A Survey of Domestic and Overseas Arts Festivals--With Recommendations for Creating New Comprehensive Arts Festivals in Japan--

Social Development Research Department Mitsuhiro Yoshimoto

The NLI Research Institute， under consignment from the Board of Japan's Performing Artists， conducted a four-year survey beginning in 1991 on the status of domestic and overseas arts fesrivals.1 In this paper， we present out principal survey and analysis results for 37 representative arts festivals (see Table II-1)， and project the future direction of arts festivals in Japan.

Summary

According to foreign arts directories， nearly 2，000 arts festivals are presently being held around the world. The most active countries are the U.S. (404 fesrivals)， France (198)， Germany (151)， England (148) and Italy (120). While our 1991 survey found information on 65 festivals in Japan， only a few of these receive international attention and are listed in foreign derectories.
In Europe and the U.S.， with some exceptions such as La Biennale di Venezia in Italy entering its 100th year， most arts festivals were begun in the postwar period up to the 1970s. By comparison， the majority of festivals in Asia were begun in the late 1970s， and in Japan almost all festivals were created after 1980.
The basic characteristics of arts festivals are classified into five categories: (1) introduction of artistic productions， (2) arts creation， (3) urban (arts) revitalization， (4) regional development， and (5) fostering of artists and promotion of arts education. In many cases， festivals contain several of these characteristics. In the future， to transform festivals from a place of arts consumption to arts production， the second category of arts creation should be emphasized.
The genre composition of festival programs can be classified into three categories: (1) comprehensive， (2) composite， and (3) single. Japan does not yet have any truly comprehensive arts festivals.
Festivals vary greatly depending whether they are held in resort cities or major metropolitan areas. In resort towns， many festivals are held in the summer tourist season in conjunction with the off-season of arts groups. Many festivals held in major metropolitan areas， focus on introducing new directions in the arts. A major issue for these festivals is how to differentiate themselves from the everyday variety of performances and concerts.
In resort cities in the U.S. and Europe， some festivals are held in unique venues. For example， a medieval castle setting， which creates a space for an artistic experience not possible in theaters or concert halls， has come to symbolize one festival.
Programming for festivals is done by artistic directors in the U.S. and Europe， while in Asia committees are the predominant form. While there is no definite tendency in Japan， we recommend the introduction of artistic directors to ensure that festivals develop a clearer focus and artistic message.
Festival organizers can be classified into five types depending on sector (public or private) and type of financing (public funds， private funds， admissions income， etc.). Most festivals in Europe and Asia are organized by the public sector and receive public subsidies， while those in North America are generally organized by the private non-profit sector and financed by admissions income. In Japan， festivals are mostly organized by the private sector and financed by private grants and corporate sponsors， making their financial status rather unstable.
While operating budgets vary widely， large festivals incur total expenses in the 500 million to one billion yen range， while medium-size festivals cost from 200 to 500 million yen.
In the future， Japan's arts festivals need to be guided in the following directions:
1. Creating comprehensive arts festivals in major metropolitan areas that are representative of Japan.
2. Emphasizing the creation and presentation of new artistic productions.
3. Constructing an arts infrastructure through festivals， including the promotion of education and information networks.
4. Developing local cities into centers for artistic activities.
5. Involving government participation in organizing festivals， including the nurturing of existing festivals.
In light of the growing mutual interdependence of the international community as the 21st century approaches， arts festivals will increase in importance as a mode of communication that transcends cultures and languages. By creating large comprehensive arts festivals and developing existing ones， Japan can create artistic value that transcends national boundaries and eras， and move toward greater mutual understanding in the international arena.
For our survey sample， we chose festivals that are representative or unique to each region based on the festival's history， seasonality， scale， venue characteristics， and program contents. However， due to time and other limitations in conducting the surveys， the characteristics and trends of arts festivals mentioned in this report are limited only to those festivals we could include in our on-site surveys.
Our final selections were based on the following broad guidelines:
- festivals that are held regularly;
- have a duration of at least three days; and
- are attended by renowned arts organizations both domestic and foreign.
However， we also considered the program contents of festivals on a case by case basis.