MEDIA REPRESENTATION OF BOUTIQUE FESTIVALS IN THE UK DURING THE PERIOD 2007 – 2010: A DISCOURSE ANALYSIS OF ONLINE MEDIA SOURCES

Abstract

This study critically investigated the key themes, issues and trends within boutique festivals in the UK as represented by the UK media over the ten-year period 2007 - 2017. This was achieved through a discourse analysis of UK magazine and newspaper articles. All media data was sourced online using the search engine ‘Google’. In order to achieve the aim the researcher first created a set of objectives to be met. These objectives began with a critical review of the current literature surrounding the festival industry with specific reference to the boutique genre and focus on associated themes, issues and trends. A conceptual framework was created from the discussed secondary data within the literature review. A suitable research methodology was created and secondary data was collected through the search engine ‘Google’ specifically ‘Google/news’. The secondary data consisted of online newspaper and magazine articles from UK publications, relevant to the boutique topic that is the focus of this study. The researcher used qualitative discourse analysis to identify common thoughts, themes, trends and issues within the examined data, followed by a discussion and analysis of the researcher’s interpretation of the results. The study found that the boutique festival market in the UK is continually growing, and as the public's disillusionment with the developing issue of a corporate culture within the festival giants develops, boutique festivals are continually gaining popularity. Sponsorship, commercialisation, event and environmental sustainability issues are found to be common regarding boutique festivals. Boutique festivals are found to be multi-genre, multi-generational, family-friendly events, independent from corporate ownership, involving a wide range of activities, workshops and more creating an immersive environment. The key defining factor of boutique festivals is found to be that they offer a unique experience. Creativity, innovation and consumer participation are found to be a focus within boutique festivals, and fancy dress is found to be a growing trend. This study has made valuable contributions to the existing body of academic knowledge and provides a platform for father related research in the future.