Festivals must involve locals at an early stage

Local festivals have been on the rise in Norwegian communities. Local festivals may involve a neighbourhood or even just an individual street. The initiative often comes from private or public sector organizations or individuals from outside the area.

However, in order for a local festival to be successful, it is necessary to engage people in the local neighbourhood right from the very start. 

“It’s about creating local ownership of the process and the event,” said Lina Naoroz Bråten.

Lina is an assistant professor and PhD research fellow at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU’s) Department of Architecture and Planning. She and Marius Vigen, a PhD research fellow from the Department of Sociology and Political Science, have published an article on neighbourhood and street festivals.

The two focussed in particular on the Levende Abelsgate (“Living Abelsgate”) festival, which was held in the Elgeseter district of Trondheim from 2021 to 2023. They talked to both organizers and local people. 

Local festivals must create engagement

Arranging local festivals can be an excellent way of encouraging people to make greater use of the outdoor spaces in their neighbourhood. For municipal authorities, festivals can help to engage local people in the planning and development of the area. Private sector organizations, especially those involved in urban development, may have similar motives.

However, local festivals are unlikely to be a success if the local people do not feel that the festival belongs to them.

“If you engage local people at an early stage, they will have a much stronger sense of ownership of an event. Local people also know best what engages them,” said Naoroz Bråten. 

The Levende Abelsgate festival was originally instigated by Pådriv – a national network that aims to enable individuals, companies and local authorities to work together regarding green and financially profitable development. The festival took place over a weekend and was intended to create a lively city street event that people could enjoy.

“Some locals see these events as positive initiatives that boost local engagement, whereas others see them as externally instigated initiatives without any real roots in the local community,” said Vigen.

These festivals can help create a sense of solidarity and a shared identity, but they can also lead to precisely the opposite. In the worst case scenario, externally initiated festivals can actually undermine local engagement.

“This can happen through what our respondents call ‘symbolic or cosmetic co-creating actions’. This can lead to frustration and passivity instead,” explained Naoroz Bråten.

Scepticism towards anything that originates from the outside

However, it can be difficult to engage people in a festival that they were not responsible for initiating themselves.

“We want to show how street festivals are being used as new tools in urban planning. But we have also noticed that researchers and the organizers behind these kinds of festivals give little consideration to the possible negative impacts for local engagement,” said  Vigen.

The organizers must stimulate engagement. Not simulate. Photo: Lina Naoroz Bråten, NTNU

The Levende Abelsgate festival was originally instigated by Pådriv – a national network that aims to enable individuals, companies and local authorities to work together regarding green and financially profitable development. The festival took place over a weekend and was intended to create a lively city street event that people could enjoy.

“Some locals see these events as positive initiatives that boost local engagement, whereas others see them as externally instigated initiatives without any real roots in the local community,” said Vigen.

These festivals can help create a sense of solidarity and a shared identity, but they can also lead to precisely the opposite. In the worst case scenario, externally initiated festivals can actually undermine local engagement.

“This can happen through what our respondents call ‘symbolic or cosmetic co-creating actions’. This can lead to frustration and passivity instead,” explained Naoroz Bråten.

Stimulate, not simulate, engagement

It is far from the case that festivals always fail if the idea originates from outside. However, organizers must engage local people in creative ways that foster local anchoring. 

The researchers distinguish between genuine and non-genuine attempts to engage local people.

“You have to stimulate real engagement, not simulate it,” noted Naoroz Bråten.

The worst case scenario is if people believe that the festival is being arranged for the sake of appearances, without taking into account the wishes and needs of locals. However, in the best case scenario, a festival can make local people see it as their own and become engaged in it. However, this is not always easy to achieve.

“In order to succeed, the organizers must get local forces on board,” said Vigen.

Specific advice from the researchers

Organizers can achieve true local engagement in a number of ways:

• Take account of the local community’s history, connections and wishes.
• Make sure the festival is referred to as a “neighbourhood festival” – not that this will not suddenly and automatically make everything better. Is it actually a locally anchored festival we are talking about?
• Do not use the festival primarily as an opportunity for the organizers to create positive attention for themselves and their partners. No politicians dressed up in their suits, please.
• Be aware of the risk of local participation being perceived as symbolic if the organizers do not follow up on the neighbourhood’s input or address the challenges that are most important to the local residents.

The reward for success is considerable. Over time, a successful festival can boost local engagement. Both it and other events in the area can then help locals to care more about and become more engaged in urban planning that concerns them and their local neighbourhood.

References: Bråten, L. N., & Vigen, M. G. (2025). Community engagement through the neighbourhood street festival: Between external simulation and local stimulation. Urban Studies, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/00420980251323495