The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on numerous industries, including the event industry, resulting in widespread disruptions. The widespread cancellations of festivals have been a direct consequence of the pandemic, and, following the reopening, those that have taken place have had to implement changes in response to the new guidelines and regulations created as a result of the pandemic. In this study, we examine the experiences of festivals held in 2021 in the Veszprém–Balaton 2023 European Capital of Culture region (VEB 2023 region). The study aims to adapt the PwC Risk Management Model and identify its four pillars (1: detect; 2: protect; 3: react; 4: restore) in the case of festivals. Our study outlines how festival organizers have faced unprecedented challenges and risks (detect), how they survived in complete uncertainty (protect), what lessons they learned, and what risk management decisions they made as a challenge of the pandemic period from a consumer perspective (react). The present study utilized a qualitative research methodology and involved conducting structured interviews with a total of 19 event organizers from five different events. In addition, to gain a comprehensive understanding of the sustainable consumption habits of festival visitors, a questionnaire survey was administered yielding 1133 responses. The biggest challenges for the organizers during the times of the pandemic were uncertainty and unpredictability, with increased financial, human, and mental risks and burdens. However, the positive benefits of the pandemic period and the future developmental directions of sustainable festivals were also highlighted (e.g., small-scale, family-friendly events). Regarding the future, the aspects of greening aspirations, a need to reflect on the social-environmental criteria of sustainability, and more flexible management decisions to deal with uncertainty have emerged among the festival organizers (restore). The research has revealed that festival visitors themselves will be important allies in the introduction of sustainable measures. The research result helps festival organizers to adapt more effectively to the new socio-economic circumstances caused by the pandemic.

Sustainable practices aiming to reduce environmental impacts have become key guiding principles of events, but initiatives focusing on the economic impacts and on supporting the local economy and society are also gaining more emphasis in event planning and management. Music festivals attracting larger audiences are becoming especially aware of the importance of sustainability as well as of their role in the process of raising participants’ awareness of it. The paper aims to assess the initiatives of the Street Music Festival in Veszprém, Hungary, one of the flagship events of the city, from both the participants’ and the organisers’ perspective. For the investigation of participant attitudes, a questionnaire survey was conducted, while the organisers’ views on sustainability were sought through interviews. The findings show that although respondents rate the importance of sustainability as very high, their contribution to responsible consumption is far from what could be considered sustainable, therefore better communication of the initiatives or stricter rules need to be introduced. The interviewees revealed that organisers consider economic sustainability just as important as the environmental issues, and gave an insight into the rationale behind sustainability enhancing initiatives, some of which have a marketing function as well as protecting the environment.

This study investigated the attitude of young people (individuals aged 14–25 years old) towards environmental protection using the NEP scale. The research aims to understand how demographic characteristics may influence young people’s attitudes toward green issues. The study focuses on answering the following two research questions: Q1. How can the environmental attitudes of young individuals be systematically characterized and summarized? Q2. To what extent do demographic factors influence the environmental attitudes of young individuals? A computer-assisted data collection (CAPI) method was carried out in four European Capital of Culture cities from different countries (Estonia, Hungary, Lithuania, Romania) from April to June 2022. On the basis of this primary questionnaire survey, descriptive statistics and relationship analyses (Cramer’s V and Kendall’s tau) were used to analyze the collected data (n = 712). The results revealed that in most cases, demographic characteristics had little or no impact at all on green attitudes. Thus, most youth attitudes showed the concept that humanity must adapt to the limits of nature. Furthermore, there were three green attitude statements where moderate differences could be detected by the countries. The findings can provide guidance for decision-makers in the field of environmental education and marketing, and they can also serve as a benchmark for other countries. Additionally, it opens up new opportunities for further research on the role of formal and informal education, as well as to measure the impact of social media on youth environmental behavior and their proactivity towards green issues.

A Veszprém- Balaton 2023 Európa Kulturális Fővárosa Program tapasztalatai Events in the age of pandemic and economic

Turisztikai és Vidékfejlesztési Tanulmányok Folyóirat A tanulmány négy ország Európa Kulturális Fővárosában (EKF) vizsgálja a fiatalok környezetvédelemmel kapcsolatos (zöld) attitűdjét.