The economic sustainability of the global festivals and events sector continues to be threatened by unexpected, and at times large-scale, disruptions that contribute to a dynamic and volatile operating environment. This paper informs the development of adaptive strategies for music festivals to respond to significant disruptions. Using a qualitative research approach, semi-structured interviews were conducted with stakeholders of the Queenscliff Music Festival (QMF), Victoria, Australia. The results identified nine themes based on stakeholder responses including: sustainability, strategic planning, community and stakeholders, knowledge management and transfer, programming and design and risk management. The economic sustainability of the festival was an imperative, with effective knowledge management and transfer considered increasingly important. This paper’s theoretical contribution is a conceptual model that provides a holistic understanding of the operating environment of festivals facing major disruptions. This model also has managerial implications and can be employed by festival managers to develop adaptive strategies that contribute to their long-term economic sustainability.
Sivijs et al. (Wed,) studied this question.