gives a contribution to existing literature onfestival venue and its impact on the visitor’s overall assessment of the festival.

Subject headings

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Social och ekonomisk geografi (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Social and Economic Geography (hsv//eng)

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Statsvetenskap (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Political Science (hsv//eng)

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Statsvetenskap -- Statsvetenskap (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Political Science -- Political Science (hsv//eng)

Keyword

Skansen

sense of place

place attachment

place identity

Persian fire festival

Stockholm

tourism

Other research area

Annat forskningsområde

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)