67

Nearly 7300 festivals were organised in 2019, as revealed through an ambitious national mapping project. These 7300 festivals varied considerably in size and scope, some presenting dozens of offerings, whilst others had more of a ‘cultural village fête’ feel. Resulting from cultural policies made from 1981 onwards, this broad diversity is what makes festivals such rich cultural events, with their emphasis on the event-driven and festive dimension of the arts.The study gives an analysis of festivals at both regional and departmental level, focusing on the density of available offerings per head of population, analysing changing numbers of festivals from the decade of their inception, their dominant discipline and their seasonal recurrence. Over four in ten festivals are music festivals, almost half have started up within the last decade and almost four in ten are held during the summer. History, aesthetic preferences and sunshine are all factors governing their presence in the various regions.Whilst urban departments have higher numbers of festivals, rural departments have a rich offering relative to population size. Finally, festivals programmes often draw on a network of cultural players and establishments which operate year-round. The festival circuit is therefore both ephemeral and sustainable, drawing as it does on an enduring regional reservoir of cultural activity.The national mapping was carried out by France Festivals, the Centre d’études politiques et sociales (Cepel) and the Département des études, de la prospective, des statistiques et de la documentation (DEPS).