essay 2
This one was ment to compare two major international European Festivals and think if there is European or native cultural quirks showing.. Don't know if I wrote anything decent about it, but in case you are interested go and read behind the cut..
Culture in Europe
Europe, culture and tourists
Culture is something that attracts lost of tourists to Europe, both from Europe and outside. Culture itself can be diverced in so many different types, that it can be said to be the main event that brings tourists, along with beach holidays. And of course this has been noticed. During last twenty years tourism and its marketing has been centered more and more around culture and different cultural activities.
What makes Europe so important cultural destination? History, mostly. Europe is where most of New World's immigrants came from. European culture has been base for many other culture, mainly American. Yes, it does differ a lot, specially in modern days, and ther was cultures before Europeans came and took over, but what we define nowadays as a western culture, has been based on that of Europe's.
What brings tourists to Europe, in cultural point of view, is old towns, biuldings, momuments of the olde time, music, theatre and dance, food and beverages, wine, public happenings and years old traditions and festivals built around them. One of the few most known is Oktoberfest, that's built around beer and consuming it, if I may be sarcastic.
Since culture has many definitions, so has culture tourism. To others it's about seeing masterpieces of famous artists, some other enjoys more common enjoyment such as food, others love spending days in loud music with thousands of others and some people simply follow roads that some kings and royalty has been using hundreds of years ago.
Culture can be seen anywhere. It's how tourist themselves define it, that makes it culture tourism or just ”plain” tourism.
Two countries, two festivals
The reason for this paper was to compare two international culture festivals in Europe. For this purpose I chose Edinburgh International Festival from the UK and Roskilde Festival from Denmark. Both are humongously popular annual happenings. Both are also what today's cultural tourism is all about, from the programmes to external activities to effects on local area and environment.
Edinburgh International Festival is a three week long festival of performing arts. It's annual festivity of international opera, music, drama and dance and it's been organized since 1947. Theme for year 2010 was ”Oceans apart” and concentrated on cultural diversity. On their website (www.eif.co.uk) it's said that
Festival 2010 was an explosion of colour with performers from the Americas and the Pacific rubbing shoulders with artists from Spain, Holland, Germany, Russia and the UK, creating a delicious melting pot of entertainment.
Edinburgh International Festival has a mission to be THE most exciting, innovative and accessible festival of performing arts in the world.
Roskilde Festival is four days long festival of modern music. It's annual happening, organized since 1971 and Roskilde 2010 was 40th festival. It aims ”to be an innovative and challenging festival, that presents the young talents of today and tomorrow.”
Both festivals are non-profitable. Incomes come from selling the tickets and at least on Edinburgh's case both public and private donations and fundings. Those are then used for paying to performers and other expences. Edinburgh's incomes are used solely on it's functioning and marketing but Roskilde gives all it's profits to humanitarian and cultural projects around the world.
Both festivals are also administerated with small amount of employes. Edingburgh has 27 permanent employes and Roskilde has 25. Rest of the personal needed is voluntares (Roskilde has 25 000 of them).
The way to organize the festivals is surprisingly similar between these two different festivals. Though they have different time line and different type of performers, presenting the programmes is similar as well as the way to have as many performers or activities during the same day. Differences in presenting comes mostly from the amounts of activities per day and amount of artists all together.
Of course the whole atmosphere is different too. While Edinburgh's festival has more ”refined” cultural art, Roskilde has concentrated on youth culture with modern music, and camping. Extra activities are also much different. Edinburgh has education programme for schools and professional developing. Roskilde has special ideals of environmentally healthy festival, with plans of refunding the bottles and prizes for returning trashes.
Displaying European culture in festivals
How does the festivals display European culture? Or native culture for that matter? Does it show on their programmes or themes? Or in their way of organizing things?
Both festivals have been founded in post-world war Europe. Edinburgh right in the wake of World War II and Roskilde about 30 years later. Both have the air of togetherness and sharing. Qualities, that are attached to Europeans, despite of wars and other animosities. And Roskilde, as Danish and therefore part of Northern countries, has adobted rather strong programme of environmental conciousness.
I can't really say, if national quirks show on festivals or not. I'd go for saying that festivals are melting pots of cultures. Since there are international participants, in both artists and spectators, the outcome of the festivals are rather international as well.
Once again, feedback is loved...
I do know I have mistakes there and that I could have wrote this whole lot better... *hides* My priorities though are always elsewhere..
Culture in Europe
Europe, culture and tourists
Culture is something that attracts lost of tourists to Europe, both from Europe and outside. Culture itself can be diverced in so many different types, that it can be said to be the main event that brings tourists, along with beach holidays. And of course this has been noticed. During last twenty years tourism and its marketing has been centered more and more around culture and different cultural activities.
What makes Europe so important cultural destination? History, mostly. Europe is where most of New World's immigrants came from. European culture has been base for many other culture, mainly American. Yes, it does differ a lot, specially in modern days, and ther was cultures before Europeans came and took over, but what we define nowadays as a western culture, has been based on that of Europe's.
What brings tourists to Europe, in cultural point of view, is old towns, biuldings, momuments of the olde time, music, theatre and dance, food and beverages, wine, public happenings and years old traditions and festivals built around them. One of the few most known is Oktoberfest, that's built around beer and consuming it, if I may be sarcastic.
Since culture has many definitions, so has culture tourism. To others it's about seeing masterpieces of famous artists, some other enjoys more common enjoyment such as food, others love spending days in loud music with thousands of others and some people simply follow roads that some kings and royalty has been using hundreds of years ago.
Culture can be seen anywhere. It's how tourist themselves define it, that makes it culture tourism or just ”plain” tourism.
Two countries, two festivals
The reason for this paper was to compare two international culture festivals in Europe. For this purpose I chose Edinburgh International Festival from the UK and Roskilde Festival from Denmark. Both are humongously popular annual happenings. Both are also what today's cultural tourism is all about, from the programmes to external activities to effects on local area and environment.
Edinburgh International Festival is a three week long festival of performing arts. It's annual festivity of international opera, music, drama and dance and it's been organized since 1947. Theme for year 2010 was ”Oceans apart” and concentrated on cultural diversity. On their website (www.eif.co.uk) it's said that
Festival 2010 was an explosion of colour with performers from the Americas and the Pacific rubbing shoulders with artists from Spain, Holland, Germany, Russia and the UK, creating a delicious melting pot of entertainment.
Edinburgh International Festival has a mission to be THE most exciting, innovative and accessible festival of performing arts in the world.
Roskilde Festival is four days long festival of modern music. It's annual happening, organized since 1971 and Roskilde 2010 was 40th festival. It aims ”to be an innovative and challenging festival, that presents the young talents of today and tomorrow.”
Both festivals are non-profitable. Incomes come from selling the tickets and at least on Edinburgh's case both public and private donations and fundings. Those are then used for paying to performers and other expences. Edinburgh's incomes are used solely on it's functioning and marketing but Roskilde gives all it's profits to humanitarian and cultural projects around the world.
Both festivals are also administerated with small amount of employes. Edingburgh has 27 permanent employes and Roskilde has 25. Rest of the personal needed is voluntares (Roskilde has 25 000 of them).
The way to organize the festivals is surprisingly similar between these two different festivals. Though they have different time line and different type of performers, presenting the programmes is similar as well as the way to have as many performers or activities during the same day. Differences in presenting comes mostly from the amounts of activities per day and amount of artists all together.
Of course the whole atmosphere is different too. While Edinburgh's festival has more ”refined” cultural art, Roskilde has concentrated on youth culture with modern music, and camping. Extra activities are also much different. Edinburgh has education programme for schools and professional developing. Roskilde has special ideals of environmentally healthy festival, with plans of refunding the bottles and prizes for returning trashes.
Displaying European culture in festivals
How does the festivals display European culture? Or native culture for that matter? Does it show on their programmes or themes? Or in their way of organizing things?
Both festivals have been founded in post-world war Europe. Edinburgh right in the wake of World War II and Roskilde about 30 years later. Both have the air of togetherness and sharing. Qualities, that are attached to Europeans, despite of wars and other animosities. And Roskilde, as Danish and therefore part of Northern countries, has adobted rather strong programme of environmental conciousness.
I can't really say, if national quirks show on festivals or not. I'd go for saying that festivals are melting pots of cultures. Since there are international participants, in both artists and spectators, the outcome of the festivals are rather international as well.
Once again, feedback is loved...
I do know I have mistakes there and that I could have wrote this whole lot better... *hides* My priorities though are always elsewhere..