Participant well-being and local festivals: the case of the Miri country music festival, Malaysia

Abstract

Purpose

Festivals are becoming a growing commodity for countries keen to increase their portfolio of tourist attractions. The benefits experienced by the local community and the visitors at festivals are multi-faceted. However, existing tourism research has primarily focussed on the value of the event in terms of customer satisfaction. It has yet to explicitly identify the affect music festivals have on individuals' well-being. This study aims to investigate the effect of music festival unique attributes on visitors' satisfaction levels and how it influences individuals' well-being.

Design/methodology/approach

A paper-based questionnaire was distributed to participants visiting the Miri Country Music Festival (MCMF) in Malaysia, and partial least squares–structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) was used for data analysis.

Findings

The results from 288 respondents revealed that the festival programme was the main attribute in influencing one's satisfaction to a festival, which in turn improved one's subjective well-being. The other attributes that influence an individual's satisfaction in a music festival include food, information services and festival value.

Originality/value

This study advances the body of knowledge by integrating the self-determination theory and the environmental psychology theory as the bases that a music festival potentially provides an engaging environment that is conducive for positive well-being among the participants. This is the first study that confirms the influence of the different predictors on the perceived value of MCMF, proposing a model in developing a better understanding of the participants' well-being.

Citation

Tan, K.-L., Sim, A.K.S., Chai, D. and Beck, L. (2020), "Participant well-being and local festivals: the case of the Miri country music festival, Malaysia", International Journal of Event and Festival Management, Vol. 11 No. 4, pp. 433-451. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJEFM-02-2020-0007