Das Geld liegt „auf dem Acker“ – Analyse ausgewählter Musikfestivals im deutschsprachigen Raum als regionaler Wirtschaftsfaktor

Backround: This study should examine whether music festivals in rural areas in Germany can be regarded as an economic factor in their own right. The aim was to be able to specify a specific euro value that remains in the region per festival visitor. Methods: 33 music festivals in Germany were selected based on defined criteria. These had to be in rural areas and offer an open-air program over several days. With the help of a questionnaire, municipalities, districts and festival organizers were questioned according to their assessment of payment flows related to the respective music festivals. Results: Due to insufficient feedback, no concrete euro value per festival visitor could be calculated. But it was clear that all three groups surveyed viewed the economic impact of the festivals on the region as positive. According to the respondents, 23.17 % of the regional revenue from the accommodation industry can be traced back to the festivals. For restaurants including catering it is 13.42 % and for the entire tertiary sector an added value from the festivals of 14.1 % can be stated. Conclusion: Music festivals in rural areas in Germany can be viewed as an independent economic factor on the basis of the present work. More in-depth investigations appear to be useful due to the sometimes low level of feedback.