Cultural closure and social mobility: a critical examination of festival governance structures as exclusive social spaces

Festival producers used their professional cultural expertise to navigate tensions between local and national policies in order access resources from different funding sources. They did this according tacit values which defined ‘excellence’ artistic fields rather than communities’ interests. In exploring festival production paper contributes a critical understanding of how festivals’ governance institutions became exclusive social spaces that, through closure based on obscure ‘cultural value’ criteria, limited facilitated mobilities. illuminating the role art forms, funders structures as in-groups, study runs contrary common academic policy narratives envision festivals inherently open spaces. Consequently, argues makers seeking achieve socio-cultural outcomes carefully consider festival’s field who is included or excluded its governance.