'The most atypical experience of my life': The experience of popular music festivals on cruise ships. (September 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Cashman, David
• Is Part Of: Tourist studies. Volume 17:Number 3(2017)
• Page Start: 245
• Page End: 262
• Publication Date: 2017-09
• Subjects: cruise -- music -- festival -- sonic tourism -- experience; Tourism -- Periodicals; Tourisme -- Périodiques; Tourisme; Périodique électronique (Descripteur de forme); Ressource Internet (Descripteur de forme); 338.4791
• DOI: 10.1177/1468797616665767
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1468-7976

Abstract

This article considers the growing phenomenon of music festivals on cruise ships. These commercial events, partnerships between event companies and shipping lines, celebrate a particular genre of music and occur aboard a cruise ship. The views of 138 festivalgoers primarily concentrated within six festivals were considered. According to these sources, the festival experience of these events is centred on three factors: live performances, interaction with fellow festivalgoers and star musicians (collectively referred to as 'ship fam'), and interaction with the constructed space of the cruise ship. Cruise ship music festivals are a different type of music festival, still occurring within festival space, but within the mobile experiential cocoon of a cruise ship.