A Comparative Case study: The Key and Potential Roles of Social Media in Festival Avignon OFF and Edinburgh Festival Fringe

This master's thesis investigates the role and untapped potential of social media in two of Europe's most prominent arts festivals: Festival OFF d'Avignon (France) and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe (Scotland). Addressing the limited body of research on social media within the event and festival industry, this study aims to provide a comprehensive overview of social media performance across both festivals in 2019 and to propose digital strategies for enhancing audience experiences. A multiple-case study approach with an embedded mixed-method design was adopted. The research combines qualitative and quantitative methods, including 26 semi-structured interviews, analysis of more than 12,500 social media data points collected through Awario, Metricool, and Social Blade, and the examination of approximately 900 offline promotional materials. The findings reveal that both festivals continue to rely heavily on traditional communication approaches and have yet to fully leverage social media to create integrated audience experiences. Key challenges include limited content diversity, underutilization of Instagram and YouTube, insufficient audience stimulation, and a lack of differentiated communication strategies. The study proposes a "phygital" approach that integrates physical and digital experiences to increase audience diversity, strengthen community engagement, and maximize the social and economic impact of large-scale cultural events. It also introduces the concept of a centralized digital assistant, "FES-visor," designed to support participants throughout their festival journey.