Cocreation and Engagement: What Festivalgoers Want in the Uk Rock Festival Experience

This article seeks to better understand the festivalgoers' experience by determining what festivalgoers want at UK rock music festivals. Examining the experience journey, important attributes were identified in pre-, peri-, and postfestival phases. Qualitative data were collected from 124 festivalgoers through semistructured group interviews that were conducted on site at three different UK rock festivals. Thematic analysis revealed the importance of cocreation and engagement through each phase of the festivalgoer experience. The practical implications of this study provide festival organizers with the opportunity to direct their management efforts on the strategic optimization of experiences that may promote preferred consumer behavior through positive word of mouth and future reattendance. Moreover, this article offers a conceptual model of the festivalgoer experience.