Celebrating group and place identity: A case study of a new regional festival

The role of festivals in challenging the perception of local identity can be very important and, in the case of small festivals, is often the most important outcome. This paper discusses the Rollin' Down the River Festival , held in the autumn of 1997 in communities along the Kansas River in this context. While multiple research strategies were employed to evaluate the festival, questionnaires completed by festival committee organizers were the most useful, and this paper was based largely upon them. There were five main categories of festival attractions (Kansas River programmes, rural homecomings, programmes by or about Native Americans, natural environment activities and the celebration of local agriculture). Attendance figures were highest at the opening and closing ceremonies, at programmes directed towards school children and at rural homecomings. Programmes in larger towns failed to attract as much attention, so attendance was inversely related to population size. The popularity of programmes based on the frontier/early settlement period of the mid- to late nineteenth century was noticeable. Despite being characterized as an example of tourist commodification, such events did lead to a positive self-identification for the local community.