Festival Innovation in Times of Crisis

This article examines innovation in times of festival crises from a governance perspective using legitimacy theory. We conduct a case study of Adelaide Festival around three crises based on data drawn from annual reports, festival programs, and media articles from 1960 to 2021. Each crisis raises questions about the need to innovate, whether due to economic concerns or for new approaches to artistic programming, in order to safeguard legitimacy. However, the type of innovation varies based on internal and external environmental factors. Findings reveal tensions ranging from internal board and external stakeholder use of governance mechanisms, depending on the crisis and perceptions around art forms (e. g., elitism and Aboriginality). The findings provide insights on how appropriate use of governance mechanisms can help to balance tensions between maintaining legitimacy and promoting innovation. Innovation, nonetheless, did not reposition the festival in the long run: it remains elitist, compromising artistic vision.