Determinants of Arts Festival Participation: An Investigation of Macao Residents

Arts festivals target a diverse body of audience, and the participation of local residents to a large extent defines the event success. However, little has been known regarding what local attendees expect, how they perceive the value or benefits, and in which way they get involved in these festivals. Based on a survey on 159 local respondents attending the 2009 Macao Arts Festival, this study has examined a range of factors that may have pulled and pushed local resident of Macao to attend and participate in the annual festival. For comparative purposes, up to 379 local respondents who did not attend the festival were also investigated. It is found that local attendees' participation is largely determined by festival participation frequency, convenience of purchasing tickets, personal curiosity about unique performances, and interest in arts appreciation. In addition, there exists a significant, positive relationship between the overall satisfaction of local festival attendees and their intention to return in future. Local nonattendees in general have poorer perception of the festival's pull factors. They are interested in arts, but their participation is constrained by a number of external barriers. The information revealed is helpful to improving the current practices of governments and organizers in the program design and marketing of urban arts festivals. Important research implications of the results are also drawn.